Plot thickens as authors discover their own work

As the new school semester begins, students and their parents aren't the only ones confused amid the vast sea of reference books.

Many authors are also bewildered as they find their work published without permission or even their prior knowledge.

A recent survey by the China Written Works Copyright Society - the only collective copyright management organization for written works in the nation - found that few publishers in the multibillion-dollar reference book market get authorization from authors or pay the required royalties.