If you are a fanfiction writer and like to fill forms, hi :)
I am writing my master thesis about the commercialization of fanfiction, and I'd love to know your opinion on this topic. If you have a few minutes to spare, I would greatly appreciate your help!
1) Fill the form
2) Share around! 🤗
Bonjour à toustes! / Hello to all!
Étudiante en Master Edition, j’écris un mémoire sur la commercialisation de la fanfiction. En effet, de
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Writing Tip - Holding Fanfiction Hostage For Money Is Wrong
More writing tips
This is going to be a bit different from my usual tips. Some might disagree with what I’m about to say, and that’s absolutely fine—everyone is allowed to have their own opinions. I might come across as a bit aggressive here, but I feel strongly about this.
A friend of mine recently told me about an author she used to follow. I’m not going to name names because this isn’t about targeting someone. She told me about a fanfiction author she followed years ago, who used to write for the love of it—just like the rest of us. But recently, this author decided to lock her fics behind a paywall, essentially demanding $1,000 per chapter. That’s right—one thousand dollars per chapter for a story based on characters she didn’t create. She’s profiting off of Marvel’s property and using the fandom as a personal ATM.
To me, this is completely wrong. It’s not just about the fact that she’s making thousands of dollars from something she doesn’t own—it goes against everything fandom stands for.
I love fanfiction. It has survived for decades because it’s about storytelling, not business. Turning a story into a pay-to-read product is exploiting the community I’ve adored for years. Fanfiction is supposed to be inclusive, not a luxury for those who can afford it.
And beyond that, it makes the rest of us look bad. If this gets out of control, big companies like Marvel might decide they’ve had enough and start trying to shut down fanfiction altogether.
Is It Illegal to Profit Off Fanfiction?
From what I’ve researched, this seems to be a legal gray area. Apparently, you can profit from derivative material if it falls under fair use, meaning it's transformative—like turning a cartoon into a unique written story with major changes. But I could be wrong, so feel free to correct me in the comments.
At the end of the day, fanfiction is meant to be shared, not sold. Please don’t monetize fanfiction. To me, fanfiction is about passion, creativity, and community—not about holding stories hostage for cash.
… would this really have been so bad?! i get why RTD is afraid of transphobia in the dr who press reactions … because the UK is apparently Like That nowadays. however, what i see here is a guy in a striped t-shirt, with a hooded raincoat on. yeah his trousers are kinda funny looking, but i always thought they looked funny on JW too (no offense! the dr should always dress a bit funnylooking!) #doctorwho #doctorwhofanart #doctorwhoactionfigures #ukpolitics #stoptransphobia #fandomdiscourse #customactionfigures @bigchiefstudios #customactionfigure #terfisland #endtransphobia #queerphobia https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck8RGHxuQ6e/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
There are some fanfictions that are so precious to me that I come back to them once in a while—every year, every two years— like a dutiful pilgrim.
I walk through the words like I walk through a familiar room. It's a path I've taken before and I'm not the same person yet I'm reminded of this feeling I had when I first read the fic: comfort, excitement, dread, love.
It's beautiful and intense—and it's slightly dizzying to think that the person I am today, reading this story now, was brought into this world, even just a little bit, by the person who wrote these words. That the person I was yesterday, stumbling for the first time into these lines, couldn't know the impact of such a humble masterpiece.
"Coloring Barbie's hair green", or the Expression of Creativity Through Fanfiction
Disclaimer: no hate on Robin Hobb, I am perfectly aware that I'm beating a dead horse/reheating old debates, so this post is merely personal intellectual curiosity on my part.
As I am writing my master thesis on fanfiction, I find myself thinking about this quote from fantasy author Robin Hobb, published in May 2005 (20 years ago!) on her personal blog. [If you don't know this piece of lore, the essay was called "the fanfiction rant", and the title tells you everything you need to know about the author's position on ff at the time].
Here is the quote:
"Coloring Barbie’s hair green in a coloring book is not a great act of creativity. Neither is putting lipstick on Ken. Fan fiction does exactly those kinds of things."
