Well that’s a yikes – a prominent member of the SFWA has been removed as ‘director at large’ for being a predatory creative and other scumbag behavior. Writers of all shapes and sizes take note – Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki’s behavior isn’t unique. Just because you’re on their side as a scifi writer doesn’t make them on your side.
Why talk about it? It’s important! If we’re professional creatives, we need to be aware of the perils and pitfalls as well as the promise. Some people make a profession out of the prhase ‘there’s a sucker born every minute.’ I would be remiss in my duty as an elder nerd if I didn’t discuss the need for professional ‘street smarts’ before you step out the door.
So what did Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (ODE) do to deserve his excommunication from SFWA? The 78-page breakdown is here, but let’s do the Cliff Notes version:
- ODE stole work from author and editor Erin Cairns, publishing her story under his own name
- ODE manipulated Cairns into editing stories for his own anthology and publishing her work, uncredited
- ODE manipulated Ciarns into providing other free work and, when his manipulation became too obvious to hide, ODE ghosted Cairns
- Cairns suffered significant financial, repuational, and personal loss as a result of ODE’s behavior and treatment
These events are disappointing, but not surprising. Many in the entertainment industry cite examples of predatory creatives that leech off of other naive but well-intentioned professionals to steal free work, ideas, and material. Even if you aren’t being directly exploited, scumbag scifi can take other forms, too. Writerbeware.blog had an interesting writeup on a fake literary operation that experienced some unexpected accountability.
‘The employee claimed that the company lured authors into paying for packaging and preparation services for their books, promising to submit the works for publishing.
‘Once the payment was made, the scammers allegedly cut off communication or blocked the victims entirely.’
So there’s that, too.
Like any industry with billions on the table for anyone with an idea or a dream, the writing industry has a seedy underbelly of rapacious rapscallions. A small but significant minority of people who learned that it’s much easier to steal an idea than dream one up on your own. Or, stealing an idea is the same as coming up with one – you can’t be mad at me, I stole the idea fair and square!
Yes, it’s disgusting – but it’s there. Predatory publishing practices similar to spiking a drink at the bar – preying on the innocent and impressionable. Think of this blog post as a jaded redhead in a cocktail dress, telling you that you’re no ‘diamond in the rough,’ you’re a ‘Table for One.’ Be smart – protect yourself – make sure you get your work home safe.
When it comes to scifi scumbags and predatory creatives – I don’t have an easy answer. Sorry, but that’s the truth. We’re out there and so are they – no cops, no sheepdogs, no superheroes. It’s just us being smart and careful – it’s up to each of us to stay alert, stay safe, and help others do the same.
