Blog Article: The Fanfic Community Eats One of Its Own and Spits Out The Bones

Blog Article: The Fanfic Community Eats One of Its Own and Spits Out The Bones - John Scalzi

Fanfiction has always been an issue of questionable legality and one of it's cries to the legal vultures is that it's not for profit but for fun. I've discussed Fanfic and disclaimers and legality here.

In the recent weeks a fanfic writer, cousinjean, has asked for donations to support themselves while they work on writing some novels, including fanfic novels. Now on one hand I kind of think that's pretty ballsy and it recognises a serious issue about the ability to put food on the table while doing things for other people. On the other hand I understand the fear that this will draw attention to the fic that we all write.

What John Scalzi draws attention to is the way that the fan reaction has been so vitrolic. Over 500 comments left on her journal, the overwhelming majority negative. It's more a case of social control than a response to her actual request.

This isn't the first incident I've seen where fan response to money in relation to work can become quite heated and this debate will resurge again and again.