As regular readers of this blog know, I love to write. I also give out much information for free. I hope that this blog and other posts I’ve spent time writing have helped people to sell their story. 
Clearly I’ve been too naive and trusting. Because what you don’t expect is for someone else – a fellow journalist you know of – to take those articles off, and then pass them off as their own. Even more incredulous is to take the links off those features and substitute their own.
But this is exactly what I found when surfing the net I accidentally began reading one of my own posts – to find it had someone else’s name on it.
Sickeningly, I have found dozens of articles – all with this person’s link at the bottom of it. Is she a media agent of over 20 years? I’ve met the person who owns the linked-to website once at a party and don’t think that person is old enough (sadly I am) to have been writing for newspapers and magazines 20 years ago. Yet that is what all of ‘their own posts’ claim…
Shockingly, here is one article I wrote in 2010: How do I sell my story to the press?
This person has then submitted my article (s) under varying names from someone called Dusty Howk to another person named Daniel Schwegel to upteen different websites – but again every link goes back to their website.
I could simply be flattered that so many people have picked up such a brilliant article about selling a story to the press. But, as you can see yourself if you click on the articles and blogs above, every single link in every post goes back to the same website.
And that’s not the only article that’s been taken in the same way. Here is my original feature about selling your story for the most money.
Now here it is again with someone else’s name on it and the very same links back to the same website: By Clay Vanderwyk . Read past the first paragraph of this blog and again, there is my article: James White’s blog.
And not content with that, several of my articles have even been collated into a blog all its own – again with links back to that person’s site: http://storytosell.blog.com/
For proof, I have all the original emails when I first submitted these pieces to these websites.
It’s made me angry – and sad. And amazed that this person didn’t simply do the decent thing and write their own article.
I have flagged up the offending articles – I would like an explanation and to give this person a chance to tell me why they’ve done this. I also want every one removed. But unsurprisingly I’ve since heard – precisely NOTHING! If I do hear back I will let you know what the explanation is…
UPDATE: The website owner has responded. They say: “How very strange. I have absolutely no idea what these websites are – I have never seen them before. I would be as angry in your shoes but I can assure you this is the very first time I’ve had this bought to my attention. I also conduct my business ethically and if my SEO is at fault here they will be held fully accountable.”
Have you had your blog or article ripped off? What did you do about it? Let me know your thoughts and experiences below…
