Feeling Ranty

[lotesse]

I am so frelling pissed off about the FanLib thing that I can’t even see straight.

This is why I don’t think that fic should ever be mentioned to TPTB, why the How Fanfiction Makes Us Poor discussions made me deeply anxious. It’s not that I think we need to hide away because we’re perverts; it’s that I don’t trust them not to screw us over.

I still can’t quite believe that fandom’s made it this far without succumbing to some sort of capitalist trap. I mean, nothing lasts, right? And we’ve had how many decades? And we’ve gone from vines to mailing lists to eljay, and things have changed, but the essential joy at the heart of this thing that we do has pretty my stayed the same.

The two things that I value most about fandom are the anonymity and the lack of pricetags. And without those two things, I suspect that fan culture as we know it would cease to exist. Fandom right now is textual and communicatory free space. You can say absolutely anything. There’s no shame.

The anonymity provides that lack of shame, but the non-commercial nature of fandom is what allows its expression. In a world where fanwriters compete for money, I don’t know that we’re going to see the same willingness to take a risk, go someplace new. I mean, yeah we all like to be popular, but it’s not like there’s money attached. Would slash culture have ever happened if we had to consider the financial bottom line?

Maybe I’m blowing this out of proportion, I don’t know. I just know that I came into fandom as a thirteen-year-old kid with no sense but a whole lot of love and need, and it’s been the best thing in my life. I came in through fanfiction.net, and I was raw, and if someone had tried to scam me like those damned fuckards at FanLib I might have gotten suckered in to it. I mean, personally speaking, I’m terribly grateful that fandom doesn’t have to involve money, or I might have been way more badly burned by the collapse of Bit of Earth than I was.

The older I get, the more intensely I value fan culture. I’m in academia now, and if I could find half the creativity and passion and risk-taking in the classroom or in journals that I do here, I’d think it was a miracle. No one controls us, because no one is holding money over our heads. We have complete creative ownership of our space, but only as long as money is not exchanged for or involved in fanworks. And that’s not even close to what the FanLib people want—they’re not ficcers asking for remuneration, they’re venture capitalists trying to profit off of our love and passion while giving us nothing in return, but a sop of notoriety.

We don’t need no stinking validation. We’re better on our own, outside of systems that will put a price to love.

I want to link to angiepen’s analysis of the FanLib TOS, because she’s got the skills to take this apart in ways that I can’t. Also, we should organize. I have no idea what to do, but we should organize. Who knows how to do this stuff?

Comments

[anima-mecanique.livejournal.com]

...wait. This sounds like something I might want to have an informed opinion on. What the hell is this FanLib thing, and what does it have to do with 'competing for money'? I don't see anything about money or fees on a cursory overview of the site, but I might be missing something.

I value fan culture quite a bit as well, though you're a lot better at articulating the sorts of feelings I have about fandom, so I kind of want to know what's going on. :/

[lotesse]

Check out angiepen's work, and the last couple issues of metafandom, for more info. I am possibly having an emotional rather than a rational reaction, but there are some genuine problems here. And I'm going to err on the side of safety.

Stuff that's problematic: they can edit your stuff, but they don't take responsibility for content, they place limits on ways you can sue them, they get all the reproduction rights to you work (no royalties even for a printing or anthology). They're selling adspace, they're not a non-profit, and some people saw indications in the TOS that fees for inclusion were impending. Basically, they give us nothing, and we give them too much.

fanlib

[mimbo.livejournal.com]

hey everyone,
I'm Chris one of the founders of FanLib> it's really late and i have been working on the site all day. I'm exhausted but i just realized what was going on here and all of the commentsts are making me sick. we're a small company with 10 emplyees who work 16 hours a day to try and make a great website. we're real people! with feelings and everything! we have been working on this and dreaming about it for a long time and you are just here to shit on it without giving us a chance. i care deeply about what you think but this is crazy. we're good people here and you make us sound like we're an evil corporation or the govt. sending your kids to war or something. we really are all about celebrating fan fiction and fan fiction readers and writers. im sorry this is so short and please excuse the fact that i am cutting and pasting this across a bunch of ljs but i gotta get some sleep.
chris

Re: fanlib

[lotesse]

I appreciate what you're doing, but the almost total absence of women or fen from your project does make you guys the outsiders coming in to mess with our space.

Read our concerns. Get over the emotional response, and read what we have to say. If you fix it, we'll stop calling you the bad guys. This stuff is important; I don't see what appeals to emotion have to do with anything. I ain't said nothin about your employees, man.

Re: fanlib

[dinpik.livejournal.com]

Sir:

Despite your claims to the contrary, your response proves your are not a professional.

Re: fanlib

[lotesse]

Whingy, isn't he?

Re: fanlib

[dinpik.livejournal.com]

Very.

I wouldn't buy that sob story he posted from Brandy McFan, why the hell would I buy it from a purported professional?

Re: fanlib

[havocthecat]

Perhaps you should reconsider posting when you're exhausted, because the tone of your comment is rather rude. I know that I, for one, would be more inclined to give credence to your words if they were expressed more politely.

[theprimrosepath.livejournal.com]

This is horrendous. I went to explore the site myself and it didn't take two seconds for me to be put off - "The greatest fanfiction in the world, by popular demand." Greatest by what standard? The popular demand of whom?! Certainly not the bulk of fandom, judging by the negative backlash.

And the contests! Things like the "Fan Finale of Ghost Whisperper" challenge that is apparently a collaboration with CBS - they're all so very commercialized. And what happens if something goes wrong with one of those very public, very media-oriented contests and suddenly there's a legal fox hunt for the involved copyright infringers? According to the TOS, FanLib will hang the authors out to dry and save itself.

The FAQ forum is also a little chilling.

We are backed by major investors and we make money mainly by selling advertising, but also by helping other companies like HarperCollins and MSN produce their own "storytelling" events.

In 2007, the powers that be who once battled fanfic authors are ready to take a new approach. We are working closely with media companies and publishers so that this site can help lead the way.

All smacks of a very "we can't beat them, so we'll insiduously take over" mentality, yes?

[lotesse]

Yes. And I don't think we can exist in that kind of commercialized space. which, oh HELL no. Cold dead fingers, people.

[havocthecat]

All smacks of a very "we can't beat them, so we'll insiduously take over" mentality, yes?

*twitch* Yes. Oh, yes. Which is why I'm quite glad people are spreading the warnings about this place around. Frankly, a large portion of the fic I write? There's no commercial market for it, and the fanfic is gladly shared with the world for free in hopes of feedback.

Fandom is my space, and where I can be myself without having to present a "safe" corporate persona. I do that at work because they pay me to be normal.

[redbrickrose.livejournal.com]

Here from the link at femslash_today I think this really gets to the heart of the issue. We have creative freedom because money is not exchanged and because we can take chances and push the envelope. That changes when money gets involved, and I shudder at the word "mainstream" because mainstream doesn't get us - that's kind of the point.

So well said. Thank you.

[lotesse]

Yeah, and the thing is, I don't think I want them to get us. because in order for that to happen we'd have to be much less complex and twisty and fabulous.

I'm glad this is getting around--knowledge is power.

[rez-lo.livejournal.com]

Bookmarked. A very beautifully written piece. Thanks for this.

(via life_wo_fanlib)