One Direction fanfic to be published as novel

[DanDeFool]

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2012/10/08/one-direction-fanfic-book-deal/

If you don't want to read the article (and I don't blame you for that), here's the rundown:

16-year-old girl writes a fanfic where her author-insertion persona is in a love triangle with two of the members of One Direction.

Said fanfic captures the attention of some publishing suits who were specifically looking for "a romantic YA novel that 'tapped into the current obsession with boy bands.'"

First 50 Shades of Gray (originally written as a Twilight fanfic) skyrockets to the top of the charts...now this? This shit needs to stop. Seriously...

Cue storm of cynicism about art/entertainment, One Direction hate, and "I don't want to live on this planet anymore" memes. Bring 'em on. I could really use the solidarity.

Okay, first of all, what's this about a "current" obsession with boy bands? Boy bands have been an obsession since the goddamn Beach Boys; sounds like some publishing exec needs to stop living under a rock.

Also, I don't see why this is something to be depressed or upset about. Its just giving the people what they want, no different than DOA Beach Volleyball or Expendables 2 or The Human Centipede. If you're going to be bothered about anything, be bothered by the fact that there are people who want this stuff.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Sure, I haven't read the book. And if it wasn't about One Direction, I might be the one to say "Wait until it comes out before you judge it, all the main characters might die."

But that's not going to happen.

 

[JaceArveduin]

I just know people try this crap with my fields all the time but at least they get what they have coming to them generally the fact that not only are people getting away with this for writers but are actually being encouraged disgusts me.

Yeah, I see what you're getting at. Now that I think about it, the other nice thing about fanfics are they can be good practice to fix little problems with your writing. It probably won't help someone who aspires to publish their own books, but it sure as hell helped me with my composition classes. Of course, that's only if you find a good editor.

And as I said, just in case anyone missed it, is that fanfic writers tend to try and placate the author's by telling them they aren't losing money over it. Then these people show up and start selling fanfiction. So that's why I hate 50 Shades, and now this, without even having to read them.

 

[Yopaz]

Please explain what "One Direction" means and how it is relevant to fanfiction.

Spoiler: You don't know? Oh-oh!

I honestly don't think it's a bad thing. Unknown writers having greater access to publish to a wider audience isn't something I consider a bad thing. No one's going to hold a gun to your head and make you buy it. But a no-name SciFi author might be able to publish the next Neuromancer under an independent publishing company after having been tossed aside by the big publishing companies. It could happen...

Spoiler: You don't know? Oh-oh!

Honestly I prefer this one

Spoiler

OT: If people want to read it then I can't see the problem. Personally I will be reading Jam and soon, but not soon enough A Memory of Light. That a fanfiction gets published doesn't matter to me.

 

[Helmholtz Watson]

Dear America

We apologise for One Direction, but you gave us Backstreet Boys, so we are all square now.

Sincerely Britain

Square? You must have forgot that you also gave us Spice Girls and Piers Morgan. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go yell at Canada for giving us Justin Bieber!

Oh no you don't, in World War 2 we Canadians were fighting Japan long before you Americans decide to nuke them and steal all the glory for yourselves. Bieber is our cruel, calculated and effective revenge.

*GASP* ...how could you? Well just you wait, we are going to steal all your Maple Syrup! Muhahaha

 

[charge52]

Dear America

We apologise for One Direction, but you gave us Backstreet Boys, so we are all square now.

Sincerely Britain

Square? You must have forgot that you also gave us Spice Girls and Piers Morgan. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go yell at Canada for giving us Justin Bieber!

Oh no you don't, in World War 2 we Canadians were fighting Japan long before you Americans decide to nuke them and steal all the glory for yourselves. Bieber is our cruel, calculated and effective revenge.

*GASP* ...how could you? Well just you wait, we are going to steal all your Maple Syrup! Muhahaha

My good madam, you may want to consider the... rashness, of your actions. We struck a hard blow to the music industry when we utilized the Bieber project, and that was for petty reasons of lost glory... a reason shared only by the government. Think of it this way, when you upset a group of Canadians you got Bieber... What the fuck do you think will happen, if you piss us all off, hmm?
You got no idea what you're fucking with little girl.

 

[Fayathon]

*snip*

Enter thread to see what the fuck One Direction is, and why I have to stock shit from them every night, run across another that knows the glory of Bobmin's work.

Today is going to be good, I feel it.

OT: People need to stop "officially" publishing fanfiction, period. Even if I would pay lodsofemone [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON-7v4qnHP8] for:

Sooo...
When will we see the MLP fanfic Fallout:Equestria in stores? I'm sure it could be cut down/edited to the length of the Lord of The Rings trilogy.

Cut? Blasphemy!

 

[WanderingFool]

Well damn. Though that being said it may not make it to the charts. Hopefully.... 50 Shades got big for it's portrayal of "BDSM" or what the author thinks that kind of sex life is like. This probably won't make it as big as that. I've read through 50 shades, it was so shoddily written I couldn't believe it was on the charts. I wrote a review on it (not posted on the internet, it's one a friend requested me to write) And I just can't quite describe how bad everything is in it. Of course, that's just my opinion, yada yada yada...

