WIBTA if I sue my SIL for stealing my book and making a huge profit from it?

A Reddit user (24f) confronted their sister-in-law (SIL) after discovering that she had published a book strikingly similar to their own unpublished work. The user had been developing the book for years, and after a recent visit from her brother and SIL,

the user realized that their SIL had edited and published a very similar version without their permission. The situation escalated to involve both families, and now the user is considering legal action to address the situation, questioning whether suing for stealing their book would be justified.

‘ WIBTA if I sue my SIL for stealing my book and making a huge profit from it?’

I (24f) write as a hobby, and I like sharing my short stories with my small following. I do want to publish one day, but I want to make it perfect first since it’s not edited yet.
The unfinished book we’re talking about came from an idea that I started to build when I was in middle school.

I just finished it last year, but because of the virus, I was forced to put that project aside to ensure steady employment with my day job. My brother and SIL came to visit me to introduce their baby daughter about 6 months ago. SIL just thrusted her baby into my arms even though I lack even the barest knowledge on how to hold a baby.

The baby was fussy and my brother helped calm her down while SIL said she wanted to use to bathroom to pump b**ast milk. They left later and I didn’t think anything of it until recently that I was told SIL had published a book, and it had been a while since she published. Self-publish is not as time-consuming as traditional publishing.

I don’t doubt my SIL’s intelligence because she is a smart woman, but I’ve always heard how she dislikes books cause they’re boring and drags on. I wanted to show my support and brought a copy only to realize it’s way too similar to mine. I compared it to my copy of unpublished work;

it’s obvious it’s been edited and proofread for fluidity and clarity. I was angry and I admit I overreacted by confronting her over the phone. She said my screaming was upsetting her and hung up on me. It was a back and forth battle with phone numbers to get to the truth. By this time, my parents and her parents are involved.

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

purpleblossom −  NTA She literally stole and profited off your intellectual property without your permission, you have every right to sue, and anyone who says different clearly don’t know what being cheated out of their own sweat, blood, and tears feels like.

yarrrjun −  NTA. Lawyer up and sue. She literally stole years of your work.

chelean3 −  NTA. I hope you pursue the lawsuit, but as everyone here is saying, it would be expensive. I would still file a cease and desist to stop her from profiting. And because I’m vengeful, I would even write a social media post on how this mommy blogger (gawd many of them are so bad!) plagiarised your work. There might be others who have also been victimized by her.

icantweightandsee −  Lawyer up and take it all. It’s yours. Don’t “settle” with a thief. You’re better than me. Id expose it on her mommy blog too.

TrippleColore −  NTA She stole from you. Plain and simple. Both physically and emotionally, she took something you worked a lot on and put a lot of yourself into. That’s unforgivable in my book, no matter why she did it.. Sue her ass.

ThriftyLizzie27 −  NTA- Sue her

Broisha −  SUE HER SUE HER

gringaellie −  NTA surely this is theft too if she took it from your house? can’t you report her to the police for theft and get her a criminal record too?

Substantial_Slide_54 −  Talk to an attorney. I’d get the copyright, then sue that thief for $150,000 which is what you can get for violation of copyright.. ​. NTA!