Here's a roundup of stories on fanfic in the spotlight that might be of interest to fans:

While newspapers across the globe have featured stories over the past decade on local authors with fanfiction pasts (or presents), the case of former Twilight fanfic, Fifty Shades of Grey has sparked considerable media coverage over the past month, prompting discussion in a variety of areas and hundreds of news stories and blog posts.

• Some of the early discussion focused on the apparently surprising idea that women like to read erotica, which sent at least one journalist into a panic. Fortunately, the stories prompted some people not surprised by this amazing news to discuss the business of erotica publishing and promote the genre, or "debunk sexist stereotypes about women and technology" by noting how "the removal of the gatekeepers of publishing has huge implications for publishing; but it also has huge implications for gender equality. The women in Twilight fandom who formed their own publishing houses followed in the footsteps of pioneering female-run digital publishers like Samhain, Ellora’s Cave, and Torquere Press, who founded their businesses as romance writers and fans. The success of each of these digital publishers proves that women can not only be their own gatekeepers, but that they have the technical skills to thrive in the process."
• Other takes suggested that "what’s really groundbreaking about this book and future film – [is] the mainstreaming of fetish. The popularity of this novel has made it okay to talk about erotica as a real literary genre and admit to our own desire to see more than just two types of sex- the vanilla and the grotesque." Others counter that the book's real appeal is that it's a Cinderella story in a cynical age. In Fanfic as Iconography, a romance blogger looks not at the genre but the archetypes in the book and finds herself "[t]hinking about how this giant hit might offer a different model for alpha heroes, I wondered what else romance writers, agents and publishers might learn from it."
• Paid Content's question about how the novel's success "raises interesting questions about crowdsourcing and copyright" suggested that fan fiction's often collaborative, communal process is in contrast to the single author model of professional remuneration. Author Jami Gold, a former fanfic writer herself, echoed this ethical rather than legal concern. "Without its association with Twilight, the story wouldn’t have received 20,000 reviews (on fanfiction.net) and gained those fans to begin with...She then had her fans, from back when the story was free, buy up copies...and post hundreds of reviews all over the internet. Boom. Instant best-seller...And all she had to do was use someone else’s characters and fanatical fandom ties to get there." This discussion was further explored in a series of posts on Dear Author, including one featuring Rebecca Tushnet from OTW's Legal Committee. Some authors, such as Jim Butcher (who cites Mercedes Lackey's earlier action) has decided "fanfiction is to be licensed as derivative, noncommercial fiction under the Creative Commons (CC) umbrella" with the intention being that "You can’t make money from fanfic based on Jim’s work" and requesting that fans utilize a CC disclaimer on their work.
• Other stories focused on changes in the publishing industry, both the ones leading up to Grey's marketing success, and what will likely follow given the visible successes of self-published authors. "Ethical objections of fan fiction aficionados over James’s alleged appropriation of copyrighted material, and her breach of fan fiction writers’ most sacred tenet — Thou Shalt Not Publish For Profit — have been drowned out in the rush to find the next “mommy porn” contender in online media outlets once considered outlaw territory and beneath contempt by legit publishers." A recent post at publisher Tor asked if "America may be ready for traditionally published works of fan fiction?" but this is clearly an international matter. "“With the smallest of publishers able to release an e-book to a worldwide audience, hits hit bigger, faster, and simultaneously around the world.”
• Finally, some articles sought to trace the origins of the book's success, which has moved from a publishing coup to a film sale, with coverage of the book appearing as an alternate cover story to The Hunger Games. While one might question "why fan fiction’s stigma persists" given its ubiquity, perhaps fittingly, the latest news is that Grey will soon have its own derivative works: a parody derived from tweets will be making its way into print soon. And at least one online site has offered recipes tied to the book.

If you are a Twilight fan or create fan works why not write about it in Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Here's a roundup of stories on the age of fan fiction that might be of interest to fans:

• It's been called different things such as the Golden Age of Geekdom; "This is the Age of Fs: forums, fan fiction, fanboys and fangirls who can forever watch and dissect their beloved canceled series on DVD." Hitfix declared us to be living in the Age of Fanfiction. "We live in a time where copyright means very little to younger people, and it's not just because they want free movies or free music. More than that, they want to be able to play with the amazing toys that they've been given by filmmakers and comic book writers and TV creators, and they want to do so without the constraints that copyright creates...What's been truly bizarre, though, is the way the mainstream has slowly headed in the same direction, and without anyone noticing it, we seem to have handed over our entire industry to the creation of fanfiction on a corporate level, and at this point, I'm not sure how we're expecting the pendulum to ever swing back."
• Certainly an increasing number of professional creators either have themselves been fan fiction writers, or have traded in its traditions after establishing themselves, thus bringing new approval for the genre. "This high-profile outing for one of literature's most maligned genres finally shows that fanfiction is a worthwhile literary pursuit. Though this respectable end of fanfiction has always been around in books like the brilliant Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, or Susan Hill's Rebecca prequel Mrs de Winter, the current literary trend seems to explore retreads of another author's story." In some cases, the authors are even creating the stories in response to fans as in the case of a recent crossover between Dr. Who and The Middleman.
• Past Links Posts have featured the use of fan fiction in the classroom but libraries have also long featured it. This has primarily been used with teens in writing workshops, but it also shows up in resource guides such as this page at the Internet Public Library, which discusses the Archive of Our Own. As this Canadian library book review points out many librarians are aware of fan fiction practices so it's not surprising they're a good source of information on it.

If you write fan fiction, why not write about it in Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Here's a roundup of fannish perspectives in media industries that might be of interest to fans:

• There was extensive speculation about the slashy future of the new U.S. TV series 2 Broke Girls on New York Magazine's Vulture blog, even though the show just debuted. It draws the conclusion that many experienced femslash fans might come to as well: "2 Broke Girls is on CBS, and while it's possible to imagine the show developing an entirely different trajectory on cable — over the course of six seasons and many men, these two young women realize they are perfect, not for some dude with a nice six-pack, but each other! — it seems unlikely to transform into something overtly homosexual on a network...You just watch, come some May sweeps, Max and Caroline kissing will be a big ratings stunt."
• Another U.S. comedy, Community, has reached new heights in its pop-culture cred. In its season opener, the character Abed is devastated by the short seasons common to many UK TV shows, only to be appeased by being introduced to the decades-long series "Inspector Spacetime". Fannish reaction to the Dr. Who parody spread quickly. Community, which utilizes many fannish texts and activities in its episodes, has inspired a new platform for the mingling of fannish practices and dialogue. "It’s a funny kind of magic – it’s unofficial, didn’t happen on TV, and just relies of [sic] fans’ understandings of not only TV shows, but how telly itself works.

If you're part of Community or femslash fandoms why not contribute your perspectives to Fanlore? Contributions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Here are a few action alerts that might be of interest to fans:

• Many fans have used bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us to keep track of fan works they want to read, have viewed, or want to return to. Many more fans have also used one another's lists to find new material. However, this functionality and fannish history may soon be lost once Delicious completes its transfer to new ownership. Fans wanting to save their bookmarks for their own use and that of others have until September 23 to authorize migration of their data to the new website or transfer it to another service.
• Last week two authors attempting to publish a novel with a diverse representation of characters encountered a specific response from an agent suggesting that there is no market for gay characters in young adult (YA) literature. Their response was to ask that readers make their voices heard about what they want to see published. YA author Malinda Lo posted a follow-up providing statistics on how much YA literature contains queer representations and who is doing the publishing.

If you use bookmarking sites as part of your fannish habits or are part of YA literature fandoms, why not contribute your experiences to Fanlore? Contributions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.