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Demon By Day - from Mojocastle Press
Heat Flash - a Podcast of Erotic Flash Fiction
Cream: The Best
of the Erotica Readers and Writers Association
Ripe Fruit: Erotica
for Well-Seasoned Lovers
Alienated - ERWA Treasure Chest
Garden of the
Perverse: Fairy Tales for Twisted Adults
Aphrodite
Overboard: The Erotic Memoirs of a Victorian Lady
Vertigo
Guide To Getting It
On!, 5th Edition
Playing For Keeps
Mur Lafferty, author
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Tuesday, August 21, 2007
My Trip To Hell
Just a quick update to let folks know what's going on. We've had a slight change of venue since my last post. On Sunday evening, Michael, Cassie, Sam and I arrived in Hell. Well, it may not be Hell for **them** but it's definitely Hell for ME. For the curious, Hell looks a lot like the Hilton Head Marriott Resort in South Carolina. To get here, we had to make a NINE-HOUR CAR TRIP, during which Sam decided to practice her scream-, er, singing skills. She sings very loudly, and several cars pulled off the road ahead of us, thus facilitating our entry in Hell that much more quickly (and yet the trip still seemed to last an eternity; what a paradox!).
We arrived late Sunday evening. I must admit, the scenery in Hell is lovely, but the conditions of my being here are sucky. I am not here because of any sin **I** committed. No, I'm here because I married a geek. Okay, maybe that is sin. Any way, Michael is attending a never-ending geek-fest on aeronautical modeling and simulation. Meanwhile, I am stuck in a hotel room with the kids. Since yesterday afternoon, Sam has running a fever of 103+. She was up all Sunday night and up all last night screaming. She's also been screaming a lot during the day. When Sam's not been screaming, she's been actively trying to dismantle the room (I believe she has a future as a rock star). Cassie has been well-behaved, but is chomping at the bit to go to the lower pits of Hell (i.e. the beach) so she can drown herself in the surf while Sam screams about the sand (to which she is apparently violently allergic).
Meanwhile, I want a shower (to wash away the sands of Hell which have become stuck in my nether-regions), but I can't seem to get one without some disaster occurring while I've got shampoo in my hair. I'd also kill for a decent cup of coffee, but we all know that there is no good coffee in Hell (that's why it's called HELL, right). There is this brown-colored urine the locals call coffee, but it is still actually urine.
While the coffee sucks big time, the food is slightly better. Not because we're eating at any of Hell's fancy restaurants, but because Michael has thoughtfully stocked our hotel room with goodies from the local Piggley Wiggley (yes, there are Piggley Wiggley's in Hell). So while Michael enjoy-, er, endures the string of luncheons and receptions hosted by his geek-fest, the kids and I are surviving on PBJs, bananas, and microwaveable soup (we brought our own microwave just for this purpose).
I had had hopes for wireless internet connection during our stay, but broadband in Hell costs $10 a day and we can only afford one day, so this is it. Not a huge loss though, as I've had dial-up that runs faster than Hell's broadband. In any event, you won't hear from me again until I manage to escape, a feat of daring which involves making another NINE-HOUR CAR DRIVE back through South Carolina, North Carolina, and part of Virginia. Hopefully this will happen on Monday. Oh, did I mention Sam hates car trips? Pray for me.
Of course, my current trials are nothing. Michael's geek-fest is an annual thing, and next year it's being held in a different part of Hell known as Hawaii. Getting there involves a NINE-HOUR trip on a plane. Michael says we're going. I say only he's going... In a shoe box.
Signing off now. See you in a week.
Maybe.
If I ever get out of Hell.Labels: Hell Is..., Vacation |
Friday, August 17, 2007
When Zealots Attack
It was bound to happen at some point. Earlier last weekend, someone from the zealot community attacked me.
