Classy Ways to Use Connections

As the author of many books my family hates and a longtime journalism prof, I love helping aspiring writers get published, paying forward the kindness of my mentors. When people approach me for advice, assistance, and names of my agents and editors, I try to be generous, even when they're basically asking, “How can I have your career?” But there are good ways to connect—and ways not to.

- SUSAN SHAPIRO

I was miffed when a student who'd taken my class multiple times enrolled in my five-week Zoom course on how to publish an essay, then launched her own five-week publish-an-essay class, without giving me a heads-up, charging one dollar less. Another ex-pupil called every editor I'd paid to visit my course to speak at her events, using my name without checking in first. More recently, a West Coast author copied the title, design, and lettering I'd used for the cover of the New York Times-bestselling addiction book I'd coauthored in 2012. When confronted, he admitted that since my book had only 148 reviews on Amazon, he didn't think mine had enough “presence to matter,” adding, “I'd imagine your book will get a sales bump from my book’s marketing push.”

Although imitation is supposedly the sincerest form of flattery, I felt fleeced. Over the decades I've been a freelancer and teacher known for sharing contacts, here's the code of ethics I adhere to and some quick remedies if you accidentally blow it.

1. ATTRIBUTION IS ESSENTIAL:

Attribute any words you publicly appropriate to their source, whether it’s in a class you lead, speech you give, social media post, article, or book you publish. Even mentioning in print that I subtitled my teaching technique “the instant gratification takes too long” method, I added “with a nod to the late, great Carrie Fisher,” who'd originated the quip. After I created an idiosyncratic expression in 2010, I was surprised to see the phrase I invented in a piece a former student published in 2025, as if it were hers.