A writer is currently
copying
every premise I write.
If I write a story
about a plus-sized vampire heroine
who can’t stand the sight of blood,
she writes a story
about a plus-sized vampire heroine
who can’t stand the sight of blood
two months later.
It is frustrating
but there’s very little
I can do about this.
I can’t copyright premises.
And the premises
aren’t the only thing I’m selling.
I’m building a larger world,
a world in which
these stories will eventually interconnect.
She can’t see that
because she is blindly
copying my premises.
She also can’t see
the contacts I make with my readers.
She can’t see
the little details I add
to my stories.
She can’t predict
my marketing and my pricing moves.
And she will never be first
with the premise.
She will always be second.
Someone will try
to copy
your products or services.
That is frustrating
but it is guaranteed.
Their business
will only be the same as yours,
however,
if you stop changing,
if you stop improving.