News Wow! Our worst fear?

[Jonny]

Just heard this rather amazing story on the news. You may never know who’s reading your manuscript - even at a leading well-respected publishing house.

Beware!

 

[E G Logan]

The most puzzling thing about it is what the young man intended to do with all the unpublished mss he'd obtained.
I have seen several suggestions in different publications, with 'sell them' in the lead.
However, the FBI seems to imply (at least in the account I read) that the perpetrator hoped to COPY from the mss, submitting them or parts of them under his own name.

 

[E G Logan]

In case that last comment sounds a bit wild, here is the quote from the FBI, from a press statement.
Michael J Driscoll, the assistant director-in-charge of the New York Office of the FBI, said: “...We allege Mr Bernardini used his insider knowledge of the industry to get authors to send him their unpublished books and texts by posing as agents, publishing houses and literary scouts. Mr Bernardini was allegedly trying to steal other people's literary ideas for himself, but in the end he wasn't creative enough to get away with it." (My italics.)

 

[Hannah F]

Or he might have gone insane with jealousy. "If I can't get anything published, no one else will."

 

[Julie]

There‘s a story in that story . . .

 

[KateESal]

To paraphrase one of the authors I follow on Twitter, "as if having a good idea is the easiest part of the process..." (eye-roll)

 

[Dorm Ant]

Or he might have gone insane with jealousy. "If I can't get anything published, no one else will."

...while sucking his trousers and laughing.