Who Really Wrote That Ebook?

The publishing world has never been more fun, and opportunities for new authors have never been better than they are now. It is possible to be published literally overnight - and have hundreds if not thousands of readers within days, if you play your joint venture cards right - even if you are a completely unknown author.

For so many of us, this is the realization of a lifelong dream - of being a published author - without having to wait years to see our work in print, and without enduring those notorious rejection letters from big-name publishing houses. This has encouraged thousands of would-be authors to come forward and make their writing dreams come true.

But there's a little quirk in all this joy - something very few are willing to talk about, and with good reason: it could mean an unpleasant change in the bank balance of many so-called authors if the word got out. In fact, some people will be really upset with me for writing about this - but in the online marketing world, it's hardly a secret.

Ghostwriting of books has become more and more common in the quest for merchants to provide what consumers want most: information. While ghostwriting is a time-honored, accepted practice, its scope varies widely. At one end, it could be a mere editorial polishing of someone's original ideas and research. On the other extreme, it can be a complete book written for a fee by a writer who bid for the job. In that case, the writer provides all the ideas and research but agrees to remain unnamed. The buyer of the writer's work may go on to make thousands from this book as its "author." That's how the arrangement works.

I've found that ghostwriting is fairly easy to spot these days. Only an original author will have that passionate, authentic voice in his or her writing and on his website. Reading ghostwritten books is a lot like eating only carbohydrates - they don't stick with you very long! Anyone who has true passion for his subject will probably want to write his own book, rather than be a ghostwriter. Think about it - if you had a talent for writing, would you want to put your best work under someone else's name - and make a fraction of what they earn from your brain-bending work?

As an online writer, my Business reputation is at stake every time I recommend a book and stand behind the author's guarantee. However, these days everyone wants a piece of the Internet pie, and some are even willing to cheat in order to get theirs - by stealing others' work.

It's so easy to hide on the Internet. Domain Names can be made private, and when a website has no contact information whatsoever, a person has to wonder why. In the urgency and desperation to make a buck, some people step over the line. They see an e-book, buy it, and sometimes in a matter of only a few days, these people put up their own online "version," flagrantly plagiarized!

Tigress Luv's books on relationships have been online for many years now (http://www.liftedhearts.com). She is known for her unique style which "cuts to the chase" while still being warm and humorous. However, others have attempted to "reword" her books and sell them online. "My loyal readers have been wonderful about contacting me when they've spotted a 'carbon copy' of one of my books. The online community can often be a very close-knit group in many respects," says Tigress.

The extent of this problem goes well beyond the publishing world. In schools and even colleges, students are notorious for applying the "cut and paste" research model to their term papers - and actua