Perhaps I should explain. I'm heading up the Virginia chapter of EPIC (Electronically Published Internet Connection). As part of that job, I've been looking for promotion opportunities for our members, and for EPIC itself. I got wind of a science fiction convention coming up in the local area and decided to see if I could get a table for the group. Before I had even filled out the online form to get the table, someone got wind that EPIC was interested in attending the convention, and that individual went on the warpath.
I found out that said someone posted a message on the convention's online forum that stated EPIC was an erotica writers group that purveyed filth and garbage, and therefore we should not be allowed at a family-oriented convention. This person also went on to state that if EPIC was allowed to attend, he/she was going to boycott the convention and attempt to persuade others to do so as well.
I decided to respond, posting on the forum that the "E" in EPIC stood for "Electronic," and that while we had members who wrote and/or published erotica, EPIC also represented publishers and writers in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, inspirational, children's fiction, non-fiction, and every other possible genre out there.
My response was met with a heated attack on me personally (of the "You're going to hell!" variety)and on EPIC too. EPIC president Brenna Lyons weighed in with a post similar to mine, stating that perhaps a look at the EPIC website would reveal that EPIC was indeed not a "porno" site as my attacker claimed, but a site which contained information on electronic publishing and marketing e-books.
The convention realized what was going on in their forum and deleted all the posts in that thread. They also apologized to me for letting the original post stay up there so long (it was up for maybe 48 hours; in my opinion, not really long at all considering it was the weekend). I've since discussed EPIC's presence at the convention and have made arrangements to have an info table all that weekend, and possibly a panel on e-publishing as well. Yea EPIC!
The event was hardly a disaster, really more of a minor dustup, but it illustrated to me that even in this day and age people will go nuts over erotic material. They must attack erotic art, writing, and films, and those who create such works. All in God's name, of course, because you know God hates sex which is why the human body is designed to have sex.
How best to respond when such attacks occur? Calmly. It does no one any good to get pissed because some knucklehead who hates sex gets all up in arms because I wrote a dirty story. By staying calm, I showed the convention that I was not interested in turning their event into my own personal battleground. Instead, I told them to let me know what materials they'd like me to bring, and I'd bring it. Since the con really is a family-oriented affair, they asked for nothing over the PG-13 limit, and so that is all I'm bringing. I've sent out a notice to all EPIC members who write for the PG-13 and below crowd to send me their stuff and I'll happily hand it out at the con. I won't be able to promote my own work, of course, but I still think I should be there, because EPIC really is about more than erotica writers. It's about supporting e-publishing and indie publishing as a whole, and if I support EPIC, I know they'll support me. I've got the evidence of that already, right here.Labels: How To Promote, Zealots |
Friday, August 10, 2007
In The News: Second Life? I'm Too Busy With The First One!
I saw this headline this evening and almost can't believe what I read:
Virtual sex machine spawns lawsuit
Now let me make sure I've got this straight. There is a program out there called Second Life, sort of an online game, only with no real goal. You pay to play it. You have to buy virtual money to buy virtual stuff to go with your virtual character so you can have virtual fun. And have virtual sex. None of this is actually real. You buy a virtual condo, but you can't actually live in it. You buy a virtual car, but you can't actually drive it. You buy a virtual dick, but you can't actually jack off with it...
Does anybody else see how ridiculous this sounds? And yet the people who invented this are making money hand over fist with it!
My god, what ever happened to actually having a real life? I mean, I know it's hard to get out and meet people and make friends. I'm a stay-at-home-mom, so you know I know. But even I don't have the time to deal with all this virtual crap! I'm too busy chasing after the real kids, cleaning the real house, and keeping up with my real husband. And I'm doing all of this from 5 AM until 11 PM every single day.
What is it with these people living this virtual life? Do they really have that much time and money to waste? Or is it simply that their real lives aren't good enough for them? Please, someone explain it to me.
To be honest, I suppose I should confess that I have bought a 3D penis, but that was because the penis that comes with the Poser male characters does fall a little short in the poseability category.
Yeah, I bought a digital dick for artistic purposes. Sue me.
