In 2005, I wrote what is, so far, my only magazine cover story.
The Weekly Reader publication Know Your World Extra ran it.
Hard-hitting, it was not. But it did have a good angle.
The article addressed the trend (still in effect) of comic book companies (particularly the one with which I’m most familiar, DC Comics) taking the name of an established white superhero and creating a new, nonwhite version.
Firestorm became black.
Blue Beetle became Hispanic.
The Atom became Asian.
The Crimson Avenger became (no, not crimson) black…and female. Now female in the New 52: the Atom (Hispanic, too), Shadow-Thief, Wotan...
Numerous other examples exist.
The Justice League of All of America.
First read part 1.
An editor from READ had just asked me why a humorous history piece in the latest issue of Nickelodeon magazine was so similar (in her opinion) to one I wrote for the latest issue of READ.
I was the one who told them about the Nickelodeon piece. I thought it was already obvious that I had no idea how it had come about.
At that time, I was all about e-mail. But because tone in print can easily be misread, I called her.
I said I understood her suspicion because she didn’t know me, not personally. Yet, I said, I was as surprised as they were to see the Nickelodeon piece—again, only because of the timing, not because I felt the idea was original. (Execution, of course, is where originality can enter into it.)
I explained that I’d worked hard to establish a good reputation as a writer and would not self-plagiarize (or plagiarize, for that matter). I emphasized that I greatly valued my relationships with both READ and Nickelodeon and would not consciously jeopardize either one. I reiterated that the compare and contrast format was not unprecedented. And I said that any two writers independently comparing Homer and Homer Simpson would likely have some overlap. There are only so many key qualities to distill.
I also pointed out that Nickelodeon gave a byline to every feature written by a freelancer. My byline was on other pieces in that very issue, but there was no byline on the Homer piece, which meant it was written in-house. I provided the name of my Nickelodeon editor so the READ editor could contact her directly for verification. I concluded by stating that I hoped to continue to write for READ.
Fifteen minutes later, I got her response. She apologized if she’d insulted me. She explained that she had to ask about such a coincidence because, as I’d said, she didn’t know me. But she now understood that such comparisons had been done before. And she said they’d been thrilled with my work thus far so don’t worry about it. (She didn't contact Nickelodeon.)
I continued to write for READ, and still do when I can. But I also continue to worry, not specifically with respect to READ but simply as a freelance writer.
In any such case, the only thing freelance writers have to back us up is our word. We, of course, make our living from words and I’d like to think that words can be enough. But sometimes words are not as thick of a shield as we might like.
In 2004, every writer’s nightmare happened to me.A Weekly Reader publication called READ (aimed at grades 7-12) that I’d enjoyed writing for before had assigned me a piece about ancient Greece. Specifically, a piece introducing kids to the renowned classical poet Homer by contrasting him to the esteemed modern bard Homer Simpson. This format was not new. My college humor magazine (Gravity, founded at Brandeis University in 1990) ran such silly comparisons every issue for a while. For example:
written by Noel Rappin
written by Ross Garmil and Rod Lyle Scormio
And then……that same month, I saw the latest issue of Nickelodeon, a magazine I was writing for on a monthly basis.Well, look at that. 
They, too, ran a Homer vs. Homer compare and contrast. So even though I was pretty sure this comparison had been done before, I could not believe it was in another mag I regularly contributed to in the same month that my Homer vs. Homer piece would appear in READ.Yet I saw this as a curiosity, not a problem. READ is distributed only in schools, free to students. Nickelodeon is for sale in stores and by subscription. I immediately e-mailed my READ editor about it. She wrote “That happens.” We e-smiled.Later that day, however, her boss e-mailed me. She felt the Nickelodeon piece was startlingly similar to the one I did for READ. She asked me to explain how this could have happened.I’d been a freelance writer for five years and I’d loved it. That was the first time in my career I felt firsthand that working alone can also be hazardous to one’s career.Continued in part 2.
My story "Villainopedia.com" appears in the 1/22/10 issue of READ (a Weekly Reader publication).I was so amused to find that someone posted a question on ChaCha ("ur mobile BFF") asking if the site is real. I would think a Google would have been even quicker than a BFF. And I am shocked that someone would know the answer, let alone CheckCheck ChaCha and ChimeChime in!The answer, BTW, to quote my anonymous eagle-eye: "No, there is no Villainopedia.com, though there has been a short story written with that as its title."
