Respecting the Value of Intellectual Property
It was the early 1980s. I was young and hungry and vulnerable and putting myself through six years of university without financial help beyond that which I could do for myself. It was the second semester of my four-semester M.B.A. program, and I was invited to work for the chair of the marketing department at my university. I didn't know it at the time, but he'd hand-picked me because I'd gotten top marks in one of his marketing courses. Since the class size was 400+, I didn't figure he even knew who I was. But he gave me the choice of becoming either his teaching assistant or his research assistant. I was the youngest M.B.A. candidate in my program, one of only five women, and shy, so I chose to do research rather than stand in front of large undergraduate classes and teach bonehead marketing. And I was very happy to chuck my minimum wage night-shift job at a fast-food joint for a higher wage, office job. The fact that my new boss was a nice man was gravy.
By my second year of the M.B.A. program, I was offered a full fellowship, which included a tuition waiver (worth a whole lot to an impoverished out-of-state student) and the graduate research assistantship. By that time, the chair of the marketing department knew my capabilities and tasked me with "helping" him write a text about retailing, including faculty and student guides and all the support materials. Not to be disrespectful to someone I admired, but the man I worked for couldn't write. And so the lion's share of the work fell to me, including working directly with the publisher in New York. When my boss left the country for five months to teach for a semester at sea, he didn't hand off the completion of the textbook to one of his peers. He delegated it to me, and he informed the publisher. And then, since this was before mobile telephony and the Internet, he was entirely incommunicado until his book was completed and I had graduated.
I was invited to the book launch party and given an autographed copy of the book. And I noticed the boss gave me a nod in the Acknowledgments section for "work on the galleys while I spent a semester abroad." It was accorded the same level of respect as the work of the typist and the undergraduate student (who happened to be the niece of the Dean of the College of Business) who basically sat around the office, applied makeup, and flirted with boys. His handwritten note acknowledged the extent of my contribution and offered encouragement to write my own book "because you can."
At the time, this was bittersweet to me. I had published before, in my hometown newspaper, in the Congressional Record, and in a juried neuroscience journal called Cortex. But I was not confident enough as a person or as a researcher and writer to ask for proper authorship credit and a fair share of the royalties. My contributions to the book went far beyond the customary graduate research assistant work and galley proofing to responsibility for the final product, intellectual and structural contributions, research and content, writing, managing other people, meeting and beating deadlines, and dealing with the publishing house.
And, so, the biggest mistakes I made in publishing my first book (i.e., the one without my name on it) was not giving myself sufficient credit for my contributions and not placing a high enough value on my intellectual property. One learns and grows from one's errors. I did go on to write and publish more of my work, but I will always feel a little disappointed that I let myself be exploited because I didn't ask for what was rightfully mine. Even at the time, I sort of knew better. The editor of the book, other faculty members at the university, and even other graduate research assistants expressed their concerns, but I was too shy, too polite, and too in need of my fellowship package to risk that relationship with my boss of the time.
My message to all writers and aspiring writers is to value your own work and ideas. If you don't, it's unlikely others will.
About Ellen
Ellen R. Sheeley is the author of Reclaiming Honor in Jordan: A National Public Opinion Survey on "Honor" Killings and a contributor to the anthology Nothing But Red.
In 2003, she journeyed to Jordan, where she learned of the needs for empirical...
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Well Said Indeed
Believe it or not, your experience as a research assistant is one any number of professional authors and editors have experienced because of their position of neediness or some other factor that allowed an unfair exploitation of their intellectual labors. The authentically good news though is that the skills and growth you achieve remain your own to apply to works that bear your name and for which you are more properly compensated. Here's to you surviving the sting and going on to achieve your proper due.
Aberjhani
author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File)
Thanks, Aberjhani.I do
Thanks, Aberjhani.
I do think this is probably a relatable conundrum for many of us here in the RR. Writing can be a lonely profession, one fraught with a lot of rejection. And some are so hungry to be published that they'd sell their soul to see their name in print. This makes for a very exploitable situation.
It's one thing to knowingly, willingly give away one's work for the greater good or to get a foot in the door or for private reasons. But to know profits are being made by others from the fruits of your own mind and labors. . .well, that should be respected and fairly remunerated.