Update (11 Aug 2007): I suppose I should briefly mention that this lawsuit is about someone who developed code for Second Life that allows the players' avatars to have virtual sex. I can kind of see the point. It's porn-on-demand, with the user directing the show, but honestly, if this is the only kind of sex a person can get, and it's the only kind of life said person's got, that's really sad. Anyway, the inventor of this code has been selling it for a profit, but now someone has cracked his copy protection on the code and is selling it illegally, thus stealing profits from the original creator. In the end it all boils down to a violation of intellectual property rights, but it still boggles my mind that people have these second, virtual, useless lives.Labels: In The News, Sex and Technology |
Notes From Shore Leave 29: Part III - Are The Powers That Be Co-opting Fan Fic? And What Can Erotica Writers Learn From Slash?
This is the last post on my adventures at Shore Leave. The con was over a month ago, and I know I'm slow getting these posts up, but that's mainly because they've taken so long to write. Anyway, here we go...
The most interesting panel I attended at Shore Leave 29 was the panel on slash fan fiction, subtitled "Are The Powers That Be (PTB) Co-opting Fan Fic?" The panel was held in a small room with the door closed, making it very warm for the 30 women and one guy present, but nobody was interested in leaving. In fact, this was the most interested group of panel attendees I'd ever seen. Everywhere I looked, I saw t-shirts with pictures of Kirk and Spock, as well as several K/S pendants. The discussion was moderated by two women who were selling the slash fiction in the dealers' room at the con. The main points of their discussion focused on how certain entities, like Yahoo, where trying to find a way to make a profit off of fan fiction. Apparently Yahoo's brain child is a little website called FanLib, an online library of fan fiction. Okay, so it's not so little. It actually looks huge to me. FanLib bills itself as a place for fan fic writers to meet other writers, make friends, and showcase their work. The people at the slash fic panel, however, stated that what FanLib is really looking for is ways to use fan fiction for their own ends. Basically, FanLib has set up a website, solicited fan fic writers to post their stuff without offering any sort of reimbursement, and then has turned around to advertisers and said, "See? We have all these people on the site that you can advertise to!" FanLib gets paid by the advertisers. The advertisers get an audience of potential buyers. The fan fic writers get a place to post their stuff. All well and good, right?
Except that the fan fic writers already have plenty of places to post their stuff.
Hmmm. Most fan fic writers aren't going to make money off of their work anyway, and those that do aren't going to make enough to pay the bills. So why worry about FanLib's plan to use of their work to generate ad revenue that they don't intend to share with the writers? The fan fic writers retain whatever rights they can legally claim on their stories. However, according to the members of the panel, FanLib has boasted to its advertisers and investors that by setting up this site, they've got a way to get fan fic writers to "color within the lines." And that had everyone in the panel at Shore Leave spitting mad.
If fan fic writers were the kind of people who colored within the lines in the first place, they would not be writing fan fic. It's that simple. And the people in the panel definitely did not seem to like the idea that someone wanted to use them to make a profit. Fan fic writers want to do what fan fic writers want to do, and slash writers are probably the most rebellious of the bunch, reshaping a story to suit their wants and needs, not the needs of some corporate fat cat who thinks, "Hey, these guys are writing all this stuff for free anyway, so why can't **I** make a profit off of it?" (Apparently said fat cat never saw the dealers' room at Shore Leave.)
To further inflame the sensibilities of the slash fic writers, FanLib also doesn't take any responsibility if a writer gets sued for what they posted. It seems they want all of the benefits of fan fic, but with none of the risks. Granted, they're not the first business to use such practices. Blogger is the same way, as are plenty of other sites. They provide the forum for your content, hook it up with advertisers, and then deny culpability should things turn sour. It's a business model we've all seen many times before. So often in fact that I think it's standard practice.
Of course, having taken a quick look at FanLib, I don't think the K/S folks are going to hang out there anyway. It's mostly dominated by Harry Potter (a fact they complained about at the panel), there's very little Star Trek there, and the rating scheme is limited to only two choices - "All ages" and "13+." And I've read the "13+" stuff. So far, haven't found anything even remotely scandalous. So there's nothing really there to tempt the prurient minded fan.