A fanfiction about One Direction though... I'm sure it will be good to all those girls who like them, but I don't think it will make it big time.

At least I hope not! And here is some solidarity for you good sir!

Normally, I would say people that post phrases like that needed to fuck off and die for the rest of us, but in this case, I completely agree with you...

 

[Charli]

URghhghhgheghegh a SELF INSERT fanfic? Of all the shit?

No.

No no no no no. No.

Nope. No... I'm sorry my brain is literally saying nothing else at the moment, trying to prod it into forming some more coherent reaction other than one of the most primal and simplistic ones but what can you do?

 

[McMarbles]

Welp... that's it. Literature's dead. It was a nice run while it lasted.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

snip

Okay, first of all, what's this about a "current" obsession with boy bands? Boy bands have been an obsession since the goddamn Beach Boys; sounds like some publishing exec needs to stop living under a rock.

Also, I don't see why this is something to be depressed or upset about. Its just giving the people what they want, no different than DOA Beach Volleyball or Expendables 2 or The Human Centipede. If you're going to be bothered about anything, be bothered by the fact that there are people who want this stuff.

Oh no, I long ago made peace with the fact that corporate suits (generally speaking) behave like soulless money-making machines and have no regard for quality in art, entertainment, or culture in general as long as it makes money. They give the people what the people want and the people give them what they want (lots of money). I got that.

What bothers me IS the fact that this is what the people want: re-packaging popular culture into homogenized tripe. Meanwhile, an associate of mine who tries his damnedest to write something meaningful, and has to go through the rigors of SELF-publishing, is watching the sales of his book practically dry up before they even started, because he doesn't have the resources to promote it. If you're curious, please check it out, the e-book is only $3.00 USD: http://www.amazon.com/The-Zeroes-Patrick-Roesle/dp/147004188X

snip

Oh my god teen girls like stupid things and I need something to hate, waah, waah!

I don't NEED anything to hate. See the above response to DanDeFool. It's very frustrating to see fanfiction get picked up for "literary" success by big publishers when there are plenty of writers and aspiring writers who try to say something deeper and more meaningful in writing, but are ignored in favor of stuff like this.

 

[Zantos]

I'm hoping to get my One Direction fanfic published too!

Not to give too much away, but it involves the weakest member being set on fire as an example to the others.

 

[Quadocky]

Technically, isn't all stories a form of fanficiton? Some just more creative than others?

I mean, look at all that fan art that was commissioned by churches in ages past, we consider that stuff super high quality art for some reason.

Catcher in the Rye for instance is a self insert book isn't it? Its a good book too.

 

[excalipoor]

I have no idea what this One Direction is, but it was a thread exactly like this one that made me look up 50 Shades of Gray. You're not getting me this time.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I can not facepalm hard enough. Not without putting my hand through my forehead that is.

 

[Entitled]

Hopefully, all this fanfiction becoming that successful will lead to a copyright reform so in the future, artists can publish fanfiction without having to disfigure the characters to avoid the IP owner's wrath.

 

[repeating integers]

Why. Aren't. They. Publishing. Any. Of. The. Good. Fanfics.

This is filling me with UNCONTROLLABLE RAAAAGE

SO MUCH TALENT is hidden away behind all the shit on FF.net and it's being ignored in favour of the shit!

GAaaaaaahhhh... [http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5775707/1/Mass-Effect-Interregnum]

 

[Entitled]

Why. Aren't. They. Publishing. Any. Of. The. Good. Fanfics.

This is filling me with UNCONTROLLABLE RAAAAGE

SO MUCH TALENT is hidden away behind all the shit on FF.net and it;s being ignored in favour of the shit!

GAaaaaaahhhh... [http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5775707/1/Mass-Effect-Interregnum]

Because most of the good fanfiction actually uses the strenghts of it's source, as it is written by hardcore fans who care about the intricacies of the setting, while bad fanfic is just some teenage girl's random wish-fulfillment/fetish/"cool" idea, projected onto some random novel/show/etc. that she just found a week before.

So when you need to officially publish it, you can just rename the characters, and it had nothing else to do with the souce material to begin with, so it will be entirely "clean" as far as the copyright industry is concerned.

 

[TJC]

Spoiler: The entire thread thus far

STOP LIKING THINGS THAT I DON'T LIKE!!!

Can we move on with our lives now?

Yes please. Ignore and it goes away. The stupidity didn't increase over the past decades, the internet just gave us access to a lot more of it.

 

[tokae]

What did books ever do to deserve this?!

If anybody wants me, you'll fin me half-way down a bottle of Gin... crying.

Stop watering down my Gin! Or if you have to, atleast pass me some lemon to counter out the salt!

But yeah, your answer to the OP is pretty much my own reaction to this circus. I can't really remember if YA-novels where ever good though. But still..


(There has to be better fan-fics than "Girl+One Direction! OMG, DRAMA!" that could get published? Right? Granted that most of it would probably be smut, but much of that smut is actually really well written.)


(Edit:
My thought process whilst making this post:
"What the hell is One Direction anyway?"
*post*
*google: One Direction*
"Hu-h.. Never heard of. Cute guys I guess, can see why they're popular."
*youtube search: One Direction*
"Well.. This was bland..."

Why did I expect anything else?)