Amazon to Start Selling Fan Fiction

[Covarr]

Yeah, I'm sure there is good fanfiction out there somewhere. The key word, though, is "somewhere". The fanfiction that I've seen doesn't exactly fill me with confidence....

The trick is to look for humor. It's largely written by people who are bored and simply don't care, and is frankly far better than most of the typical drama stuff where people fall in love for no reason at all.

I mostly just hope they never allow Sonic or Final Fantasy fanfics. Sonic and Shadow are not madly in love and never will be, and the same goes for Cloud and Sephiroth. Or really any other popular protagonist + rival/enemy pairing you can think of.

P.S. Thanks

 

[SonofaJohannes]

So there may be hope for me making a career as a writer after all.

 

[Parakeettheprawn]

But I thought they already sold 50 Shades of Grey!

Yes, but now every Can't-think-up-original-idea-must-copy-Twilight half-wit will be trying to make a similar winner.

 

[Gatx]

I too wonder at the legality of this, but in Japan they have a thing called doujinshi that are fan made comics based on existing works (mostly pornographic in nature but not always) and the companies there are cool with that.

Goddamit, Amazon. Stop encouraging these people. Please. For the sake of everything? Have you learnt nothing from 50 shades of grey?

The entire Star Wars EU is practically fanfiction (though it's more like... next generation fiction? Is that the term?). I remember reading that Michael A. Stackpole was actually a big name fan who wrote popular fanfiction for Star Wars and because of that was chosen to write an actual Star Wars novel.

 

[Terratina.]

Spoiler: Umm...

Don't the guidelines rule out 99.9999999% of fanfiction? Or is that just me?

Because that's pretty pointless.

 

[RJ Dalton]

First of all, I don't think this is actually legal. Second of all, Fanfiction is mostly shit and nobody should be asked to pay money for it. Third of all, really? Have we really fallen this far?

 

[Cecilthedarkknight_234]

Goddamit, Amazon. Stop encouraging these people. Please. For the sake of everything? Have you learnt nothing from 50 shades of grey?

Oh come on this could actually be a good idea. Now i'm off to write my yaio yahtzee x jim fan fic, keep any eye out guys.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

As a budding author myself this news is incredibly concerning. That people can make money from another person's IP is a terrifying concept.

I have no doubt that there are some talented people amongst the writers of fan fiction but I would urge them to write their own unique stories instead of pulling content from other authors. This sort of practice just serves to stunt creativity and opens up a whole mess of trouble where copyright is concerned.

George R R Martin has been quite vocal about his views on fan fiction in the past and I agree with his points: http://grrm.livejournal.com/151914.html

 

[Ftaghn To You Too]

If the original author signs off on it, I see absolutely nothing wrong about this. Japan has its doujinshi, which actually serves to boost sales and is downright encouraged by a lot of authors and studios. Hell, a lot of now respected artists and authors got their start in that market.

 

[Covarr]

I don't think this is actually legal.

Amazon has signed licenses to publish material based on television shows including Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries, with more properties on the way.

It's legal because they're only doing it for properties that they've already made arrangements with the owners for. Presumably, the owners of these shows will get a cut of the profits.

P.S. Thanks

 

[LGC Pominator]

Actual purchasable Fallout:Equestria(and side stories)?

This has my attention

Come to think of it, I would really like to see some of the hard work of some authors get recognition, provided that it doesn't fall in with a lot of the dross you can see in the world of fan fiction

Also I would only buy Fo:E if it came packaged with chapter 20.5 unharmed.

 

[Da Orky Man]

As a budding author myself this news is incredibly concerning. That people can make money from another person's IP is a terrifying concept.

You, along with several others, have missed the part where Amazon will only publish fanfiction based on IPs whose rights owners have already signed a contract with Amazon. Your IP is safe.

 

[ritchards]

To be honest, fanfiction has been being published for a long time. Just look at Star Trek and Doctor Who and Star Wars and... that all just has a level of official recognition, but it's fanfic nonetheless.

 

[Triality]

As with everything, invoking Sturgeon's Law.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

As a budding author myself this news is incredibly concerning. That people can make money from another person's IP is a terrifying concept.

You, along with several others, have missed the part where Amazon will only publish fanfiction based on IPs whose rights owners have already signed a contract with Amazon. Your IP is safe.

Perhaps my post missed the point but I did not. I say that even if there's no inherent risk with this particular venture, it remains nothing more than a slippery slope to bigger problems later on.

Perhaps my bias is lending my comments an air of irrational hate, but as a creative person I wish to see the true creative talents of others promoted and rewarded where possible. I just don't think fan fiction, nor Amazon's promotion of it, is a valid vehicle for channelling such creativity.

 

[Da Orky Man]

As a budding author myself this news is incredibly concerning. That people can make money from another person's IP is a terrifying concept.

You, along with several others, have missed the part where Amazon will only publish fanfiction based on IPs whose rights owners have already signed a contract with Amazon. Your IP is safe.

Perhaps my post missed the point but I did not. I say that even if there's no inherent risk with this particular venture, it remains nothing more than a slippery slope to bigger problems later on.

Perhaps my bias is lending my comments an air of irrational hate, but as a creative person I wish to see the true creative talents of others promoted and rewarded where possible. I just don't think fan fiction, nor Amazon's promotion of it, is a valid vehicle for channelling such creativity.

Can you state a reason why not? Sure, it may demote a more creative person if they set their stories in a setting they created, but if you have the full permission of the creator/rights holder, is there really any reason the fanfic writer shouldn't be allowed to publish? The vast majority of the writers who have released novels in the Star Wars EU had nothing to do with the creation of the film, yet they turned a previously somewhat shallow universe into one of the most richly detailed mankind has ever come up with. Same with Star Trek, Warhammer 40k, Dungeons and Dragons, Warcraft, any number of popular series'.