The K/S people at the panel basically agreed they had better things to do and better places to go for their fic, so the panel then moved on to other issues, like who's writing slash. Women, they state, which makes me think that slash, yaoi, and m/m erotica really have a lot in common. I remember attending a GLTB panel at the last EPICon where the panelists included six women, gay and straight, and one gay man who was very surprised to see how many women (gay and straight) were into writing m/m erotica. He was the only one surprised, of course.
Towards the end of the slash panel, I asked a few questions, stating up front that I was not a slash writer or reader, but that I wrote erotic fiction and I wanted to know more about what people enjoyed about fan fiction and slash. Specifically, if it was erotic content these people wanted, did they have to get it from fan fic, or would original fiction with original characters be just as enjoyable for them? Hands down, everyone in the room declared, "Fan fic!" Why, I asked. Because...
First, they like having intimate knowledge of a story's characters and the universe those characters live in. It provides a detailed background, so the readers can drop into a fan fic or slash story and already know what's going on. Plus, if they've seen the movie or TV show, or read the book, they've got that knowledge and they already know what they're going to like. No wasting time having to learn a new character or new universe from the ground up. With fan fic, they can just jump in and add their own unique twist to something they already like.
Second, fan fic people want DON'T want to see the books/movies/TV shows they love come to an end. The people at the panel stated that they become very emotionally invested in what they read and watch, and they hate to see a good thing end. That's something I think everyone can understand. Honestly, did you ever like seeing your favorite show wrap up after so many seasons? Personally, it killed me to see "Farscape" cancelled. Fan fic is a way to keep those shows alive. It lets the writers and readers continue to have a relationship with something they love. As one panelist put it, fan fic (and slash) fulfills a need for the fan.
This leads me to a third note. Fan fic people want to see the characters they love so much go through all the ups and downs of life, especially the things that don't get covered in the book/movie/show. Or as it's more often stated, they want to see the 'hurt/comfort' of a character. Hurt/comfort refers to a character suffering, either mentally or physically, and then being nursed, comforted and/or coddled back to a state of happiness and well-being. Why this particular theme is so popular I'm not sure, but I certainly intend to look into it.
After discussing all this, one of the panelists pointed out that if I were to write a series that gave them all that they looked for in the shows and books they write about, they might be interested in reading it. In other words, if I wrote a series that included: a detailed background and setting; fully fleshed out characters; a plot that put those characters through the wringer, but allowed them the opportunity for comfort and reward; then I might have something they'd want to read. And maybe write about too. All of which makes sense. Think about it. Before you had K/S fan fic, you had Star Trek. Before you had Snupin (Snape/Lupin) fan fic, you had Harry Potter. All fan fic is derived from an original source. I'm thinking that if you understand why the original source appeals to the fan fic reader and writer, what it is that inspires them to write about it or draw about it, then you're well on your way to being able to write fiction that sells.
Anyway, that's my two cents on fan fiction and slash.Labels: Conventions And Appearances, Fandom |
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Lessons Learned From The 2nd Annual Hanover Book Festival
I had a rare opportunity today to go do something writerly without the husband and kids in tow. This was a great relief to my husband, I'm sure, because so far my expeditions to various conventions have offered very little in the way of child-friendly activities, thus leaving Michael to figure out how to entertain the kids while I schmooze and mingle and network.
Anyway, I took off this morning for the 2nd Annual Hanover Book Festival in Richmond, VA. It was about an hour's drive from where I live. I recently started up a Yahoo Group for Virginia members of EPIC (Electronic Publishing Industry Connection), and we had two of our group members at the festival selling their books and signing. I went with a bag full of flyers, bookmarks, and business cards, and of course, my handy little journal. After meeting with Pamela Kinney and Erin Gordon (our two writers), I worked my way through the book festival, meeting as many authors and publishers as I could. The idea was for me to: a) see how other people promoted themselves; b) determine if I might want to participate in the book festival myself next year; and c) make contact with other writers and editors, in hopes of finding some new opportunities for publishing and marketing my own stuff. Here's what I learned as a result of my expedition.
