Opal Mehta No Longer Living Wild

May 2nd, 2006 · 2 Comments
by Booksquare

Publisher’s Weekly is reporting that Little, Brown has officially decided not to revise and re-release How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life. Apparently, the second book under the contract is also a no-go.

PW also speculates about the status of the advance received for the book, wondering if the publisher will ask Kaavya Viswanathan to return the money. Though…since it’s our understanding that Alloy is the copyright holder (and possibly the contracting party), it seems that the book packager would be on the hook for legal action and whatnot.

While we’re not cynical, we fully expect a lawsuit or two to be coming down the pike. ‘Cause this is America and suing is our national right.

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File Under: Square Pegs

2 responses so far ↓

  • SusanGable // May 3, 2006 at 6:13 am

    I’m not a fan of lawsuits in general, but in this case, I think the wronged authors truly SHOULD sue her butt. (Ok, not just her butt, all of her.)

    I thought I’d read that the copyright was jointly held by the “author” and the book packager? Which would make them both on the hook. Actually, the “author” (sorry, I have to put that in quotes – I can’t call her that without choking) ought to be on the hook no matter what since she’s the one who delivered the “goods.”

    The advance money ought to have to be coughed back up, and they can give it to the original writers.

    I’m glad to see that there HAVE been repercusions in this case, glad Little Brown pulled the book completely (no revised version), glad she lost her movie deal, etc. I mean tarring and feathering might have been a good option, but this works, too. I hope Harvard expells her.

    Let us hold her up as a not-so-shiny example of what word theft gets you: a once promising career extinguished like a dirty cigarette butt.

  • Booksquare // May 3, 2006 at 9:32 pm

    SusanG — you may be right on the copyright. I was in the middle of fourteen things and couldn’t check for sure. So much for journalistic integrity. And I think I’ve read so many versions of this story that I don’t know for sure what is truth and what is fiction anymore. Oh right, the reality is the stuff that you can’t make up.

    I’m glad there are consquences here, but I’m not wholly convinced we’re tarring the right victim. Not saying she’s shiny innocent, but the more the layers are revealed, the odder it all is.