It's no secret that fanfiction is a popular form of entertainment. Whether it's stories about your favorite TV show, movie, book, or video game, there's a good chance you've read at least one fanfic in your lifetime. But what you may not know is that you can actually make money by self-publishing your fanfiction. That's right-if you've got a great story to share, there's an audience for it, and you can get paid for your work!
Of course, there are a few things to keep in mind before you start self-publishing your fanfiction.
What Is Fanfiction?
First, let's dissect what Fanfiction actually is. According to dictionary.com, the official definition of Fanfiction is:
fanfiction
or fan fiction or fanfic [fan-fik-shuh n] or [fan-fik]
Ever see a movie and think "I could’ve written a better script?" or read a story and say "I want more?" Well, fanfiction is for you.
Fanfiction are stories written by everyday fans featuring characters, settings, and plots from their favorite, pre-existing TV, novels, manga, movies, and other media.
Fanfiction is a bit of a grey area from a legal point of view. But in general, most people don't care (or even notice) unless you're actually making money out of it.
Indeed, in case your unauthorized and as yet unpublished fanfiction spontaneously becomes very popular, and you want to publish it, you would probably have to proceed as in the case of Twilight EL James, the famous fanfiction author, whose work entitled ''50 Shades of Grey'' was reformulated to remove all existing sources of copyright before publishing it.
At the very least, do what is necessary and change the names of the different characters and the settings - this is what hundreds of best-selling authors do for all their "Lord of the Rings" stories. When your novel cannot be made on its own, and people don't think about the original version, it hurts the hard work and all the creativity of other authors. First of all, let's define fanfiction, make a short comparison, and then check the legality of your fanfiction.
Fanfiction is inspired by passion.
Fanfiction, a general term for both parody and IF works created by the uncontrollable passion of fans, is well known as a secondary creation.
In addition to novels and manga, many fanfictions such as films and dramas are posted, and I feel the passion of fans for their works.
Harry Potter and Naruto are the two that attract the most fans.
It's no secret how many people love Harry Potter. Right after comes Naruto.
Is Fanfiction Legal?
Is writing fanfiction legal? Indeed, fanfictions are stories written by people who have extensive experience with stories that have already proven their worth. The value is high enough to sustain an entire community that loves to share, enjoy, and write fanfictions.
The problem is that these works they are based on are legally protected productions. If they write stories featuring characters that belong to someone else, fanfiction writers are then lawfully entering risky territory. This is doubly true when they get their work published just for the readers' enjoyment.
So I will provide legal information to help fan fiction writers avoid problems when creating and processing their favourite original text.
There are three ways for fanfiction writers to remain free in the use of content protected by intellectual property rights for derivative works. First, there are the exceptions granted to parody, then those granted for "fair use" and finally those granted with the author's general permission.
1. Parody and satire
In this case, creators are free to use specific passages of work to make a parody, but the actual parody is a matter for judicial decision.
The validity of a parody depends on its "transformative" (and not derivative) character towards the reference document. When a parody changes the aspects of copyright used to make new work, it is highly likely that the parody is legally valid.
2. Fair use
The concept of fair use is a device made available to authors to allow the use of certain facets of works protected by copyright to strengthen creative capacity. It should be noted that, like parodies, it constitutes a form of legal defence.
The concept of fair use takes into account the following four conditions:
2. The nature of the copyrighted creation;
3. The quality and quantity of the portion used in relation to the total production protected;
4. The consequences of this use on the potential market or the quality of the protected creation.
In fact, some have even taken actions explicitly aimed at allowing the sale of their work.
3. Authorization from the author
Since fan fiction is often born from loyal fan bases, more and more writers are delighted with their existence. Some authors such as Neil Gaiman, DJ Machale, and Terry Pratchett have stated in public that they do not mind derivative works, but they have reservations.
Thus, only research will be able to inform you of how the author you have chosen approaches the question. If you are pursuing your fan fiction, it makes sense to be respectful of the author's wishes as they are stated - online collections have a general policy of removing all content that would be contentious to the author.
Where can I Publish Fan Fiction?
As we described in the previous paragraphs, publishing fanfiction for monetary gain is complicated. However, there are some easy ways to share it, freely and build an audience for yourself. If, once you build an audience you discover that people like your writing style (or rather they discover their love for your writing) you can then use that platform to grow your own fanbase and publish legitimate works this way.
I have listed the leading sites dedicated to fanfiction, on which you can publicize your fanfiction and also discover the most beautiful.
1. Archive Of Our Own (AO3)
2. Commaful
3. Fanfiction.net
4. Tumblr
5. Wattpad
6. Quotev
7. Kindle Worlds
8. Deviant Art
1. Archive Of Our Own (AO3)
In most cases, fiction archives avoid excessively sexual or violent subjects, but AO3 accepts just about anything. For the majority of fiction writers, AO3 has a very dynamic population.