Of course, reading the whole article is useful to understand where this comes from. Because I'll never encourage anyone to take a quote from anywhere and comment it out of context, I'll provide a brief explanation of what's *around* this quote.
Here, Robin Hobb was demonstrating, in her views, why fanfiction is not only pointless but also plainly rude, and can never be a good way for people to learn how to be writers. I find this quote in particular to be quite delightful, because it encapsulates a specific flavor of irony that tastes extra-sweet to me.
In my humble opinion, Robin Hobb couldn't provide us with a more telling example on how she (along with other people) have a skimpy vision of what creativity is.
Conventionnality vs creativity
When you're given a coloring book, you can go at least two different ways about it. Either you conform to what's more or less expected of you, aka coloring Barbie's hair with your yellow felt pen. (It can be neat and beautiful. It's probably going to be boring, though). Either you can let your imagination run free and, indeed, make Barbie's hair green (*collective gasp*). God forbid you let your brain do a thing called creativeness.
2. Remix, repetition, transformation
Joke aside, isn't that being an artist 101? Isn't creativity and deviance from the conventional what makes us human? (side-eye to AI, yes we hate AI in this house).
We didn't create from nothing, since we have a coloring book, a canvas of some sort - the source material, in a fic's case. We can wager that if that person bought a Barbie coloring book, that means they like Barbie to begin with. There is nothing wrong with liking Barbie. There is also nothing wrong with exploring different ways that Barbie could present.
I mean, isn't that basically what artist have been doing since the dawn of time? We take a subject and represent it in a million different ways.
The birth of Venus (in order: Boticelli, Cabanel, Poussin, Robert Heitz, Harmonia Rosales):
None of us would doubt that all of them are Venuses, even if some purists might act like classist assholes and consider that some of them are more accurate representations of Venus than others.
So... green-haired Barbie is just another, slightly different version of Barbie, isn't she?
The thing some people don't understand about fanfiction is that its very nature is based on this idea of "remix". It's not plagiarism. It's a form of creativity. It's, in a way, the most obvious practical output of a common symptom we all have: being inspired by what we know. (*another shocked gasp*)
I'm taking this opportunity to leave here a quote from one of my favorite articles on the subject: Limit Play: Fan Authorship between Source Text, Intertext, and Context, by Louisa Stein and Kristina Busse
"[...] fan authors and artists can be understood as part of a larger aesthetic tradition that celebrates reproduction [...], and, consequently, as part of a threat to both the concepts of original artistic creation and the idea of aesthetic ownership"
[See how I skim around the concept of plagiarism and ownership but never dip my toes fully? Fully intended. Maybe a future exploration.]
3. "Putting lipstick on Ken"
Okay, this one is more of a bonus. I'm not gonna linger on the potential half-hidden homophobic implications. That is, because I'm too distanced with the source quote to fully take this at heart. It happened so long ago, and while this could be taken seriously, I think there are other, more recent texts to tackle on this subject.
I'll just have fun with it.
Oh no... fanfic writer put lipstick on Ken... The epitome of masculinity...
I guess it just makes me laugh how certain people have been traumatized by the idea of sweet homosexual love (and sex) between Kirk and Spock, and every other ships that sprung from the OG slash.
Has anyone written KenxAllan fics? (Just checked AO3. Of course there is.)
Anyway, this post is getting both long and out of hands. I'll let smarter people close it for me:
“[...] fannish traditions of creativity celebrate the possibility of creativity held between transformation, multiplicity, and repetition. In the end, the collective creative energies of media fans showcase artistic prototypes that emphasize intertextuality, community, and a creativity that is not invested primarily in notions of originality."
And that's not a bad thing :)
-----------------
Sources:
Hobb, Robin. 2005. "The Fan Fiction Rant." Available on: https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Fan_Fiction_Rant
Stein, Louisa, and Kristina Busse. 2009. “Limit Play: Fan Authorship between Source Text, Intertext, and Context.” Popular Communication 7 (4): 192–207. doi:10.1080/15405700903177545.