Ironically, I went on to be an adjunct professor and a manager in the field of business and marketing. And I have used this life lesson to ensure that I am always generous about giving credit where credit is due, erring on the side of too generous perhaps.
An eye opener!
Thank you for sharing and enlightening us. I wish and hope that you will be there when my need arises.
Will do my best to be there
Will do my best to be there for you, Sumathi.
GRRRRR!
Your story really made me angry. What a shame that such a person, who could not even write, became department chair. His exploitation of you was disgusting. What a rotten man and what a rotten life he led.
Sue, the truly horrible
Sue, the truly horrible thing about this is that, in academia, especially with graduate students, there is an almost institutionalized acceptance of this treatment. The only things remarkable about my case are the extent to which the onus for seeing the book through to completion was laid at my feet and the lack of proper crediting and remuneration. I spent many an evening and weekend working on that book when I should've been studying and enjoying my last semesters at the uni and the remaining days with my fellow students and friends. The chair wasn't even in the country. . .he was sailing around the world on his ship and unavailable even for status meetings.
He was an otherwise nice man. He was intelligent and competent in his field, but he just couldn't write very well. He and his family befriended me, threw a surprise 25th birthday party for me, invited me to spend weekends with them, were devout Christians. I'm sure he thought nothing of his actions.
But now that I am a full-grown adult, a professional in my own right who has had every opportunity to exploit people over whom I have and had authority, I realize that he took it much too far. And it has bugged me, though I have never before told anyone.
Ellen, if he was a ''devout
Ellen, if he was a ''devout Christian'' he SHOULD have thought about his actions. Honestly, that makes my blood boil. I suppose we all live and learn. Your advice is well taken re; being hungry for recognition etc., with ones art.
Never sell yourself short.
Never sell yourself short. Women are much more prone to do it, for all sorts of reasons. Most of us are socialized to be agreeable and somewhat selfless. Some of us have learned those lessons too well.
Maybe it's not always warranted, but I've learned to be a bit reserved in front of people who wear their faith on their sleeve. Pedophile priests and such. Some of the best people I've ever known were atheist or agnostic. A little doubt isn't necessarily a bad thing for the conscience.
I always liked that line from a Billy Joel song, "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. . .the sinners are much more fun."
Love it Ellen, I'm laughing!
Love it Ellen, I'm laughing!
I thought it might appeal to
I thought it might appeal to the Irish funny bone. :-)
Ellen, It isn’t too late.
Ellen,
It isn't too late. We should be fair and square. And I think this blog helps us understand even the strong person like you once had this kind of moments. And this is in the U.S.
Last few years, I noticed many books that ought to give someone much more credit than a one-line-thank-you note. And they often include writers' loving wives. I recently read a very good Japanese classical novel, "Not Asked but Tell You." For the female psychological development, I believe the original author of the book, Akako, was much more dynamic than Murasaki Shikibu. She wrote non-ficiton. She revealed the reality of the royal life to the core which Murasaki Shikibu tried to conceal.
Anyway, I could tell by reading that the translator/scholar's wife wrote the description of female psychological developments. In the detail descriptions, the book excelled compared to male writers' similar books. And that is the key to that classical novel.
Yes, he gave her credit in his introduction as one of the last bullet items: Without my wife's heavy expertise, I could not complete the book. It's one line. I thought, then, why the book cover shows only his name.
Also I wonder what other colleagues or anyone associated with your project were doing. No experienced adult came forward to support you. They are equally guilty.
As usual, you make some
As usual, you make some great points, Keiko.
Remember when, not long ago, some of us were discussing why the various "best author" lists contain so few female names? Maybe we have just hit on part of the reason. We women haven't traditionally been given much credit for what we do, even when we are pulling more than our fair share of the weight. And even those of us who live in lands of opportunity can be intimidated by asking for what is rightfully ours.