Bring plenty of business cards and promo materials!
Yes, you want to bring books so you can sell them at the event in question, but promo materials are just as important. Bring bookmarks, business cards, index card, postcards, pens, anything you've got that you can put your name and contact info on. I met a couple of writers that I had a really nice time talking too, but I will probably never remember their names because they didn't have any business cards or other promo items with their name on it. That's a shame too, because I can't always afford to buy a book right then and there, but I will pick up a card or bookmark from an author I liked to remind myself later on when I can afford to shop for books. Also, I hold on to promo stuff to pass on to others. I must have picked up a dozen bookmarks to pass on to my dad. He reads voraciously, and will probably buy most of the books I recommend to him. So those people who had their promo stuff set out have a good chance of making a sale off of me, but those writers who had no cards or bookmarks will most likely be forgotten.
But don't go overboard with the promo material...
Honestly, I was only interested in picking up business cards, bookmarks, postcards, flyers, anything paper and flat that I could easily store in my messenger bag as I walked through the festival. I don't really need lotion, wipes, lip balm, matches, or scented candles. I do like magnets, though, and pens. Definitely pens. The other stuff is too bulky for my bag, or in the case of the lotion and lip balm, might cause me to break out (I have sensitive skin). Still, others swear by these things, so conduct a little research for your self. I just know what's easiest for me to carry, and what's less expensive to produce.
Be prepared to talk about your books!
The first thing I said to every author and publisher I met was, "Tell me about your books." Many people could talk about their books, but only a few had really managed to perfect their pitch. I give kudos to Austin S. Camacho, the mystery writer who was able to give me a quick 30 second description of each of his books. He was prepared to discuss his work in detail as well, but it was those 30 second pitches that hooked me. I knew right away that I was interested in his books, and I made sure to pick up his brochure and business card so I could add him to my "Would Love To Read" list. He had a very simple but effective technique for getting my attention too. Before I could even ask about his books, he smiled at me and said, "Do you like mysteries? Let me tell you about mine..." And bang, bang, bang, bang, he pitched four books to me in under a minute. I loved it.
But don't babble on...
Unfortunately, I also ran into many writers (and some publishers!) who couldn't sum up their books in less than five minutes. Five minutes is a long time, people. I want to know up front what the book is about, so I can determine if I want to read it, which means you've got about a minute to convince me to buy. If you offer me a long, rambling, pointless pitch about your home town, your college education, your day job, and how none of that relates to your book, I'm going to assume your book is long, rambling, and pointless as well. And yet so many writers gave me their entire life history. One writer, when I asked him about his books, proceeded to tell me how much they cost (even though they were clearly labeled), but then forgot to tell me about the actual topic of the books themselves. Really, I'm looking for a quick synopsis of the story, not a life story and not a price catalogue. So please, perfect that pitch. Come up with something snappy, polished, and attention grabbing that you can convey to people quickly.
Don't complain about your publisher, cover art, the book fair, etc.
In case I haven't mentioned it already, I want to hear about the book. I want to know if it's something I might want to read. I don't want to hear about how your publisher nearly killed your career by burying the book in the slush pile, or how you had a long, heated battle over the cover art, or how you hate the way the book festival is set up. Negative talk, complaining, and gossip do not present a professional image, and are a real turn off to boot. I will not buy your book if you turn me off.
Dress for success!
The writers and publishers at the Hanover Book Festival were dressed in a variety of fashions, everything from very casual (shorts and t-shirts) to very professional (business dresses and 3-piece suits). I have to admit, I was most impressed by Mr. Camacho, the mystery writer, who wore a 3-piece suit. Yep, this was the same guy who had his book blurbs down to 30 seconds, and had business cards and a nice brochure to hand out too. He was polished and prepared all the way. Those individuals who were more casually dressed didn't look bad. They just didn't stand out as well as those who were better dressed. Admittedly, this was an August day in Virginia, and the temperatures outside were soaring, but it was an indoor event. People might not have arrived in their best outfits, but there were bathrooms on hand where one could easily change. By the way, the EPIC Virginia writers who were there, Pamela Kinney and Erin Gordon, both looked very well dressed.
