Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Young author's disputed book pulled off market

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 28, 2006

NEW YORK - A teen novel containing admittedly borrowed material has been pulled off the shelves. Author Kaavya Viswanathan, a Harvard University sophomore, had acknowledged that numerous passages in How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life were lifted from another writer.

Publisher Little, Brown and Co., which had signed Viswanathan to a reported six-figure deal, said in a statement Thursday that it had notified retail and wholesale outlets to stop selling copies of the book, and to return unsold copies to the publisher.

Viswanathan has apologized repeatedly for lifting material from Megan McCafferty, whose books include Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings, saying she had read McCafferty's books voraciously in high school and unintentionally mimicked them.

But McCafferty's publisher, the Crown Publishing Group, labeled Viswanathan's actions "literary identity theft" and had urged Little, Brown, which initially said her novel would remain on sale, to withdraw the book.

In a statement issued soon after Little, Brown's announcement, Crown said it was "pleased that this matter has been resolved in an appropriate and timely fashion" and also praised McCafferty for "her grace under pressure throughout this ordeal." McCafferty, in a statement released by Crown, said she was "not seeking restitution in any form" and hoped to put the affair behind her.

"The past few weeks have been very difficult, and I am most grateful to my readers for offering continual support," she said. "In my career, I am, first and foremost, a writer. So I look forward to getting back to work and moving on, and hope Ms. Viswanathan can too."

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life came out in March with a first printing of 100,000, sold moderately and was No. 96 on the Amazon.com bestseller list Thursday night. DreamWorks has already acquired film rights.

Little, Brown has said the book will be revised as quickly as possible.

[Last modified April 28, 2006, 01:17:12]