I am not as strong as people apparently think. I do fight for what I believe in, but back then, given the circumstances, I thought my options were to take my little hourly wage, keep the fellowship and the good graces of my boss, and graduate OR go up against the established system, ask for co-authorship and a slice of royalties, and risk my degree and my future earnings stream. And so I didn't rock the boat. But you are right. . .others saw what was going on. They expressed their concerns to me, but no one went back to my boss and said, hey, if you are going to skip the country and dump that workload and those responsibilities on her for months on end, it is incumbent upon you to share the credits and the royalties with her. Would've been nice if the other faculty members had done that. They were in a position.
I find it interesting that you were able to spot the female writing in a book that was credited to her husband. You are right. . .too often, wives are given a quick, cursory nod in the acknowledgments section when they probably deserved more.
When you think about it, there isn't often much transparency in these matters. It's as though the industry needs some ethical standards and guidelines to keep people in check. When a nonfiction book has been ghostwritten, for example, as a reader and a consumer of the book, I feel I should know for sure who actually did the research and the writing. Right now, there is a dishonor killings book on the market that is being touted as written by a journalist from the Middle East when, in fact, she flaked out after years of trying, and it had to be written by a male ghostwriter from England who needed to quickly bone up on the subject before he could write it. Maybe he doesn't want his name on such a book, but I feel as though it is false advertising to sell it to an unsuspecting public with only her name of the cover. But then I am kind of a straight arrow about these things.
Ellen and Farzana,
Yes, all contributors should get credit.
Ellen, about the issue of "best author" lists containing not even one female name, yes, we have just hit on part of the reason. Thank you for your courage. I understand that you're not as strong as you appeared to be. I don't take that for granted.
Farzana, whenever I see the good journalistic pieces as you described, I know unknown people like you behind, and I appreciate the kind of work as you do. Maybe most people seem only watching the screen, but we are not that stupid. As my mother used to say, people are watching. She meant more people have deeper insight than we think. It won't escape from us.
. . .we are not that
. . .we are not that stupid. As my mother used to say, people are watching. She meant more people have deeper insight than we think. It won't escape from us.
This is very comforting, for reasons entirely unrelated to this blog post.
Ellen, I wanted to express
Ellen,
I wanted to express my respect and appreciation to those unappreciated people.
I don't know if you feel this also unrelated, but about the author lists containing no female name, I wrote an email soon afterward to one of a few Japanese women who were present at that meeting. I asked her if she looked at my recent RR blog. I explained to her the content of the discussion. She wrote me back as below:
"Are people talking loud? I wish them not saying it sexism. There were many male writers didn't make it to those lists, too."
I thought her reaction interesting. I asked her to check the blog out for herself because that was the best way. And I asked her if she didn't feel anything funny about the three lists that contained no female names. I haven't heard from her yet.
Your reactions, the Japanese woman's, and also mine are making me think.
Oh, Keiko, I didn't mean to
Oh, Keiko, I didn't mean to imply your earlier comment was unrelated to this discussion. But the wisdom you imparted applies equally well to a certain situation in my life, where people are pretending to be something other than what they are. I do think others see through it, but your well-timed comment reinforced my own thoughts and warmed my heart.
I've heard similar loop-de-loo comments about dishonor killings. I sometimes don't even know how to counter comments like that. Of course, a lot of men didn't make it on those lists. That is the nature of winning and not winning. But for all the winners to be male? C'mon. . .something is up with that, and it's not the least bit subtle.
Thanks, Keiko. People are
Thanks, Keiko. People are not stupid, I know, but aside from this example there are many times when you feel let down. For me, that is worse than not being acknowledged.
That's a different subject...too many things to say, too little drive:)
~F
Maybe blog about it when you
Maybe blog about it when you feel like it. I bet a lot of us will chime in. People can be extremely disappointing.
Ellen, this is such a huge
Ellen, this is such a huge issue and I can understand the emotions that must go through one's mind when such a thing happens. I go along with Aberjhani, but then although the skills cannot be taken away from you the disillusionment could remain. Especially since you were at the time in need.
Let me share an incident, just one for here. During the terrible riots of 1993 in Mumbai I had accompanied a friend who was shooting. She does not live and work in India, so I told her about the affected areas and conducted the interviews close to houses that were demolished. It was painful for me for reasons that shook my faith in several things. Anyhow, she captured everything, got the words, sent me a copy of the video.
