'Fan fiction' in the modern sense of the term has supposedly been around since the 60s, when fans would write stories
borrowing the characters and universe from Star Trek and publish them for other
fans’ enjoyment in fanzines—which were sold for a small amount in order to pay
for printing costs, but never for profit. When the World Wide Web went into
common household use in the 90s, needless to say the quantity of fan fiction
produced and consumed all over the world and in all different languages
increased exponentially. Suddenly there was a whole world of potential readers
towards whom writers could gear their craft, and they didn’t even have to create
their own original characters or elaborate universes to gain audiences’
attention—they already had it just by engaging with content that was already
known and loved by fans potentially around the globe. And not only did the
range of fan fiction produced broaden, as stories derived from existing books,
comics, television shows, movies, video games, music groups, and plays popped up,
but I’m also going to go out and say that the age group probably widened as
well, especially as the internet became more user-friendly and younger
generations grew up immersed in the digitally networked society.
Now there
is no one centralized archive where fan fiction is published and consumed, so
like anything else on the net I suppose, it’s impossible to really measure how
much there is. But I think it’s safe to say that at least a substantial volume
of cyberspace is occupied by this particular genre of fan mediated literary
content. And as society evolves into a state where being online and connected
is increasingly essential not just for entertainment purposes, but for keeping
up with social and professional life as well, what was once a negligible online
subculture is starting to be noticed and addressed in the mainstream. And some
of the mainstream producers of content, and often the original content that the
fan mediated products such as fan fiction, art, comics, and videos are based
on, are not happy with what is transpiring (and has been, supposedly for the
past 50 years).
Flavorwire’s
article on the subject mentions several prominent authors who have spoken out
on the issue. George R.R. Martin, writer of the best-selling Game of Thrones
series which has blown up in recent months and has now been adapted for premium cable-television on HBO, author of the wildly popular Interview with the
Vampire, Anne Rice, fantasy and science fiction author Ursula LeGuin, Ender’s
Game author Oren Scott Card, author of the Outlander series Diana Gabaldon,
and science-fiction author Charlie Stross, to name a few, are vehemently
opposed to the idea of fan fiction involving their characters, for legal,
monetary, and personal reasons (LeGuin even mentioned feeling personally
violated—oh jeez, give me a break).
On the
other hand, J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer, authors of the Harry Potter and
Twilight series, respectively, are more tolerant of the fan practice, with
J.K.R. even saying she was glad her stories could inspire young people to engage
with her work in a personally creative way. But something else to take into
consideration is that these two women are behind the most popular franchises on
the current children/young adult market, making them what, richer than the
Queen of England now? And really, they probably have more to gain from young
fans spreading enthusiasm for their work over the internet because at this
point all it could do is bring them more and more dedicated fans, whereas some
of the still successful-but-not-filthy-rich authors, like Scott Card, see fan
created works employing his characters as something that could act as a
substitute for buying his works and which can encroach on his livelihood.
Personally,
I don’t really have a strong opinion. I think the bottom line is that
whether you approve of it or not, people are going write fan fiction. And
instead of bitching about it, authors should just embrace it and be flattered
that characters and worlds they created could be so interesting and important
to someone that they would want to engage with the content in a way that allows
them to show their appreciation for the existing media text and dialogue with
others to bring up conversations that might not have taken place without the
fan-mediated activity. That being said, I’m not sure how much authors stand to
lose financially from people reading fan fiction rather the original works, but
I’m going to go out on what I think is not that long of a limb and say that if
people are reading and writing fan fiction derived from your story, they
probably have already bought and read the original stuff, which is the reason
for which they want to expand on and imagine a continuation or alternate retelling of it.
All they’re
doing is loving your work, Author X, and what with the media increasingly
encouraging participatory media culture as an interactive marketing strategy (“Did
you like today’s episode, what do you think should have happened instead? Tell
us at our website…” “Think you can make a better video commercial? Create one
and post it on YouTube, winners will receive…” “Go online and vote now for your
favorite contestant!”) it’s probably a lost cause to try to get them to stop—not
to mention it makes you seem like an inflexible, self-important fuddy-duddy who doesn’t understand
the direction pop culture and entertainment is going nowadays. These kids are just trying to have fun, hang out and talk with others about your book/movie/series/game/what have you; no one is trying to make a profit here. And who could? The rest of the fan community would be up in arms about it. If fans are anything, it's loyal to the creators of their preferred media texts. So don't worry, and let digitally connected fans be fans and do what they do best: dish and gush and gossip about characters who don't exist in the living world but have somehow taken on significance in people's lives. Honestly, you should be so flattered.
For more information:
“Abusing the People of Westeros: Famous Authors on Fan-Fiction” by Emily Temple
“The Boy Who Lived Forever”
by Lev Grossman
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