I've got a bad feeling about this
Yesterday, via duncatra and Club Jade, I saw that Random House announced that it has jumped the shark and will be sponsoring a fan fiction contest at San Diego Comic Con. From the press release:
Random House Audio Invites Fan Fiction Authors to Record Their Stories at Comic-Con International in San Diego
One story will be selected by RH Audio producers to be recorded professionally and streamed online!
At this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA, Random House Audio will be recreating an audiobook studio right on the convention floor-inviting authors of fan fiction to record a sample of their work for a chance to have their story recorded and released as a digital audiobook.
Stories from the following fandoms are eligible for the contest:
Star Wars®
The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Aspiring authors (who must be legal residents of the U.S. and 18 years or older) can sign up for a time slot to record their five-minute sample during the convention, July 12-15 at the San Diego Convention Center. Random House Audio producers will listen to the entries (no mashups, please) and select one to be professionally recorded and mixed by Random House Audio for streaming at www.randomhouseaudio.com. The grand prize winner and five runner-ups will have clips from their stories featured on the Random House Audio weekly podcast.
So, I suppose that those singing up think this is their big chance to jump to pro? Maybe Random House is hoping to find the next Shades of Gray? (though I can't see that sort of content being read via audio at SDCC). As Dunc observed, and I agree, the whole point of fan fiction is to keep it separate from pro control. Authors want to make the jump, fine, go for it and good luck. I firmly believe though that it is better to keep derivative work out of the hands of those who control media dissemination. That's what I thought was the most interesting story in 50 Shades -- how the author took control of the property herself, disseminating it as she and her readers wished.
Random House Audio Invites Fan Fiction Authors to Record Their Stories at Comic-Con International in San Diego
One story will be selected by RH Audio producers to be recorded professionally and streamed online!
At this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA, Random House Audio will be recreating an audiobook studio right on the convention floor-inviting authors of fan fiction to record a sample of their work for a chance to have their story recorded and released as a digital audiobook.
Stories from the following fandoms are eligible for the contest:
Star Wars®
The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Aspiring authors (who must be legal residents of the U.S. and 18 years or older) can sign up for a time slot to record their five-minute sample during the convention, July 12-15 at the San Diego Convention Center. Random House Audio producers will listen to the entries (no mashups, please) and select one to be professionally recorded and mixed by Random House Audio for streaming at www.randomhouseaudio.com. The grand prize winner and five runner-ups will have clips from their stories featured on the Random House Audio weekly podcast.
So, I suppose that those singing up think this is their big chance to jump to pro? Maybe Random House is hoping to find the next Shades of Gray? (though I can't see that sort of content being read via audio at SDCC). As Dunc observed, and I agree, the whole point of fan fiction is to keep it separate from pro control. Authors want to make the jump, fine, go for it and good luck. I firmly believe though that it is better to keep derivative work out of the hands of those who control media dissemination. That's what I thought was the most interesting story in 50 Shades -- how the author took control of the property herself, disseminating it as she and her readers wished.