A common friend was shocked when he realised I had been given no credit for the work. All that was mentioned was 'Thanks to FV for accompanying me'! I did not even sound like a caddy...and guess what? I did not realise that it was unfair until it was brought to my attention.
I was not needy; in fact, it was because of my columns that she got first acquainted with me.
She is still a friend and I don;t think about this until an occasion such as this presents itself. It isn't about being large-hearted, but believe that I was the conduit to convey a message that was way more important than me.
Of course, anyone tries to filch my words and they have had it...but that's another story and a long one.
Yes, I have always believed that one has to stand by one's own words because if you don't, then no one will. Even if it means being blunt...
Thanks for helping me with the catharsis...
You have gone on to better things and to be even better than that first experience.
~F
Farzana, I see that you get
Farzana, I see that you get it, and that you've experienced something similar (probably more times than we will ever know!).
To be honest, I never thought much about that retailing book in the intervening years. But I moved recently and, as I was tenderly unpacking my autographed book collection, that book fell open to the Acknowledgments page and the professor's handwritten inscription to me. I stopped to read both, thought, "Oh, gees. Does this all look very different to me from the vantage point of age and experience!" And then when I read the RR e-mail message about blogging about a publishing snafu, this was the only one that really came to mind for me. And I thought it would be a relatable experience, as so many people in creative endeavors struggle and want to get a foot in the door and sometimes sell themselves far short in the process. And there are too many vultures out there just waiting to swoop, especially if they think the work is good.
It seems as though your friend wasn't trying to pull the wool over your eyes, Farzana. She captured the experience, and made sure you got a copy of the work. But before she did the FV-accompanying-me thing, it would've been nice if she'd have asked you how you'd like to be credited publicly for your contribution, as it was an essential part of her getting the work produced. You opened the doors and that entire world to her, and that should rate more than a light-hearted, coded message that doesn't even accurately convey the nature of your working relationship on that project.
It's really a two-part message, isn't it? One: respect yourself, your creative output, and your intellectual property. Two: give credit where credit is due; it elevates everyone involved.
Ellen, sure she was not
Ellen, sure she was not trying to pull the wool over my eyes and as I said the message reaching out meant more. But, as I was, for whatever it is worth, already set in my profession, it seemed like one was being reduced. And that came through to someone else.
Another thing: she gave a one-sided version when I had made certain to speak to both sides. This could give the impression that because it seemed to favour one community to which I belonged, I had done the dirty by influencing her perspective.
Anyhow, it is in the past....
~F
PS: You have not added a tag to your post about 'missteps'.
I understand what you're
I understand what you're saying, Farzana. You were the senior partner, and she kind of ran roughshod over your willingness to mentor her through this project. And, whether intentional or not, by being one-sided in her reporting, she possibly risked a bit of your journalistic integrity (guilt by association), and that is something you've probably worked very hard to establish. Pretty shabby treatment. Did she just not know better?
Ohhhhh. . .the e-mail message I got said to tag it misstep. But I dunno if it appeared differently elsewhere, so I'm going with both belt and suspenders, just to be sure. :-) Thanks for noticing, Farzana.
Is that the book?
Oh, the academic world! That sort of manipulative bullying just drives me nuts(I guess it awakens the jaguar ;-D)! I´ve seen similar things happen, Ellen, and for speaking against it in department meetings, I´ve had more than one project boycotted by my so-called peers. Veeeery healthy environment.
No, that's not the retailing
No, that's not the retailing book, Luciana. Just one I plucked off the Internet. Gotta protect the guilty here. :-)
I don't doubt for a moment you've seen similar in your working environment. When I joined the faculties of several universities, I learned more about tenured and tenure-track positions, and there's a lot of smoke and mirrors involved in academic research and publishing. Most of the work is produced by students and staffers, with faculty generating the funding, overseeing the work (to one degree or another), and slapping their names on it when it finally appears in print.
Some years ago (10-ish, maybe?), the graduate research assistants at the University of California at Berkeley tried to unionize. They were tired of being forced to pimp themselves out to professors who slapped their names on student work. This entire discussion we're having here was at the core of their desire for union protection.