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SAG-AFTRA Foundation interview with Taylor Zakhar Perez and Sarah Shahi - Notes and Thoughts (Part 1)
Welcome to that two-posts series where I 1) giggle about this interview and 2) get real deep about it. Which I think is a succinct and accurate summarize of fandom life.
We're doing lists here, because we're Alex Claremont-Diaz's kinnies. What else did you except. My fave parts/important points are in purple.
0. Sarah's outfit?!?!?! the skirt, the tie, the socks, the shoes, the color, the stripes, the hair, the eyeliner?!?! honestly, they all pulled some crazy outfits lately but this one's gotta be in my top 3 favorites, along with Casey's iconic looks at the beginning of May.
1. "Double X"
You know, I know, we know. Look at their silly faces. Love how Taylor is honest to god in shock and like *i caaaan't* and Sarah's like "yeah yeah yeah yeah AYE AYE". GIRLY KNOWS.
2. "I found myself able to relate to the two men" (Sarah, 7:36)
Yeah, let's talk about this for a sec. We might take that for granted and not think about this but shout out to both Casey and Matthew for that. Ofc it resonates more with queer people i guess but no matter your gender and/or sexuality, the fact that you can relate to that story because it is a well-written love story...Slay.
3. Taylor's impressions of Sarah and Nick (around 12:00 and 16:30)
They're hilarious, and that's all i wanna say about it. Sarah sounds like Zahra in his mouth. Love how he praises her acting skills. And about Nick, genuine question for you Taylor James. DOES HE ALWAYS SAY MATE OR DO YOU ALWAYS SAY MATE WHEN YOU IMPERSONATE HIM???
4. "Don't think you don't have a voice" (Sarah)
"When you're on set, especially if you're new [...], don't think that you don't have a voice. Speak up to your director, ask questions, say 'this doesn't feel right' [...]. Don't be afraid to ask why would you not do or do something if it doesn't make sense to you because you are your craft, you are your instrument so no one is going to stand up for you the way you will."
Probably the most important quote of the whole interview. She's talking to actors, but I'm taking it and throwing it at you, beautiful person reading this post. Especially if you are young and are scared of the world you've been thrown into. And if you're not that young but still have dreams to achieve. Let's all listen to Sarah's wisdom.
5. Masturbating and crying, "that's my specialty... sometimes at the same time!" (Sarah, around 17:20)
Do I need to say it? She's a fucking icon, she's a goofball, she's a goddess and I love her. AND SHE'S SO PROUD OF HERSELF. *Meanwhile Taylor passing out from giggling*
6. "S: I didn't have any [sex scenes] in this movie" // "T: On screen..."
PLEASE AHAHAHAHA.
I'm pretty sure he's talking about ZahraxShaan but she answers: "Way to start some fucking rumors man!". And NOT THE INTERVIEWER CHIMING IN: "So I'm excited for the sequel!"
PLEASE GIVE THE HOLY SCRIPT POWER TO THESE THREE PEOPLE.
On a more serious note, the whole intimacy coordination talk is amazing. Love how precise, transparent and authentic Sarah is there. And the part where she says she wanna write a thesis about the intimacy filming in Normal People? As someone who's writing three of those, oh do I relate. Sarah, marry me. (y'all don't @ me, I might share Alex's competency kink. what of it.)
6. The kiss talk and the leaning into each other part (around 22:00)
The way she immediately turns to Taylor and the way he immediately leans forwards to help her prove her point? How many of you guys suddenly blushed hard? Just checking I wasn't the only one.
Guess we're heading to a part 2 cause this post is getting really long x)
SAG-AFTRA Foundation interview with Taylor Zakhar Perez and Sarah Shahi - Notes and Thoughts (Part 2)
Part 1 here !
Disclaimer: This part is less silly than the first one and way deeper. It's also REALLY LONG. You've been warned.
