Have you ever noticed that most romance novels are a variation of the same title? Whether it is a monster or a regular ole human, they have things like 'Rory's Mate' or 'Alpha's Mate' or, fifty shades of Gray and 50 Shades of Desire. It to me is a normal thing to see, it's honestly how I find most of the titles I read. But Mrs. Faleena Hopkins decided that it was not okay to use Cocky in any title that isn't hers. So what did she do? She tried (unclear if it was successful) to trademark the word Cocky so no other authors could use that word no matter the variation in their titles.
To add to that, she apparently also was on a war path towards authors who use the same STOCK photos on their covers. It's just downright silly.
This woman is pissed off people are using the word 'Cocky' within the titles of their novels as well as the STOCK photos on her covers.
Faleena even went so far as to make a trademark on the word COCKY are fucking shitting me?! Just ridiculous if you ask me, so ridiculous. Anyways my point in posting hers is to say this, JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN, DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD DO IT!
Stop being one of those people who ruin so much for so many, no one is going to enjoy you or your work with a self-centered outlook on everything in the world.
My readers were starting to get upset when they saw the Cocker Family on other authors’ covers and/or advertising. I began getting messages. My readers posted on Facebook, on my Fan page, on my personal page, and in my group.
“Isn’t this Gabriel? Why is he in this author’s ad? Is that legal?!”
“Look at this! They’ve got Jaxson on their book, same photo. Who do they think they are?”
I told them about the licensing because most readers don’t know about the biz.
But their instincts that some – not all, but some – of these authors were copying me on purpose, were founded in truth.
In her blog Hopkins describes her financial situation at the time of the publication of her first novel:
Originally I did begin writing it for money because when the idea for Cocker Brothers came to me, I was flatly broke and $50K in debt. Not from shopping, just from living and trying to get a self-published, authoring, business off the ground.
(A snippet from her Twitter)
(She’s also threatening to pursue all royalties earned by any of these authors for the life of their books, as she did to Jamila Jasper:)
Professional organizations will likely not allow you to join. Traditional publishers aren’t going to waste their time on your books now that you’ve shown your entire ass. You have poisoned yourself with your own bile.
I know you said in that blog post:
We indies work in the grit and grime of the biz, so we see more than an author who is protected by a big publishing house, one that does all that grit/grime work for them.
But I wouldn’t trade positions with a trade-pub author.
I have never submitted to a publisher, nor do I want to. Even when judgmental friends or people in the industry assume that if you self-pub, you must have been rejected.
Um…how about if you never sought approval in the first place, dinosaurs?
Readers are an Indies-only judges. If they don’t like our books, they don’t buy them. And they happily leave one-star reviews telling you what a pile of horse manure it is.
Give me that over, “Please sir, will you publish my manuscript?” any day of the week.
but no, sweetie. You’re not indie because you’re above it all. You’re indie because you’re too insecure to try. You’re afraid that you’ll be rejected. You’re afraid you can’t hack it when compared to other authors. And that’s why you’re trying to sabotage them. Because you’re afraid that you’re not good enough to succeed on your own merit.
But all of this is old news, the newest part of this what seems to be a never-ending series of unfortunate events is her arrest. Yes, you read that right, her arrest.
Here is a link covering the arrest: Wyoming police locate missing romance novelist Faleena Hopkins after arrest (nypost.com)
Basically what I got from the article and other things I have either read or watched is this woman lost the plot. She is from Seattle Washington and for some reason unknown to anyone but she drove all the way to Yellowstone National park where she popped off. She was parked somewhere she wasn't supposed to and got a ticket, then took off in her car and started a high-speed chase that had to be stopped for public safety.
For a little while she was MIA no one her family included didn't know where she was, but thankfully she has been found and she is safe and well.
The mess this woman has gotten herself into over the years is worrisome and I truly do hope she gets help if she needs it.