Plagiarized Ebooks, how do I get protected?

[psychotix]

Hi.

I just found out my writers have been ripping me off, and the books submitted to me were 70% unique or 30% plagiarized directly from the reference books I sent them! I used Plagiarism Checker X, and thats how I knew.

1. What is the safe percentage of duplicate content for me not to get sued? My stuff is published in amazon, ibooks, google, createspace etc. The material stolen from are actual books, not some website article or PLRs and MRRs. These are real books like For dummies series, Bryan Tracy and other top names in the field.

2. How often does legal actions actually happen in the self publishing world?

3. Will I be protected if I change the copyright notice on my books and throw my ghostwriters under the bus, telling the reader the ghostwriter wrote everything, here's his full name and contant dettails, and that the book is owned by him (though earnings go to me). ?

I could lose my accounts, my livelihood, just because of these stupid writers stealing content from big name books! Im the the self help industry excclusively.

Thanks in advance. I appreciate any kind of help.

 

[Wilson Grant Fisk]

Remove/stop selling the ebooks and get them re-written by a professional writer.
Alternatively contact the people who wrote the ebooks for you and tell them they need to re-write them or you will pursue legal action and pass their details onto the original authors/publishers.

 

[psychotix]

I cant pull out those titles. It would cost too much money in terms of lost income. I did however ask them to fix it.

 

[Wilson Grant Fisk]

I cant pull out those titles. It would cost too much money in terms of lost income. I did however ask them to fix it.

Well that means you are leaving yourself open to being sued and your accounts banned.

 

[WizGizmo]

I cant pull out those titles. It would cost too much money in terms of lost income. I did however ask them to fix it.

If you can't afford to take legal action, then there isn't much you can do except to tell them that your cousin is in the Mafia .

 

[VeeGeeN]

If you can't afford to take legal action, then there isn't much you can do, except tell them that your cousin is in the Mafia .

I have a really ugly face and a good back story. $22,000 and I can finish the job for you psychotix

 

[GringoMonkey]

I have done a lot of jv work in publishing and worked with someone who was in a similar situation.

You have to accept as the publisher you are responsible for what you publish not the ghostwriters.

Having said that the best way forward that does not hit your income is to get the books with the issues fixed asap and then reupload as v2. But be mindful that if your books are flagged in the meantime you could loose your account.

In future check before you publish and have written in the agreement that the work must be original.