Questions on cribbing

BOOKS, like newspapers, owe much of their existence to the trust that readers put into the labors of those who write and edit. Even when a book is meant to be more creative than informative, the implicit understanding is that the author's work is original.

Two high-profile cases of plagiarism by book authors -- both of them with strong local ties -- have received much ink in this newspaper over the last two weeks. The coverage of these authors and their transgressions has prompted some questions from readers about how the Globe covers books and the publishing industry.

Kaavya Viswanathan is a Harvard University student who reportedly received a $500,000 advance for her first two books. The first novel, released last month, has turned out to be riddled with phrases and ideas taken from another writer. Viswanathan apologized, the book was taken off the shelves, and, as of last week, the writing deal was nullified.

William Swanson, chief executive of Raytheon Co., the Waltham-based engineering firm, produced a booklet in 2004 of management maxims and aphorisms. But many of those rules actually belonged to other people, among them a California professor who published his own rules book 60 years earlier. Swanson offered an apology last week, and the company's board of directors cut his pay by $1 million.

The Globe's coverage of both plagiarism cases has been thorough and generally fair, although some readers have argued that the newspaper's coverage has been tougher on the Harvard student than on the Raytheon executive.

A particularly enlightening story related to the Viswanathan saga was an April 29 piece by reporter David Mehegan on the perilous role of ''book packagers" -- firms that match authors with talent agencies and publishers, and handle everything from conceptualizing plots to promoting the book.

Dana Garvey, a reader from Watertown, wondered whether the Globe had become part of this book marketing mania.

''The brazen plagiarism in [Viswanathan's] novel is especially shocking after the extensive advance publicity she received from publications like The Boston Globe. . . ," Garvey said in an e-mail. ''Am I naïve to even wonder if the Globe was an unwitting participant in the plan? If so, please now create a separate section for commercially driven advance publicity, designed for easy tossing along with advertising inserts."

My own review of the Globe's archives found one article on Viswanathan before the plagiarism scandal broke -- a Feb. 22 profile of her by Mehegan. That article contained a quote from one of her editors (''There was more shaping to this book than we generally do") that, in hindsight, should have signaled that something was amiss.

A blistering review of Viswanathan's book was written for the Globe before the crisis broke but was not published until last Sunday, with updates about the plagiarism scandal. (Ironically, that review contained the same editor's quote that appeared in Mehegan's feature, but the review failed to attribute it to the earlier profile.)

It's impossible to predict when any particular book will self-destruct because of an author's lapses. Viswanathan's story was a compelling one -- a promising young author, the unusually large advance, writing a novel while carrying a full course load at Harvard.

Still, there may be a broader lesson in Garvey's complaint -- beware the book packaging machine and its too-good-to-be-true side stories about authors and plots.

Mehegan, who covers books and authors for the Globe, said last week that his initial conversations about Viswanathan were with her publisher, Little, Brown, and not with the packaging firm, Alloy Entertainment.

''It was clear this woman was getting help," Mehegan said. ''But there wasn't any hint then that she didn't write it."

News stories on the Swanson plagiarism case have been handled by the Globe's business desk, but columnists in other parts of the paper have also offered their opinions on the matter, including a May 2 piece by Brian McGrory that harshly criticized the CEO. The opinion pages offered an editorial about the Viswanathan case, but not on Swanson's.

James Concannon, the Globe's book editor, who receives hundreds of books a week, says he makes judgments based on the author's and publisher's reputations, the level of interest he thinks there may be for the topic, and the quality of writing.

''Book reviewing is not investigative reporting. We review what we find, being wary as we go," Concannon said. ''In all of this, I think the . . . Internet is our newfound friend. Plagiarism and duplicity are held up to the light in ever more helpful ways."

Correction: The name of Boston Marathon legend Johnny Kelley was misspelled in my last column.

The ombudsman represents the readers. His opinions and conclusions are his own. Phone 617-929-3020 or, to leave a message, 929-3022. His e-mail address is ombud@globe.com.