Benefits:
- A huge, very active library.
- A very powerful navigation tool that allows you to quickly find stories.
- You can find everything there because the AO3 censors very little
- High-quality stories. I find that the majority of the articles here are qualitatively better than those of the majority of other sites.
Disadvantages:
- No messaging
- Can be complex to use
- You cannot register directly, but you will need to request an invitation
2. Commaful
Stories are quite distinct from most fanfiction and are easier to access than most sites. This site offers fanfiction with a different, original, and original flavour. It is also noteworthy for shorter pieces and unique shots.
Benefits:
- Superb model of reproduction that even unofficial readers love. Excellent and high-quality fanfiction
- Excellent tool for online dialogue and community
- A very supportive and very encouraging community
- It’s easier for a new author to gain followers and more tools to reach audiences.
The inconvenient:
- A smaller data library
- The realization may take a little time to become familiar with its innovative aspect
- Many fandoms are even less popular
3. Fanfiction.net
The community here is better than AO3. Navigation on the site is slightly easier than on the AO3 site.
Benefits
• A larger data library. Here we find more very active and popular fans.
• It has messages. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.
• Like most of the others, he has messages, nothing new.
The inconvenient:
• We can't say if this is a plus or an inconvenience, however, here there are no hardcore things
4. Tumblr
Tumblr is not only for fanfiction but also great for delivering fanfiction works. Also, it allows you to promote topics as you post them elsewhere on other sites
Benefits:
• It has several community functions.
• It has a broad reading audience
The inconvenient:
• It is not made for fanfiction
•Also, stories get lost as quickly as possible in streams. Because the oldest publications disappear.
5. Wattpad
Wattpad has a lot of fanfiction about teenage stars such as Justin Bieber, Harry Styles plus numerous fiction for young people and children's stories. I found the search function a bit complicated to operate. Taken as a whole, Wattpad has a vast international as well as a young audience, so for some fictions that focus on these age groups, Wattpad is the preferred place of publication.
Benefits:
- Many novels for teenagers and authors
- Mass communication system and community instruments
- A large content base (from main content to fiction)
The inconvenient:
- Difficulty to search
- Not much variety
- Lower writing quality
The publication of fanfictions can be done in different ways. You will find on the web public websites specially designed for fanfics. Also, you are also able to create a blog (for personal use) and publish your own fanfiction there.
You also have the opportunity to get it published and turn it into a real uncontrollable bestseller. This is what authors such as EL James and Anna Todd had undertaken anyway. Indeed, before becoming famous, El James was a well-known author of Twilight fanfictions and Ana Todd was a fan of Harry Styles. She wrote this huge fiction about Harry Styles x Reader (self-insertion at its best) which became a real hit on Wattpad.
It should be emphasized, however, that if you want to take advantage of the possibility of using the names of third-party characters
and sets, without permission or compensation, you are stealing someone's memory and you are legally and morally wrong.
Failing that, you're going to make a work that no other legal publisher could touch, or downright you have to at least do the bare minimum and change the names of the different characters and the settings - that's what hundreds of bestsellers do. When your story can't stand by itself if people don't think about the original version, it hurts the hard work and productivity of those who wrote it.
What Does Jk Rowling Think of Fanfiction?
Honestly, we cannot talk about Fanfiction and not talk about the most popular author of all time, J.K. Rowling. The Harry Potter series has been turned into countless pieces of fanfiction, with new stories being written every day. So, what does the woman who started it all think of fanfiction?
Surprisingly, she is generally very supportive of it. In an interview with CNN, she stated that she is “very flattered by the fact there is such great interest in her "Harry Potter" series and that people take the time to write their own stories.”
She has stated on numerous occasions that she is "flattered" by the attention her work receives from fanfic writers. She even went so far as to say that some fanfiction stories are "quite good." However, she has also stated that she draws the line at sexually explicit content, especially those who write about child-adult dealings or scenarios (absolutely, rightfully so!).
What Is the Longest Fanfiction Ever Written?
Technically, Super Smash Bros. Under Fire: The Great Adventure Saga. This is a work of fan fiction that chronicles the lives of the characters from the Super Smash Bros. video game franchise as they battle a fearsome new enemy. The story was published on June 14, 2018 and has over 7 million words.
However, it must be noted, that only around 40-thousand words are legible and the story does not flow nor is it written well. Not only that but over 100 chapters are just filled with empty words. It would appear that the author has done this deliberately for the works to appear as the longest Fanfiction ever written and nothing more.
