[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4cast #342: Fan fiction gets real

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OPLIN 4Cast

OPLIN 4cast #342: Fan fiction gets real
July 10th, 2013

fanLast month, Amazon decided to try to make some money by legitimizing 
"fan fiction," the growing trend for fans of a story or book series to 
write their own stories based on characters or settings of the original 
work. While there was some fan fiction written in the 1960s based on 
science fiction "worlds," particularly /Star Trek/, the growth of fan 
fiction has been most closely tied to the growth of the World Wide Web, 
which makes it easier for fan fiction authors to gather together and 
distribute their work. If you're wondering if Amazon's monetized fan 
fiction will have much impact on libraries, just remember that /Fifty 
Shades of Grey/ started as /Twilight/ fan fiction.

  * Amazon wants to sell your fan fiction through Kindle Worlds
    <http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-13/amazon-wants-to-sell-your-fan-fiction-through-kindle-worlds>
    (Bloomberg Businessweek/Olga Kharif "The company's Kindle Worlds
    e-book venture [...] is inviting amateur writers to develop novels
    and short stories inspired by the characters and back stories of the
    original works. Amazon is trying to tap into one of publishing's
    hottest trends. Fanfic websites, as they're known, include millions
    of aficionado-penned stories, many dating back well over a decade.
    One site, FanFiction.net, offers nearly 650,000 stories about Harry
    Potter alone."
  * Amazon steps into the cloistered world of super-fandom
    <http://entertainment.time.com/2013/06/27/amazon-steps-into-the-cloistered-world-of-super-fandom/>
    (Time/Lily Rothman) "Although a few famous authors (Anne Rice, for
    example) have been vocal in their disapproval of what they see as
    appropriation of their work, most rights-holders turn a blind eye or
    even encourage fan fiction, so long as it's an act of love rather
    than a commercial venture. The legal questions behind fan fiction,
    or fanfic, are a gray area with no case law, but most fan writers
    believe it falls under the doctrine of 'fair use,' particularly when
    there's no money involved."
  * Amazon sets up system to trade on fan fiction
    <http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/05/amazon-sets-up-system-to-trade-on-controversial-fan-fiction/>
    (Ars Technica/Casey Johnston) "There do exist cases where
    fan-fiction is legal, such as when it is sufficiently transformative
    or a parody. Even so, those arguments do little to settle the temper
    of authors who feel their creations are being tread upon. Amazon
    plans to circumvent this issue by having a cadre of 'World
    Licensors,' rights-holders who effectively give permission to Amazon
    and other writers to create and profit from fanfic."
  * Amazon launches Kindle Worlds store, its self service platform for
    fan fiction authors
    <http://readwrite.com/2013/06/27/amazons-launches-its-self-service-platform-for-fan-fiction-authors>
    (ReadWrite/Dan Rowinski) "If you are a fan of the original 'worlds'
    that Amazon has made partnerships with, this type of authorized fan
    fiction could be of great entertainment. Otherwise, Kindle Worlds
    may be a little bit too far afield for most people. At the same
    time, it is an interesting concept in the world of publishing and
    something that has not really been done en masse before."

*/Royalty Fact:/*

Amazon will pay Kindle Worlds fan fiction authors a 35% royalty if their 
work is at least 10,000 words; 20% if it's shorter. The authors of the 
original works also get royalties.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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