Now Johnny Sneakum' is an author

I've heard of this happening to other writers: someone publishing under their pen-name or a twist of that pen-name. Now I am a victim.

On Amazon, the largest bookseller, if you do a search for "James Sarafin," the top results show e-books authored by "Sarafin James." These books are phony literature! Do not buy them! They are not authored by me or written with my permission.

I am not a prolific, well-known, or wealthy author. If this can happen to me, it can happen to you, if you've published at all.

Hal, you may want to take this one seriously.

Jim

"These books are phony literature!"


Are you sure you didn't write them?

What is the process to shut him down? Will Amazon do it or do you need to sue?

I'm trying Amazon and Kindle first. Phony AI-written books are becoming a big problem for writers and publishers.

To protect my pen name, I will go to a lawyer if I have to.

Jim

You know a good one, lol.

How do you know the dudes name isn't actually Safarin James?

If that's his real name, I won't have much of a complaint.

Jim

Of course, I'll demand to see a driver's license with that name on it.

Jim

LOL

That's racist and discrimination

Waiting with baited breath to see how this turns out !

Or that it's just another author that shares your name?

It appears he/she/it has a website.... https://sarafinjames.com/?page_id=109

Well by golly, you've got my word on it. I won't! Couldn't hold a gun on me and get me to buy one.

Try any other page of that website, and you get: "Sorry, but the page you were trying to view does not exist."

I think it's an AI, like author Jane Friedman had to deal with. https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/10/tech/ai-generated-books-amazon/index.html

Jim

I've never seen an author's website that didn't include a photo of the author.

Jim

Why would they use your name if you don't have a lot of fame as an author? Or maybe you do? I guess I'm kind of confused as to what the benefit is to whoever it is.

Every page worked for me other than the "contact" page.

Maybe you should book an appt. with Coonman's Dr.

The pirates and AI developers don't target big-name authors who have the resources to litigate. Do you really think that if you published a book under the not uncommon name Stephen King, you wouldn't hear from a lawyer? You'd likely be sued even if that is your real name because you are freeloading off of someone else's reputation, their intellectual property.

Why they picked me is a mystery, but these AI-generated works are being palmed off as other lesser-known writers' work. Friedman isn't the only writer this has happened to.

Jim

You first. Let me know if he or she is any good.

Did you bother to read those other links? The ones written in Latin?

Jim

Thank you for the unqualified, and bad, legal advice.

Jim

I know tons of authors who post websites in dead languages. It's the new trend!

Jim

If someone rips off your traps, do you really think you need to prove they were ripping off other trappers too?

Jim

But what harm has befallen you for you to require damages paid?

Reputation?

Can only be an improvement

Physical?

If we're lucky

Financial?

Did you buy his book.

That sealed the deal.

Bought a dozen copies.

Would you like one of them?

Mike

Sarafina James is a real person, not the author of the books I'm talking about, nor the one with the phony website.

Jim

There is nothing you can do about it. Could use the exact same name. Can’t copyright a title either. Now if they copied the content, that’s a different story. For example if I wanted my pen name to be King Stephen and I wrote a book called “The Stand”….oh well….but can’t copy the content and sell as mine. Good Luck!

So are the copying your literature? I looked on Amazon and looks like some really boring books. Is your stuff trapping or outdoors related?

If that was literally someone’s true website, I’d be a little on the PO’ed side. It’s written in another language, lol. I’m from the “Deep South” and we don’t write nor speak that language. No contact really gives it away. I hate a thief!

Funny how some folks sit back and do nothing to stop a thing until it's their ox that gets gored.

Her photo is at the bottom of each of her Latin blog posts.

I had part of one of "her" nonsense blog translated. Here's the English:

Children are living with disease, old age and children, and they are suffering from hunger and poverty. But he wants the lake. Live that drink bed. There are no shootings in the great football valley. Duis volutpat fear nibh, not said large vehicles in. There is no such thing. Quisque vulputate dolor vitae nibh bibendum, eu pharetra nunc luctus. I'm looking forward to seeing you. Etiam eleifend nibh needs an element of arcu convallis.