7. "In order to have an extraordinary acting career you have to have a very ordinary life" (Taylor, around 26:25)
"In order to have an extraordinary acting career you have to have a very ordinary life. And I think it grounds you. I think we're all kinda attracted to the industry/movies/films/names and lights/covers of magazines...and I've done that all now and I realize how empty and hollow that dream was as a young kid. I realize that we are storytellers and we change the way people think and we make them think again and that it is so much more fulfilling than just being a face on a poster or a face on a magazine."
Reason 293810 why this fandom loves Taylor Zakhar Perez. I think it's obvious by now. The guy is just so grounded. Thinks family is super important to stay loyal and true to oneself (which i agree with, I'd just say that it can be your real family or your found family, doesn't matter). Seeks for meaning in his career and stuff he does. I could go on and on but you get my point.
*About the 'found family' detail, I actually think Taytay would agree cause he keeps talking about "his squad" and how he would have never made it without them (see around 41:00 when he mentions how his friend Cassie helped him choreograph a dance for an audition). But I thought it was important to stress this 'found family' bit bc this fandom is largely composed of queer persons and we all know how found families are important for queer folks. (Casey would also agree with that, just read their books lol).
8. Sarah mentioning she has a binder that she goes to work with
This one's personal, but lol. It's the same thought than with the thesis earlier (see part 1). I'm just vibing at the same wave length than Sarah Shahi right now.
9. Sarah's auditions story: "Find out who you are and do it on purpose"
Read carefully cause we're entering the Reason Why I Made These Posts™️
9.1. The Sex Life Audition
"Sometimes, I am a free little fairy and I kinda bounce around between realms [...] Other times, I am like a dog with a bone and I will chase something. And there's no rhyme or reason as to what ignites something and what ignites something else. But I just follow my instinct."
The quote in itself is amazing. I think we all more or a less have this self awareness of who we are. I admire how vocal she is about her own truth and adore her metaphors for it.
She then proceeds to explain how she nailed the first two auditions for Sex Life but tanked the 3rd one. First of all, I admire the perspicacity she had to realize her audition wouldn't work and the honesty she showed when she apologized to the director and said she wouldn't insult them and just left. Then she ended up actually getting the job.
getting to my point with the second example she mentions
9.2. The Dan Fogelman chase
That's when Sarah talks about her admiration for the director and screenwriter Dan Fogelman. She says than when This is Us came out, she loved the show so much that she wrote him a letter begging to let her in the show. It didn't work. Then three months later, she tried with Pitch. Didn't work either. Fourteen years later (that's CRAZY) she got an audition for Paradise City, met him AND HE REMEMBERED HER LETTER and she booked the show.
"My point is, please go after your heart. You'll never lose. Even if you don't get it, it doesn't matter, you still won."
Conclusion of those two stories: never think it's too late or that you failed. You don't actually know. The only way you can lose is if you don't try.
Lil addition from Taylor later in the interview that I thought fitted here:
"Every time the door closes, know that you grew from that last opportunity you had."
10. Taylor giving the middle finger to his parents and graduating UCLA "just because [he] couldn't listen to them keep harping on [him]" -- OR, achieving the dream.
The actual point of that part is that he wanted to be an actor so bad he moved to LA "without a back up plan". (Can't say he actually didn't have a backup plan cz he still got a diploma so that was some sort of safety net ig). I love how he's both humble (he says he didn't really go to class, just did the bare minimum to pass) and fair to himself and his experience (when he says that he didn't go to class BECAUSE he was going to acting class instead). Basically, our king working hard to achieve that dream.
That isn't something new or extremely profound. In a way, what Taylor is describing here is a way to achieve "the American dream" or whatever other version of that. However, it's important that we give him a shout out for achieving it and giving him exposure because he's a PoC actor and more generally a gem of a human being.
