pay for fanfic?

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I'm going to post this across some communities I'm in that deal with fanfic, if the mods don't mind (please tell me if you do). One of my favorite current authors, John Scalzi, addresses a new program Amazon has apparently set up in which people can "publish" their fanfic and have the chance to be paid for it.

I'm just curious in the comments about your thoughts on this business model, as well as the idea of publishing fanfic as-is (as opposed to pulling a James and changing the names and situations a la "Fifty Shades" for profit. I know fans who draw or paint or make music, or almost any other product other than writing, can find a way to make a profit off that kind of hobby that we fanfic writers have not been able to similarly enjoy, for a long time now. But to be honest, it's never occurred to me to want to sell my fanfic. The whole point of it is to retain the freedom to write whatever the hell I want, whenever I want, on whatever topic I please. I've sold plenty of my writing for-profit and I have to say, it's nice to retain an outlet where there are people who will read my stuff without having the right to dictate what I do with it ... which you get when money enters the picture. (This is not to say I see anything wrong with selling fiction or nonfiction for a living - I wouldn't do it if I thought it was bad. But there's writing I'm willing to tinker with and change for a dollar, and writing I won't.)

Anyway, I'll let John do the talking now. If you don't want to go to the link, I'll put it below, too (though you may wish to follow the link so you can find the link to the actual Amazon business plan link):

The Twitters are abuzz today about Amazon’s new “Kindle Worlds” program, in which people are allowed to write and then sell through Amazon their fan fiction for certain properties owned by Alloy Entertainment, including Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars, with more licenses expected soon. I’ve had a quick look at the program on Amazon’s site, and I have a couple of immediate thoughts on it. Be aware that these thoughts are very preliminary, i.e., I reserve the right to have possibly contradictory thoughts about the program later, when I think (and read) about it more. Also note that these are my personal thoughts and do not reflect the positions or policies of SFWA, of which I am (still but not for much longer) president.

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