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Stolen story idea -- what to do?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Joegolf, Jul 20, 2009.

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  1. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Xan, Other reasons not to follow your advise. If you want to be a successful freelancer, the trick is to do as little work as possible until you have a promise of a paycheck in hand. FotF is right. Demonstrate you can do the story, but wait for an assignment before going nuts. The man knows of what he speaks. ... Because 1) They are going to want something specific anyhow (a specific word count, a particular focus, a section in the book you might not have in mind), which you can't know until you have an assignment, and 2) Why work without knowing you are getting paid?

    As for the original post, same thing happened to me a long time ago, when I pretended to be a writer, and it turned into a blessing in disguise. It was a magazine I had never written for. I had a specific idea I wanted to pitch and I got a senior editor's e-mail from someone I knew, who had worked for him. I pitched him. He turned me down. Then I saw my story in the magazine a month later. I e-mailed someone on the staff box above the guy I pitched and said I thought they had stolen my idea -- which was unique enough that it couldn't have been coincidental. That led to a phone conversation. It was obvious he thought his guy had stolen it, but he stood behind him. I didn't force the issue. A few weeks later, I sent a few more ideas to my new buddy (number two on the staff box), each just a paragraph each; I mean real barebones. He immediately forwarded one of them to a section editor and without having to pitch very hard, I had my first small assignment for a new magazine. That arrangement actually continued for about a half a year -- he either e-mailed back yay or nay whenever I'd e-mail him my ideas. At a certain point, I knew everyone editing the magazine and I could just e-mail people directly with my ideas without having to explain who I was.

    If it's possible, Joe, I'd write it off, but try to use it the same way. At least let a few people know you believe he stole your idea, but don't burn any bridges. See if you can use it to your advantage some time in the future. It's a pragmatic approach that could work to your benefit.
     
    The Big Ragu, Jul 20, 2009
    #13
  2. Hammer Pants

    Hammer Pants Active Member

    Story ideas will be stolen from time to time, no matter what. People on my beat have been known to tail each other in media sessions and steal ideas to cover their asses. I try to get all super important stuff in a one-on-one, even if that means working the phones. Paranoia has set in like crazy on my beat — and most others, in all likelihood.
     
    Hammer Pants, Jul 20, 2009
    #14
  3. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    Ragu, it sounds like your method worked for you.

    But the bottom line is, ideas will be hijacked 99 percent of the time. I think that if you do a story (yes, that means putting in the time knowing you might not get paid for it), it lets you focus on shopping it around. Why keep calling different places saying, "Hi, I have this great idea" and every place says, thanks but no thanks, and then steals the idea?

    Yes, there might be some kind of successful middle ground once in a blue moon, as you showed. But this business is filled with pimps and whores who will say, great idea! only to steal that great idea and make money off it for themselves.

    Guess that's the bitch of being a freelancer.
     
    Songbird, Jul 20, 2009
    #15
  4. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    Not much you can do. Ideas themselves can't be copyrighted, only actual works.

    Anytime you "pitch" something to anyone, this is the risk you run. It sucks, though.
     
    Mark2010, Jul 20, 2009
    #16
  5. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

    Feels your pain:

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
    TheSportsPredictor, Jul 20, 2009
    #17
  6. friend of the friendless

    friend of the friendless Active Member

    Mr X

    The 99 percent is tin-foil-hat math. Are you saying you rip it off 99 percent of the time? If so, that's your experience. If not, how are you coming up with the number? Not my experience but I have only 25 years in.

    o-<
     
    friend of the friendless, Jul 20, 2009
    #18
  7. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Truly outstanding.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
    BYH, Jul 20, 2009
    #19
  8. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    There aren't as many truly unique ideas as one might think. Not saying yours wasn't, Joegolf, but magazines are especially aware (usually) of anniversary-type stuff.

    And yeah, ideas are stolen too. Maybe moreso at national pubs where they get so much unsolicited stuff. I'm pretty leery about pitching to bigger pubs unless I have a connection on staff or something.
     
    playthrough, Jul 21, 2009
    #20
  9. silentbob

    silentbob Member

    Dont email the guy's boss.

    We're not in grade school.

    You have two choices here:

    1) Call the guy and ask him why he turned down your idea and then wrote it himself.
    2) Find another idea.

    I'd go with #2.
     
    silentbob, Jul 21, 2009
    #21
  10. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    Excuse my delayed response, I was readjusting my tin-foil hat.

    I was 19 percent off, forgive my poor math skillz. I've now heard/read this kind of story 5 times in the last 4-5 years. Four of the 5 saw their ideas hijacked and turned into a staff-written story: 80 percent.

    It sounds like you caught a few breaks and made it work for you in that 25 years experience. Good for you (and congratulations). But most of the rest aren't so lucky, and this is just one more example.
     
    Songbird, Jul 21, 2009
    #22
  11. friend of the friendless

    friend of the friendless Active Member

    Mr X,

    Your tin-foil hat has fallen over your eyes. You hear four times about the sad tales of people who have pitched stories and seen them appear in print with someone else's byline. You don't factor in those who pitch and sell their stories. That and only that would constitute a representative survey. I can say that I've seen it play out hundreds of times favorably--therefore there's a less than one percent ripjob rate. Furthermore, exactly what were these pitches going in? If you were pitching the 40th anniversary of the moon-landing, well, it's possible that someone at the magazine might have reached the same conclusion about story-worthiness as you did. So the legitimacy of the four sad tales would have to be reviewed before the tabulation.

    o-<
     
    friend of the friendless, Jul 21, 2009
    #23
  12. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    Indeed. You've seen it successful hundreds of times. I've seen it unsuccessful, albeit not to the extent you've seen the successful stories.
     
    Songbird, Jul 21, 2009
    #24
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