But what I want to take from this and give both to myself and to y'all is: look at how passionate he sounds when talking about what he wanted to discover (being behind the scene, on set, etc), about what he learned (his likes and dislikes), and about people he met (the ones that inspired him and the ones that he didn't like). You can feel him practically vibrate out of his skin. You can feel how proud he is of his journey and how grateful he is for all the people that helped him get there along the way (and he mentions A LOT of them). One of my favorite quotes from this bit:
"back to the squad of people that you trust and that want to be better and you want them to be better"
It really fills my heart with joy to watch someone so passionate about their life, career, journey. Because that is what life should be about. That is what a job should be like: something that you genuinely love and that help you get to know yourself better and make you feel like you're growing as a human being.
Yes, there is a not-so-subtle critic of capitalism right here. It will get more conspicuous.
I'm gonna break his journey down a little bit more and then (finally) get to my point. Here, he mentions:
getting out of his comfort zone to chase a dream (aka leaving his fam/where he grew up)
providing himself with the means to achieve said dream (UCLA, acting classes, etc.) There's an underlying comment to be made about meritocracy here but i'm not gonna dive into that endless void right here and right now. just know that my po-sci student self has thoughts.
surrounding himself with friends (his "squad") that he can always rely on (both for comfort/private life and resources/professional life) AND with professionals (/network) that can help also help him (for example when he mentions casting director David Rapaport, around 41:00).
Staying true to himself and his motivations:
"I'm just excited to be here, excited to read with you, and excited to act, because at the end of the day that's why I got into this."
Acknowledging that life is made of ups and downs:
"There are days that you're on the floor crying and there are days that you're with your friends jumping for joy, so just stick with it"
Which could be further fuel to my previous point about this fandom loving him for being honest and down-to-earth. I mean, just look at his last ig post.
OKAY so my POINT is:
Hearing Taylor talk about this really resonated with me and I think it can resonate with a lot of people especially if like me you're an artist (any kind, acting, writing, singing, painting, playing music and so on). (Probably) like him, I've always been told my dream of being a writer was exactly what it was: a wishful dream. Being an artist and making a life of it doesn't root in Reason™️, aka the base of our capitalist society. Capitalism is about productivity and output; the essence of art is the opposite.
That's why it's important to have role models like TZP to be here and say: 1) Look, I made it, it's possible and 2) Even when you've been validated by the industry you're in bc you've been part of the making money machine™️ (aka being in a succesful movie, for him), you're still here for the art, for the craft, for your initial passion.
One of my biggest struggle as a young adult trying to figure out both who I am and what I want to do with my life is this: how can I be faithful to who I am and make something for myself in this world? How can I be happy in a way that also enables me to make money to financially support myself, while never giving up on my big dreams™️?
And I think in this interview, both Taylor and Sarah gave us food for thoughts on that topic.
I love your two part series about the SAG panel! one very minor quibble- I wouldn’t say Taylor did the “bare minimum” at UCLA, I know he was being glib on the panel but in truth I think it was more that he was able to think outside the box and knew how to learn the material while still doing the things he wanted to be doing for his career. He always talks about his Spanish, Culture & Community major with enthusiasm. And as much as he talks about how he didn’t really want to be there as he just wanted to be acting, there would be little reason to do a double major and a minor if his only goal was to get out of there without learning anything.
The extreme multitasking and associated stubbornness all feels like very ACD behavior to me. Yes it involved skipping lectures and bribing classmates with cupcakes for lecture notes, but as he said he was still doing the assignments, passing his tests, writing papers, etc. Of course without knowing his GPA we don’t really know how well his strategy worked, but give the menace a bit more credit. I think it’s really kind of badass he made the environment work for him instead of vice versa. 😄
Hey, thanks for pointing that out!
Yes, defo agree with you. Tbh, there's not such thing as "doing the bare minimum" to get a degree, whatever it is. I think once you've done it, it's easy to think back to it and be like "ahah, easy peasy" when in reality it's always a huge commitment to study. He's crazy smart and while he emphasizes on the "did that so my parents could shut up" part, there is obviously a world more to it. I agree with you, no point in the double major if he wasn't invested and passionate about it. So. Yeah.
Also 100% agree on the ACD coded behavior. We love our multitasking kings. All of this is just more reasons to have a huge respect for this man honestly.
