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Once again I have to fight OFF the troll hate for first login

11/14/2018

11 Comments

 
Since attacking my book one, First Login, with accusations of plagiarized didn't work, because the LitRPG community said you're wrong the book is it's own story. Now Luke Chmilenko has reported me to Kindle Publishing that my story is actually a copy of his. I found out when my ebook option for First Login was pulled from Amazon and I received a email of the accusation. 

Luckily, I have the U.S. Copyright's Office file uploaded since September 4th, 2018. Unfortunately, it takes six months for them to approve copyright applications. I've sent what information that I have up to the Kindle ip-inquiries@amazon.com group saying. Here is everything I have. What else can I do to fight these false accusations? Is it possible to just have someone read each book to see that the accusations are false? Now I wait for their response. Hopefully this will be cleared up quickly. I'm like can someone just read both of our first books, that should clear this up easily.

Luke's accusations is that having a group of gamers entering into an online game to go to pro status and having the main character save a group of NPCs from goblins is stealing his story, world and everything. Wow, if that was the case, no one would be writing LitRPG, or romance novels or any identifiable genre. It's almost like Luke believes he's discovered LitRGP on his own. It doesn't matter that the story, the world the characters live in, the made up game world, the characters the story is about or the NPCs are all different. All that matters is the general concept is similar to his story so I am now being targeted in every way he can to get my books off Amazon.

He accused me of plagiarism and attacked my ratings on book one, had four of his friends join him in posting the same hate, they also followed those claims up on Goodreads, he had groups of authors and even an editor bash me on Amazon reviews and yet the series continues to get the support of the LitRPG community. Readers have seen the crazy posts and repeatedly said that there is no plagiarism here, you're wrong and then they followed their reviews up with positive ratings that has only increased the series popularity. 

Since none that worked, Luke has gone to Amazon and said I stole his story. I copied up my pending copyright and other information and wait for Amazons response to hopefully get this resolved. Still, it is incredibly frustrating. Just because you lie and say something is so doesn't mean it's the truth. 

I had a new fan contact me yesterday, his name was Jeff. Jeff had held off on buying my book because the LitPodcast that he listens to said that I'd basically cut and pasted the first half of Luke's Ascent Online book into my story and how I was a horrible plagiarist. After two months of only seeing Harem LitRPG books around, he decided to look at my book First Login to see what all of the commotion was about. A third of the way through the book, he contacted me asking if he could help with grammar corrections and explained his story. He was pissed off that what he'd been told about my book was all lies and wanted to help me fight that kind of bullshit. Thank you, Jeff and others who have read the ongoing debate and read both stories and supported me against these false accusations.

The sad part is the disruption this creates in my writing of book four and how it hurts in getting my book out into the world. Not to mention the pissed off feelings and stress one gets when someone is doing their best to bully you. For those of you who have read the series, it's just like dealing with a Real World Syndicate lead by Genele. 

Anyway, wish me luck in my fight.   



11 Comments
Tim
11/15/2018 04:41:20 am

I've just recently read your story while i read ascend online awhile ago. While there are similarities thats all the are which isnt suprising since they are the same genre of stories. Rest assured that in my eyes your story is the better of the 2.

Reply
Jason Cheek link
11/15/2018 05:34:47 am

Thanks Tim. I appreciate the good word. I would say to post a positive review. Actually I think you still can since the Kindle book was the only one removed. The printed version is still there.

Tbh, I enjoy reading LitRPG and ran into Ascend Online while I was writing my second book in the series. I thought kudos for him and enjoyed the mental distraction it gave me while sitting next to my wife's hospital bed, before going home to an empty house to write.

Unfortunately, I have no idea how these things work but I hope common sense will win out in the end. I keep imagining the discussion if he were directly asked about the issue sounding something like this:

Questioner: So you invented LitRPG, correct?
Luke: Well, no. I'm writing similar books in the genre.

Questioner: So you invented the concept of a storyline with players entering a virtual world?
Luke: No, no I didn't. I mean that's everywhere. It's the heart of LitRPG.

Questioner: Well, at least you came up with the game system inside the story, right?
Luke: No, that's the whole 'LitRPG shtick.' Why are you asking these questions, he copied my story.

Questioner: That's what I'm trying to determine, Luke. Please bear with me. So you had a whole thing with your group of friends leaving a game and their game play there?
Luke: No, but I mentioned they played games together.

Questioner: So the real world the players lived in was the same, correct?
Luke: No, my story was a possible future world where all jobs were taken by robots. His world was the same boring here and now. I'm not complaining about that.

Questioner: So you had a training session for the game with NPC trainers?
Luke: No, but that's not the point. I had the gaming god twist the players fate to make him appear in a special area to protect a group of NPCs from GOBLINS.

Questioner: Oh, so he copied this idea of a gaming god bugging the game for this individual player?
Luke: No, there was no gods in his game. That's not the point, he stole my idea of having a player defend a town of NPCs from GOBLINS at the start of the game.

Questioner: Let me get this straight, you didn't have nightmare start that any player could choose?
Luke: No, That not the point, he didn't appear in a starting city.