Be prepared to meet and greet in adverse circumstances
The Hanover Book Festival was a nice event, but the organizers made a big mistake. They decided to hold readings... in the same room where people where selling their books. This wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that whoever set up the sound system decided to turn the knob up all the way to 11 (that's one past 10, for all you non-Spinal Tap folks), thus making it impossible to speak over the readers. Hell, I couldn't even shout over the readers at some points. And the people who were seated closest to the speakers really got screwed. It's almost impossible to pitch your books if you can't speak. Almost, but not entirely. One writer, Ann Davis, managed to work around the problem by smiling broadly and handing out her promo materials in a neat little package the moment people walked up to her table. She didn't have to say much (just as well as she was one of those poor souls close to the speakers) but she was a) dressed professionally, b) smiling despite the adverse circumstances, and c) had her promo material ready to go the moment I arrived. I did manage to talk to her during a rare quiet moment in the room, and she was as prepared with her quick blurb and the mystery writer was. I ended up buying her book, Time Will Tell, for my dad, although I may end up reading it myself before I give it to him.
Things **I** should have done to prepare for the book festival
Even though I wasn't there selling books, I could have done a little more preparation myself. I brought my ERWA business cards and my postcards for my erotica website, but forgot to bring any business cards for my graphics business, Pixel Arcana. Quite frankly, I hadn't expected to talk about computer graphics at a book fair. As it turned out, I had not one but two people ask me if I would be interested in doing book illustration. I said yes and was at least able to talk about the programs I worked with, but since neither of these folks was in the erotica genre (both were kids writers), I didn't have a card I felt comfortable handing them. So, next time, I need to make sure I've got business cards for everything that I do, not just the writing.
What I need to do next
I need to e-mail the people I talked with at the book festival. I had a couple of people mention that they'd like to see my work, and that is like money in the bank to me. Even if I don't have a story right now that fits their needs, I at least have the chance to introduce myself to them and show them what I write. An invitation to submit to an editor or publisher is not something to be ignored. I also want to e-mail all the different writers I talked to who had a bit of advice for me or who told me to contact them for some info I know I will find useful. Contacts like this could pay off big time later on down the line. And of course, I need to follow up on the two writers who asked about my illustration and computer graphics work. I plan to send out two e-mails a day starting Monday until I've worked through the entire pile of cards I collected at the book fair.
And that, ladies and gentle bugs, was my report on the 2nd Annual Hanover Book Festival. The End.Labels: Conventions And Appearances, How To Promote |
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Notes From Shore Leave 29: Part II - Does Slash Sell?
Someone (Emily) noted that I'm not posting often enough. I'm not, but then the past month sort of royally sucked on the personal end, as I noted a couple of posts back. However, I need to get back on the ball, so here's the latest post.
Recently, I talked about Shore Leave 29 and the panels I attended on e-books. To sum up, neither panel covered what I was expecting, but I did glean a few interesting tidbits on the subject. But now let's talk about something I saw at Shore Leave that I found very interesting... slash fan fiction.
If you have any interest in science fiction, chances are pretty good you know what slash is. For those of you who don't know, fan fiction is a genre of writing where fans create stories based on their favorite books, movies, or television series, using the original characters from those venues but putting them into all new stories. It should be noted that these stories are not licensed by the original creators of the material in question and may even be disproved of (some fan fic writers have been known to receive 'cease and desist' letters for their forays into someone else's playground). The "slash" in "slash fic" refers to the punctuation mark put between the names of two or more characters in a fan fic story who are, for the purposes of that story, involved in a romantic and/or erotic relationship. For example - Scully/Mulder. Princess Leia/Han Solo. Buffy/Spike. Or Buffy/Willow. Frodo/Samwise. Professor Lupin/Professor Snape. And so on. Male/male slash is very popular, and right now Harry Potter slash is incredibly popular (don't even ask about age limits on fictional characters, because I am not going there), but the erotic pairing that I believe started it all is...