Learning and growing
I'm so sorry to hear this, Ellen. Shame on him! Things like this should never happen but unfortunately they do. I'm so glad you've gotten beyond and above it. Life teaches us all hard lessons sometimes. Now it's time to move forward and show the world, and that man what you're made of! And here's to Karma.
Thanks for your kind words,
Thanks for your kind words, Dorraine.
My belief in karma has gotten me through many a painful experience. This was a minor blip on the radar in the larger scheme.
Been There
Ellen-Yes, I've been there many times. One would think I would have learned after allowing myself to be taken advantage of so often, but, alas, no, until my later years. As an early feminist I took the ire of columnists when I founded The Name Choice Center and kept my own name after marriage, when I sued TV Guide for libel and won, I even braved and overcame labels like Jet set Queen, Socialite, Blond Bombshell, Blond Numbshell, but still didn't take credit for the hugely successful Napa Valley Wine Auction, and let myself be cowed into giving up a multi-million dollar estate, and having some of my life stories made into TV shows without credit or money. But even writing this makes me feel silly, because none of it matters now, if it ever did, and I can honestly say I am a strong old lady because of it.
Pat, you are right. . .these
Pat, you are right. . .these lessons apply more broadly than just writing, and I think they are particularly difficult ones for us gals to master (or would that be mistress?!). But if we don't value ourselves and all that we offer, who will?
Blond Numbshell?! Never heard that expression before. Socialite is particularly harsh. Ouch.
Having just been through a grueling, life altering experience, your perspective on all this is probably very, very clear. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, and some things are just too puny to sweat.
Institutionalized plagiarists sometimes get by with it.
Ellen--It is one thing for a professor to use grad students' research done under his/her direction and exertise and help them earn their first publishing credits to further the students' careers. (A good professor might save a young scholar from many mishaps or mistakes, in fact. He/she might use his/her contacts or knowledge of literature to help someone get published.) This arrangement is supposed to be mutually beneficial. The lead professor, however, should value seeing the students' work published under the students' own names if it is worthy of it. The students' successful publishing speaks well of him or her.
But what you described and the department chair's underlings also seemed to notice was that you were severely taken advantage of. The weekends in his home and the birthday party, etc., were very nice gestures, but nothing to make you beholden to him. Those kindnesses are not that unusual. (I bet his wife did most of the work. Ha.)
You were probably absolutely correct that at that point in your life you had no choice, but to accept this injustice. He had the power, and he used it unfairly. That is why this is so disgusting. (That is why unwanted sexual advances by a person in authority over an underling is so rotten.) I suspect this man's lack of generosity was well known by the others in the department even before you came along--and, thus, they did not feel they could defend you publicly to him. He would not have listened and probably have made them "pay" for their lack of loyalty to him. Some people are selfish and unprincipled. As you pointed out, they may not even know it. Some are generous and want to help others get ahead. You had the misfortunate to get the unprincipled kind. I am glad you blogged about this injustice and allowed us to at least support you in your recognition that life was not fair. And it might inspire a grad student to speak up if treated unfairly.
Do you still have contact with this man? Does he give you good recommendations and still try to help you make needed connections? Would you feel better if you visited him and confronted him with his unfairness? I don't like conflict, so I would not feel better. I am often an emotional coward. Just imagining your doing this has just made my stomach weak!! But some people can confront and enjoy it--or at least enjoy the after effects of the confrontation. Since I don't think you could belatedly get royalties, emotional satisfaction is all you could attain. It would not be worth it to me.
I think the important thing is that you did recognize three things: (1) that you were treated unfairly but survived and thrived, (2) you were capable of carrying this book project to completion while the "author" sailed the seas for five months, and (3) you are willing to share your experience to help others not sell themselves short. I see no reason why you could not describe and claim the work you did on this book as a grad student on your resume without naming your professor by giving a few specific examples, such as, "My contributions to the book went far beyond the customary graduate research assistant work and galley proofing to responsibility for the final product, intellectual and structural contributions, research and content, writing, managing other people, meeting and beating deadlines, and dealing with the publishing house." And, of course, as you said, you went on to publish on your own--because you could as the man said.
