News Literary impersonator motivated by 'deep love of books'

[Mel L]

Book thief in plot that duped famous authors avoids prison

It was the stuff of novels: For years, a con artist plagued the publishing industry, impersonating editors and agents to pull off hundreds of literary heists. But the manuscripts obtained from high-profile authors were never resold or leaked, rendering the thefts all the more perplexing...

apnews.com

 

[AgentPete]

I know, deeply weird. Reminds me somewhat of Bibliosexuality by Clive Sinclair, who always lived in McEwan’s shadow and did some copywriting for me. About people who get their jollies from… books!

 

[Hannah Faoileán]

Sad man. Now, post owning the guilt, an even sadder man. I have no sympathy for him, but I do feel sorry for him.

 

[Brooke]

not even sure how to feel about this...?? i'll keep this link, though, for the next person who says the internet today is turning people into criminals lol

 

[Mel L]

not even sure how to feel about this...?? i'll keep this link, though, for the next person who says the internet today is turning people into criminals lol

Yes, worth keeping. Definitely a story idea or two in there!

 

[Peyton Stafford]

If I were a clever publisher, I'd hire him in some position and get him to write an account of his experiences. He's already famous, so it would be celebrity lit and sure to sell. So glad he avoided prison.

Blurb:

Sacked by Simon & Schuster, he turned to crime to feed his hunger for raw manuscripts and soothe his need to belong in the world of publishing, the world that had rejected him. How long can he keep up his pretense before an angry author exposes him as an imposter?

 

[Peyton Stafford]

Sad man. Now, post owning the guilt, an even sadder man. I have no sympathy for him, but I do feel sorry for him.

Your response stayed in my mind. Not sure how you differentiate between sympathy and feeling sorry. If he were imprisoned, he would be sent to Riker's Island, a prison notorious for inhumane treatment of inmates. Think Nazi concentration camp for small-time criminals. Not a place to provide therapy for someone desperate to belong.