whatever strikes again

[kaigou]

Today the topic is intellectual property and fanfiction, tangentially connected topics as requested by readers over on Whatever, John Scalzi's blog.

People don't write fanfic if they aren't already so enthralled by your universe that they can't handle the fact you're not producing it any faster, and are thus compelled to make some of their own -- the methadone, if you will, to your pure, sweet media property heroin. A fanfic writer will buy all your media-related product, will go to your conventions, will get the DVDs and will generally slog through sub-standard and lazy stretches of your work far longer than the average mortal because they are so damn invested. And if they're writing slash (fanfic with sex!), chances are excellent that you're sucking in all of their take home pay that doesn't go to rent, food and cat products.

*examines friends carefully*

Yeah. I'd say he's got it right.

Read the entire piece.

Comments

[kaigou.livejournal.com]

I know it's a form of flattery, but a part of me prefers to retain the right to tell a fanficcer when s/he has gone over the line. I'm not worried about competition so much as the creation of a fanon that overrides the original work. I'm sure you can name fanon as quickly as I can that does this, to the point that I've met folks who don't like the orignial series because it doesn't fit with their introduction. Not saying I would slap down fanficcers in general (and I doubt, for the most part, that I'd get fanfiction, so this is mostly academic), but I'd like to have the ability and perhaps more importantly, have that request/ownership respected as such.