At the top of the issues list for auhors is the chick lit scandal involving the Harvard Undergraduate who was given a $$$500,000 advance by Little Brown, and then turned out to have "internalized" 30 or 40 paragraphs from another chick-lit paragon.
Too lazy to put my own thoughts together on this, I found another blogger who hits all of the high points, namely, why would any publisher give a 17 year old a 6 figure advance? and is anyone really that good a writer? does publishng these days really have anything to do with good writing? or is it all about who you know?
The unfortunate author of the blog shares the same last name as the perpetrator, but I think she is right on the mark that this is really not about the author, it is about the cultural bankruptcy and corruption in the world of big New York publishers.
the lawyer writer: A Viswanathan By Any Other Name: "So this is How Kaavya Got Published, and Got Caught. But who cares? The only child of two doctors, with access to private Ivy League consultants and a Harvard business degree awaiting, she can put the money in the bank and toddle off. Because she's underage when she wrote the book, it'll be pretty hard to sue her for libel or slander. Only the truly vengeful--or, alternatively, Ms. McCafferty--should care enough to do so. As for the editors/agents/adults? Indian journalist Nilanja (yes, that sounds like my name too) S. Roy notes in The Business Standard that 'Kaavya�s editors were comfortable admitting that Opal Mehta needed more work and more �inputs� than most manuscripts, though they gave her credit for an �original� idea' and that the public 'did have a fair idea of the many processes that went into the manufacture of this book, complete with the advance, the hype, the deal.'

The truth is, this is solely at the feet of the publishing industry, thinking that writing is some sort of game that anyone can play, if they get enough high-powered advance press on their side. Writing, even in this age of publishing, should be for writers--trained, experienced, accomplished writers who understand the business of publishing. (I hope to be one). Throwing a half million dollars at a kid with only her own judgement to guide her is irresponsible, offensive to those who work at our craft, and just plain dumb in terms of business. Kaavya's agent agrees with me 100% arguing--in her defense no less, that 'teenagers tend to adopt each other's language' and 'as a former teenager myself, I recall that spongelike ability to take popular culture and incorporate it into your own lexicon.' Great. I applaud your emphathy, baby, but why are you"