Questioner: Oookayyy, so you were the first to write a story with a main character protect a group of NPCs from Goblins, correct?
Luke: Well, no. I mean there goblins. Every MMORPG and most LitRPG stories have goblins.

Questioner: So this author, he had his mc appear in a town?
Luke: No, no town. It was a refuge camp, survivors and such from an invasion of the area. But it's basically the same concept.

Questioner: Honestly Luke, I must apologize. I'm having trouble finding the similarities. I mean, we're near the middle of the book now. Albeit this is the closest we've come to something that's could possible be somewhat similar. So was the rest of the story a copy of yours at least?
Luke: What, no. It was completely different.

Questioner: I guess I'm having trouble seeing what exactly was plagiarized then.
Luke: Gah, everything was a copy.

Reply
Cory
11/15/2018 07:08:31 pm

Just wanted to say I've read and enjoyed your books, read that other guys too, and many another, seems to me most books in the genre have about the same amount of similarities, I've read plenty of urban fantasy too and Jim Butchers were the first i ever read but every other one since has some kind of resemblance to Dresden in my mind at least. That guy sounds like a tool, hope you keep after it, any similarities are superficial and come with the territory of writing in a narrowly defined genre.

David Sims
11/15/2018 08:24:09 pm

I want to say that what is happening is plain stupid. I have read both of your stories and at no time did I say "wow he copied Ascend online" I just left a positive review for your second book and ranted a little bit about this idiotic witch hunt. Hopefully Amazon will let it go through. Keep on writing your original stories.

Jason Cheek link
11/17/2018 03:28:12 pm

Now that Amazon unblocked my book, if you don't mind, please leave a review for book one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H35XRLZ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i1

It really makes a difference when things like this happen.

Jason Cheek link
11/17/2018 03:27:29 pm

Now that Amazon unblocked my book, if you don't mind, please leave a review for book one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H35XRLZ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i1

It really makes a difference when things like this happen.

Reply
Jason Cheek link
11/15/2018 10:30:30 pm

Hey Cory,

Yeah, I agree that when books are in such a specific genre there are general story similarities. Still, the amount of grief I'm getting is unbelievable to me. Seriously, they need to get a life and for Luke, he should focus on writing his own story.

I think the guy from LitRPGPodcast and his buddy Dave caused a lot of these issues. As one new fan to the series wrote to me, he was angry that the LiRPGPodcast guy lied that the first half of the book was a copy of Ascend Online. Dave's claim to fame was reading the back cover of the book and then creating a mime showing how both books were the same story. The LiRPGPodcast guy just straight up lied to his fan base that the first half of the book was cut and pasted from Ascend Online. Just because you say it doesn't mean it's true and the truth is slowly coming out.

Either way, thanks for the support and the good reviews. Book One, the physical book, is still listed there, which is kind of funny. Amazon only pulled the Kindle version.

Reply
Jason Cheek link
11/15/2018 10:41:03 pm

Hey David,

For some reason the website won't let me reply to your replies, so answering here.

I appreciate the support. The stress from the situation sucks. I'm doing my best to get to book four. Hopefully I'll hear from Amazon today or tomorrow. The problem is my copyright request is pending until they finish processing it. I sent a form to the office asking it's current status for book one, but I don't know how much help I'll get. The process can take up to six months. I just pray Amazon takes my application as evidence enough. That a person can simply accuse you without any evidence but their promise that what they're saying is true is unbelievable.

To be honest, I blame the LitRPG Society that I was invited to by Aleron Kong. After being attacked upon posting my book in the forum, I've heard from other readers that it happens a lot to new writers. I wonder if that's how they try to drive new LitRPG writers out of the genre by inviting them to post in the group and then that lets them know who to focus on next.

Either way, I'm focused on getting through the breach. One way or another the truth will come out. I just wished I put my application in sooner for book one to the copyright office. In the interim Luke's managed to temporarily hold me back from other readers finding my story and enjoying the series.

Reply
Joshua williams
11/17/2018 06:11:16 am

Hi, I've read all 3 of your books and was just absorbed into the story. While the start of book one had similarities with ascend (mainly like spawn with goblins) that's where it ended and in my opinion it was a unique take. I find it sad that others are not open-minded enough to let go or even just talk with you about it. It feels like the one of the same issues that happened to michael-scott earle. I just want to wish you good luck with everything and I hope you continue the series because I really enjoy it.

Reply
Jason Cheek link
11/17/2018 09:27:09 am

Thanks Jushua, I'm doing what I can but no matter how I look at it, it takes time. Time to get the lawyer thing going, time for my book to clear the copyright office and during all of that I have a group of people bashing me and doing their best to block access to my story. They must hate it that no who's read the story agreed with them.

I'm going to offer the story for book one for free. Why not? Then at least people can read the rest of the series while this is getting straightened out.

As always, please leave a review if you can. Every positive review helps the fight.

Reply
Jason Cheek link
11/17/2018 03:29:02 pm

Now that Amazon unblocked my book, if you don't mind, please leave a review for book one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H35XRLZ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i1

It really makes a difference when things like this happen.

Reply



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