It Pays to be a Fan... Literally...

[D'Snowth]

This has bad idea written all over it:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1001197421

So basically, Amazon and Kindle are teaming up to let fans publish their fanfics... not publish like on FFN or on fansites or anything like that, but ACTUALLY publish them, as in commercially, and make them available for Kindles... and make money off them.

Of course, the actual copyright holders and owners of the intellectual properties will be paid royalties for the use of their characters and settings, but somehow, I can't help but wonder what they're REALLY thinking about this idea...

 

[The Count]

Maybe this'll create incentive for people to complete unfinished fics or keep a steady update rate for ongoing/continuing fics.

 

[Slackbot]

So far they've gotten licenses only for Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, and Pretty Little Liars. It's not like they're accepting any and all fanfic. And you can bet your bippy (tee-hee!) that Disney ain't gonna pony up to this bar

 

[Sgt Floyd]

Who's gonna pay 4 bucks for a fan fic? Though ght authors only get 20% of the profits so that's almost nothing. for something thats a dollar thats only 20 cents. I guess it adds up, but I can't see people actually paying money for this

Also...

• Pornography: We don't accept pornography or offensive depictions of graphic sexual acts.
• Offensive Content: We don’t accept offensive content, including but not limited to racial slurs, excessively graphic or violent material, or excessive use of foul language.
• Illegal and Infringing Content: We take violations of laws and proprietary rights very seriously. It is the authors' responsibility to ensure that their content doesn't violate laws or copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights.
• Poor Customer Experience: We don't accept books that provide a poor customer experience. Examples include poorly formatted books and books with misleading titles, cover art, or product descriptions. We reserve the right to determine whether content provides a poor customer experience.
• Excessive Use of Brands: We don’t accept the excessive use of brand names or the inclusion of brand names for paid advertising or promotion.
• Crossover: No crossovers from other Worlds are permitted, meaning your work may not include elements of any copyright-protected book, movie, or other property outside of the elements of this World.

Seems like they are going to be pretty strict...that's also not gonna bode well with smut fan fic writers, which I swear is almost all of them

 

[D'Snowth]

Heh, yeah, I've seen my share of a number of badfics out there, some of which was so bad, I could have used therapy after reading 'em.

 

[Teheheman]

The big thing is the 'no crossover' rule because it seems like a LOT of fan fiction has to do with characters going into other worlds(ala The Flintstones meet the Jetsons).

Daniel

 

[Ruahnna]

Who's gonna pay 4 bucks for a fan fic? Though ght authors only get 20% of the profits so that's almost nothing. for something thats a dollar thats only 20 cents. I guess it adds up, but I can't see people actually paying money for this
Also...
Seems like they are going to be pretty strict...that's also not gonna bode well with smut fan fic writers, which I swear is almost all of them

I think that smut fanfic is actually less common that hurt/comfort fanfic, which I personally believe to be the low rung on the ladder in terms of author accomplishment. Also, while a lot of fanfic is trite and self-serving, not all fanfic is. Vonda McIntyre and Sue Krinard are two authors who were originally fanfic authors who crossed over to mainstream. I THINK, but don't know for sure, that Barbara Hambly is another author who started in fanfic. Also muddying the water are those who are self-published, whose work ranges from the horrible to the sublime--often without the help (or hindrance) of formal editing.

What seems to have excited the masses (and the studio accountants) is the success of 50 Shades of Grey, which started as a fanfic, was "redone" by changing the names or the characters and still offered for free online, and was THEN purchased and sold as a "real" book. It is now being made into a movie. Just as reality shows have made "script writers" little more than "ad lib suggesters" the surge toward "publishing without editing" has some drawbacks, but it is not entirely without merit.

I know that it is cool and hip to look down on fanfic, but some of it is good. Frankly, I've seen fanfic that was better presented and more well-plotted than published books I have read (The Cove, Killer Takes All, Still Waters--all execrable books), and I've seen some fanfic that was silly or bad or just plain pointless, but it is disingenuous to paint all fanfic authors with the same tarred brush.

Jim Henson saw puppeteering as more than a children's entertainment form, and his vision for same changed the landscape for every puppeteer who came after him. Those who tried to pigeonhole him based on their past experience with puppets missed the boat. No author and no story should be automatically presumed to be bad just because it is fanfic.