Sue, it's too bad I didn't
Sue, it's too bad I didn't know you at the time this was happening. . .you would've had me stiffen my spine and march into his office and ask for my fair share!!! :-)
Your first paragraph describes how it's supposed to be done, and that's, in fact, what happened with my master's thesis. We used the data from my primary research to generate articles that were published in various journals and even won some competitions. I got proper credit. . .authorship and the same recognition my two co-authors/professors got. That is fine with me. They helped me get the funding for the research, they gave me guidance, I did the grunt-work, one of them did most of the writing, so it was a joint venture, all's fair. Had I not already been published, this would've been a huge break for me, and I would've been eternally grateful that they initiated me into the club, so to speak.
But when he skipped the country, told the publisher to deal with me on all matters, authorized me to make all final decisions about the book, had keys to the College of Business building and his office made for me, and left me with total responsibility for seeing it through to publication. . .well, at that point, it seems we here in the RR are in agreement that I was unwittingly promoted from student grunt to lead author, albeit without any of the perks, just the responsibility.
And you are right. . .his wife did all the birthday party work. He probably told her which of my friends to invite, since it was a surprise party. But I doubt he did the planning, the shopping, the cooking, the dishes, the cleanup.
I stayed in contact with this professor and his family for quite a few years after graduating. He gave me glowing job references any time I asked (except he stubbornly refused to write a reference for me to join the Peace Corps--I needed nine of them--because he thought I was too attached to material comforts and probably wouldn't be able to adjust. . .but he was very wrong about that!). They visited me when I was living in California, and I visited them when they were living in Texas. But we have both moved around a lot and, after about 15 years, we lost touch. At this point in my career, it would probably hinder more than help to have an academic give me a reference for a business position (those two worlds tend to clash), so I probably wouldn't ask.
At this point, it isn't about the money, although back then, the money probably would've helped me pay off some of my student loans and allowed me to start my professional life not quite so in hock. It isn't even about seeing my name in lights, because I've already done that on my own. But if I were ever to see him again, I think I'd try to find the right moment and ask, "So, do you ever feel remorse about how you handled the retailing book?" and just see what he has to say for himself about that. My question alone would let him know that, at this point in my life, I am well aware I was taken advantage of. That is one mistake every person who exploits the young and vulnerable makes. They assume we will never grow up and get wise. But we do, and we don't often forget.
When I recently re-read that inscription and came to the part where he wrote that he hopes I publish on my own because I can, the little comic-strip thought bubble popping out of my head read, "Because I can?! Hell, I just did!" Ha!!!
Really, I don't think this situation is worth my angst. I just wanted to caution anyone else who finds himself in a similar one to assess the circumstances and, if the contribution is material and high quality, do not sell oneself short. Ask for what is fair. If others don't agree, at least you've let them know that you believe in yourself, and you think your work has value. And maybe you've made it easier for the next person who comes along to have a more favorable outcome.
Sue,
Thanks for giving all of us perspective on the past. I am wondering if I should share my experience with the past and relive the nightmare days or just move on. Great discussions about books and life here.
Please share, Belle. Just
Please share, Belle. Just try not to get worked up about it. . .write as though you are a kindly auntie advising one of her nephews who finds himself in this situation.
Sorry I got so angry...
Your story touched me. And I just had another thought: I hope the professor and his wife did not expect you to babysit during the weekends in their home.
Er. . .sometimes I did.
Er. . .sometimes I did. :-(
I am very upset reading this, because
I am looking back to my 20's when I was in a similar situation (not for writing). I can drive myself crazy, my face burning in the night. Did I learn from my mistake? I sure did. Will I let it happen to me again? NO bloody way. I was thinking about writing about this issue in a book, but the damage was done 25 years ago, and my next 25 years I want to live anger free.
I am writing about this from
I am writing about this from a remote distance, so I've not gotten all worked up about it. It was only Sue's outrage that got me back in that head space. She is fresh to this information, and I think her outrage is the outrage of anyone with insight and wisdom seeing a young, vulnerable person being taken advantage of. In other words, the outrage of someone who has common decency. Although it is becoming less common these days. . .