Kirk/Spock.
Or K/S as it is known by the voracious, sometimes rabid, fan base of these stories. And no, I'm not kidding. Slash has been around a long time, and there are probably thousands of stories written about Captain Kirk and his Vulcan First Officer Spock.
Technically speaking, fan fiction is not usually written for profit. You can find it for free on the web, either in Usenet groups or blogs or personal websites and libraries people put up. Simply go to Google, type in the character pairing of your choice and add the word 'slash' and you will find a veritable treasure trove of interesting stories, some rated G, some rated PG, and some even rated NC-17 (why Professor Snape, what are you doing with that wand?). Like I said, interesting stuff, and usually it's free.
However, I saw at Shore Leave that you can buy slash fiction in printed format. The printed stuff is usually spiral bound or comes in a professional looking folder, and has some interesting cover art. Some enterprising writers have even put together anthologies on certain character pairings and offered them up for sale. I didn't check what the prices were on anything I saw at the con. I was too busy gawking at the covers (like a rube - yeesh). Some of them showed rather **suggestive** poses of the characters (is that a phazer beneath your kilt, Mr. Scott, or are you getting ready to "beam me up?"). A few covers were very explicit and kept neatly tucked behind some other slash fiction so that only a tantalizing but very noticeable glimpse of the artwork showed. I swear they had just about every slash combo you could think of, from Star Trek to Stargate SG-1 to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harry Potter. In fact, I think I saw some Harry Potter/Stargate cross-over stuff. There was also 'The Sentinel' and 'Due South,' two shows that are apparently amazingly popular with slash fic writers.
And there were several tables of this stuff lined up in the main dealers' room of the convention. I kid you not. There were so many tables that I now wonder how much money was being made off of the stuff. Was it enough to make a profit, or just cover the expenses of printing and binding the books?
It's an important question to ask because it's a matter of copyright infringement to make money using someone else's copyrighted material. The theory is that if you're not making a profit off of it, most copyright holders will look the other way when you play with their stuff. But go too far and you could wind up in hot water. Just recently I found out that someone wrote a Star Wars fan fic novel that ended up on Amazon.com. The novel was published via print on demand, and while the author claims it was not intended for mass distribution, just for family and friends, the publisher listed it on Amazon, where it apparently sold enough copies to cause Lucasfilms to ask that the book be removed.
So why write fan fic, especially slash, if you're not supposed to make any money off of it? I mean really, what is the appeal? Well for starters, a lot of people write fan fic to express their enjoyment of particular books, movies, or TV series. It's like any other form of fandom. It's a means for fans to participate in something they love. It's also a way to keep a particular show, book or movie alive long after it has run its course. Say your favorite television show was recently cancelled, and now you're just dying because you were so addicted to it but you can't get your fix anymore because there are no more new episodes. Never fear. A TV show can live on indefinitely through a thriving fan fic community. And when the stories are good, it certainly beats syndicated reruns.
Another reason people write fan fic is because they're longing to see their favorite characters in situations the original writers never wrote about. I think this is especially true when it comes to the slash. What really did happen between Mulder and Scully? Did Xena ever spank Gabrielle? And what really went on between Sam and Frodo up in Minas Morgul? Let your imagination go wild. If you're a pervert, it can be especially fun.
In the end there are probably millions of reasons why people write and read fan fic. But it's getting late and I need to wrap this up, so I'm going to stop here. Next post I'll be talking about how the Powers That Be (PTB - otherwise known as mainstream media) are attempting to co-opt fan fiction for their own purposes, and what erotica writers can learn from slash fic.Labels: Conventions And Appearances, Fandom |
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