Meta/Rant: It's like deja vu all over again!
Once upon a time--back in the mid 90s--John Ordover, the then Star Trek editor of Pocket Books, posted on alt.startrek.creative advertising a contest for fan writers. If you wrote a fic that fit into their guidelines--which were the same stringent ones tie-in writers had to follow--you could win a cash prize and be published in an anthology. If I recall correctly, the first prize was a whopping $500 bucks.
Now that's a lot of money for a short story from an un-agented writer, even one being anthologized by a major imprint. However, this was a time when Star Trek books were hitting the paper back best seller lists on a regular basis. Tie-in writers were making good money, but why pay them if you could get the fans, who wrote just as well or better, for a lot less money? Talk about profit!
I didn't like it then and argued publicly--and wankily if you can imagine that--with Mr. Ordover. I felt that the publishers were taking advantage of the fans and I still feel that way now.
So what brought this blast from the past up? Well as I type this post, I know of a few other posts that have already been written and I bet that the topic d'jour tomorrow on meta_fandom will be.... FanLib.
Here's the deal. While I don't mind the increasing public light being brought to bear on fanfiction, I do strongly object to people who aren't fandom making money off it. And there's something even more annoying here.
I've been in fandom long enough to know that one thing fandom seems to really crave is some kind of legitimacy. We've been marginalized by the broader world of science fiction/media fans--we may be higher on the geek hierarchy than say, furries, but still, we're looked down on, not just by broader fandom, but by professional writers as well.
And so, when something like this comes along and looks official and claims to have ties with the various Powers That Be, fandom sits up and takes notice. At last someone recognizes our worth! And it must be okay, right? Because this is different than us having the nerve to charge for our fanfic; this is people connected to *hushed voices* The Industry.
And that right there is the kicker. These people, this company, wants to make money off fannish issues. Our issues.
But Ruth, I hear you say, they aren't charging.
No they aren't. Not now. There are no ads and no fees involved. Yet.
ETA: My bad. There are ads already. Nice to know that Adblocker really works.
Seriously, do you really think it'll stay like this? They call themselves a company and they have a board--which, as cofax7 pointed out in her post, does not contain a single woman or person with fannish background. But hey, there is an entertainment lawyer involved! (No offense to certain parties who read this LJ) All you have to do is read who these people are, what their background are, to know that they aren't here for the greater good of the fannish community.
Don't kid yourself. This is about money. And if you want to help someone else make money off your effort and occasionally get a t-shirt out of the deal, go ahead and post your stuff there.
I'll be over here, fuming. Because I still don't know where I stand about me or other writers charging for fanfic, but I know damn well how I feel about fanfic writers being used to make money for other people.
I was angry ten years ago. And I am again.
ETA2: angiepen has taken an in depth look at their TOS and it's got some really scary stuff in it. I suggest you read her post.
Note: When I say fandom has issues, I mean that it's a trend I've noticed in the last 12 years. It's NOT aimed at any one person.
Now that's a lot of money for a short story from an un-agented writer, even one being anthologized by a major imprint. However, this was a time when Star Trek books were hitting the paper back best seller lists on a regular basis. Tie-in writers were making good money, but why pay them if you could get the fans, who wrote just as well or better, for a lot less money? Talk about profit!
I didn't like it then and argued publicly--and wankily if you can imagine that--with Mr. Ordover. I felt that the publishers were taking advantage of the fans and I still feel that way now.
So what brought this blast from the past up? Well as I type this post, I know of a few other posts that have already been written and I bet that the topic d'jour tomorrow on meta_fandom will be.... FanLib.
Here's the deal. While I don't mind the increasing public light being brought to bear on fanfiction, I do strongly object to people who aren't fandom making money off it. And there's something even more annoying here.
I've been in fandom long enough to know that one thing fandom seems to really crave is some kind of legitimacy. We've been marginalized by the broader world of science fiction/media fans--we may be higher on the geek hierarchy than say, furries, but still, we're looked down on, not just by broader fandom, but by professional writers as well.
And so, when something like this comes along and looks official and claims to have ties with the various Powers That Be, fandom sits up and takes notice. At last someone recognizes our worth! And it must be okay, right? Because this is different than us having the nerve to charge for our fanfic; this is people connected to *hushed voices* The Industry.
And that right there is the kicker. These people, this company, wants to make money off fannish issues. Our issues.
But Ruth, I hear you say, they aren't charging.
No they aren't. Not now. There are no ads and no fees involved. Yet.
ETA: My bad. There are ads already. Nice to know that Adblocker really works.
Seriously, do you really think it'll stay like this? They call themselves a company and they have a board--which, as cofax7 pointed out in her post, does not contain a single woman or person with fannish background. But hey, there is an entertainment lawyer involved! (No offense to certain parties who read this LJ) All you have to do is read who these people are, what their background are, to know that they aren't here for the greater good of the fannish community.
Don't kid yourself. This is about money. And if you want to help someone else make money off your effort and occasionally get a t-shirt out of the deal, go ahead and post your stuff there.
I'll be over here, fuming. Because I still don't know where I stand about me or other writers charging for fanfic, but I know damn well how I feel about fanfic writers being used to make money for other people.
I was angry ten years ago. And I am again.
ETA2: angiepen has taken an in depth look at their TOS and it's got some really scary stuff in it. I suggest you read her post.
Note: When I say fandom has issues, I mean that it's a trend I've noticed in the last 12 years. It's NOT aimed at any one person.