Keep the doubts and questions coming. I'm testing my hypothesis that it's an AI.

Jim

I just Googled "Sarafin James." The search engine flipped my names around, one of the things that worries me.

The Google search produced quite a few links to me. Quite a few more who are my relatives. Then some unrelated Sarafins in various parts of the country.

All of us using "Sarafin" as a last name. None using the name as a first. Sarafin is a surname.

The only references to Sarafin James are to "her" books, "her" website, and this thread on Trapperman. No indication that "Sarafin James" is a real person, despite the itty-bitty photo on her site.

Jim

Where to start. Never had a book ripped off. However at the 95' NTA Mr. Dobbins, Jim Conner, and I ran across a fellow selling our videos -- pirated of course.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet -- y'all.

I looked at that web site. It's all greek to me -- literally. This is some sort of phony baloney front. The foreign language you're trying to read is "place holder" text. It is "dummy" text you place on a page to see how your layout looks. It is meant to be gibberish so it doesn't distract. The goal is to get the layout right. In the trade it is called "Lorem ipsum".

In fact if you select "Block Examples" from the menu, then select "Info Box Block", then scroll to the bottom of the page you will see that very "Lorem ipsum" under each of those people.

Now if you back track one step the selections under "Block Examples" are guide for building this version of a web site. They shouldn't even appear to the general public, only to the web designer. And back to the "lorem ipsum" There are text place holders in those design sections. Whoever or whatever promulgated the pages for this site has not replaced the "lorem ipsum" with real information. Look at those descriptions. They are all the same. "Nullam aliquam nisi elit,....".

Somthin' ain't right.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/10/tech/ai-generated-books-amazon/index.html

Jim

I heard an interview with some Sci-Fi publishers a short while back. They said they had to stop accepting submissions. 75% of the submissions were AI generated. They were trying to figure out a way to separate the real from the fake.

Neil Clarke, owner and editor of Clarkesworld SF Magazine, has taken a lead role in fighting AI work. He will ban and blackball you if you're caught submitting an AI work.

Jim

James, you are a lawyer! Just kidding.

Obviously someone with no writing ability tagging onto a more known author in order to sell a story. Using your pen name and the story is crap, that would be harmful to you for future publications, IMO.

James, in fear of having this deleted, what books have you published under that assumed name?

When I started my business, there was one already registered as I was going to call mine. It was no longer in biz, but I was advised to do a change up in case they had outstanding debts. A couple letter changes and I was good to go.

If they are not spelling exactly as you, I THINK you have no standing.

I just watched a YouTube video about more missing 411 cases put out by David Paulides the book author and movie producer. He said all of his work is being copied and redistributed as someone elses original content.

From what I know of him, he is retired LE, has a large number of contacts at the Fed level, and I am guessing fairly deep pockets. My take away is this: if they aren't scared of him, they probably don't fear the rest of us or any enforcement of copyright law.

Heck bubba, they own right up to it!!! (You need to google better.)

https://sarafin.io/

(And made me do all that work)
Problem might be that you suck.

Why should I do the work, when you'll do it for me?

Jim

Well, there it is. You do suck.

I swear to god you've lost your mind with the rest of them. Imagining someone is picking on you.

Just like you assumed I was picking on you by posting a video that had no preface.

As it turns out, as Angela pointed out, it did fit you exceptionally well. (as you knew it did, obviously, by your pouting about it)

So says the rest of them.

LOL!! Could not find a writer Johnny Sneakum. Must be a ghost Writer!!

Johnny Sneakum was what early trappers started called trap thieves. I learned the term from V. E. Lynch from his books published by A. R. Harding Publishing Company. The term is still commonly used. Harding has lots of great old books with still good information in them.

Keith