I stumbled upon this site a couple years ago when I was looking for signs of hope that fanfiction might be legalized within my lifetime. At first, I was just reading articles that gave me new reasons to reaffirm my dislike for copyright. Copyright helps creativity? What a cruel joke. Many, many great fan projects have been shut down by copyright holders who wield a law-granted ability to censor and destroy art. Not to mention that I'm not allowed to sell any of my fan creations or even solicit donations for my work. I'm a self employed writer with two published books, and I know darn well that I could make money off my fanfic too if it weren't for the laws pushed through by Big Copyright. Copyright helps authors make money? Hahaha! Not fan authors!
At first, I was just reading BestNetTech articles about copyright, my area of interest. It gave me visceral satisfaction to see my opinions of copyright's shortcomings confirmed by a knowledgeable third party. I was also interested in learning about the new business models people are exploring to replace copyright, especially in the area of writing. On that note, BestNetTech has encouraged me to use open licenses and try business models other than "pay to read." Last month I switched one of my books to a "pay what you want" donation model and sales underwent a modest increase of ~10 - 15%, not to mention that a TON more people downloaded my book than usual.
At first, I ignored the rest of your articles about patents and police corruption and Tor, etc. But then I gradually began to get curious about the other stuff that pops up on your homepage and started perusing topics I wasn't originally interested in. Talk about an eye opener... Now I not only explain why copyright is bad, but why patents are unnecessary and we should be worried about the NSA. I also learned how to use Tor to post fanfic which satirically criticizes the franchise owner's inability to adapt to the changing world of copyright and 3D printing. And thanks to you, I also know that now I'm on the NSA's special watch list for Tor users. I think some of my friends are beginning to believe I'm a bit paranoid. But what do they know? :p
I tend to share what I read on BestNetTech with my writer e-mail buddies, my fellow fans, my family, and my writing group. For example, I recently sent over your article on the Sherlock Holmes public domain debacle to a friend who is writing a novel about Holmes. I am able to tell people at my writing group why copyright is failing and what they can do to harness fanpower by use of open licenses. I tell them that if they're not taking advantage of their fanbase's creativity, then they're throwing away money.
I'd love to see BestNetTech do more coverage of abuses in the area of fanfic, fan art, etc. You guys already name and shame companies who sue their Yelp critics. You should also name and shame copyright holders who crush fan creativity. Take for instance the delightful flash cartoon crossover between Thomas the Tank Engine and Transformers. It got 24,000,000 hits on YouTube, and the children I showed it to loved it. Then it was shut down by the people who "own" Thomas the Tank Engine. Someone needs to point a finger at this and say, "This is wrong. And it's also stupid. And bad business."
About the only site that covers corporate abuse of fans consistently is The Mary Sue site, and they don't have a copyright/new business model emphasis that you guys do. I've generally found that fans are aware of copyright and concerned about its impact on their work, but no one--NO ONE--has seriously tried to show them how to act on their concerns. Not to mention that the larger writing community needs to be educated on why letting fans make money from your work is a good thing. I wish you guys would run articles on stuff like how much money Stephanie Meyers lost by forcing E.L. James to barcode strip Fifty Shades of Grey. Imagine if Fifty Shades of Grey had kept Bella as the main character, and all that money had stayed inside the Twilight franchise? Instead Meyers lost it all, thanks to too much copyright control.
Maybe you could hire a writer to work on fan issues? Even just one weekly column would do wonders for the lack of attention and education in this area.
My wishlist:
1. Highlight abuses of creative fans by copyright holders in the same way you highlight abuses in the areas of trademark, censorship, and online criticism.
2. Run articles describing how authors and artists can find new ways to make money by letting fans add onto their work. There is no way a marketing team, no matter how skilled, can satisfy the individual desires of 20 million fans spread across the world. But the fan community sure can exploit all those niches! Also describe ways in which authors and artists have LOST money through barcode stripping, which effectively sends highly profitable fan creations out of franchise (City of Bones, Fifty Shades of Grey).
3. Highlight how companies abuse their fans by allowing fan creativity, but only if the fan sells their SOUL to the company and gives up all rights to their fan work in perpetuity. (Amazon's Kindle Worlds, for example.) Highlight how GOOD companies and individuals allow their fans freedom to create and publish work where, when, and how they choose.
Keep up the great work, guys! This is one special site. :)
I'd love to monetize my fanfics, but the deal Amazon is offering is nothing short of predacious.
I do 100% of the work, and reap only 20 - 35% of the profits? That's insanity. Do Amazon and the franchise owners really deserve 65 - 80% of my profits just for sitting back in their comfortable chairs puffing cigars made out of hundred dollar bills?
The Constitution is supposed to promote the creation of art. So that's why they had to some forms of art illegal, to promote art. Yeaaaaah.
Nice try, Amazon--you're not getting a cent of my money. I'll wait till the Pirate Party gets copyright terms down to 5 years, then sell my own work for 100% of the profits. C ya!
Since the publishing industry lost control of literature, there's been great progress out there. The "genre mold" is no longer enforced so you can have a sci fi/romance novel instead of just one or the other. And now the idea of "mandatory length" is crumbling. Goodbye silly stipulations for padding and cutting--now the story size is the means, not the ends. It's truly a great time to be a writer.
I would object, however, to the idea that Amazon gives authors a "friendly split." No way! They take 30% (one third!) of your profits. And, if you try to sell your book anywhere but on their website, you're required by contract to price it 20% lower. I'll sell my books off my own website and take 100% of the profits, thank you very much.
As an author, I just want to state for the record that a.) I'm not worried about piracy, and b.) Copyright should last no more than 5 years, max! I could quadruple my income within a *month* if we cut down copyright length. How? By "remixing" 20 year old books that nobody reads in order to make them relevant to a more targeted modern audience. By taking one relevant chapter out of twenty old books and packaging them together to create a new twenty-chapter long book focused specifically on a single subject of interest, I could reach an entirely new audience with that old content, reignite interest in the twenty old books I "sampled," and offer service to an under-appreciated niche market where I have already seen quite a bit of interest in my offerings.
I could of course "rewrite" those twenty chapters into my own words, being careful to avoid plagiarism (which is what I did for my last book). But why reinvent the wheel over and over? It's slow--takes years--tedious and inefficient. Furthermore, since I'm not an expert in the content matter of each of the twenty books, the summary I provided would necessarily be of poorer quality. We already have "Open Source Books" like Wikibooks, but until we can do the type of direct incorporation I have described, we won't be going anywhere fast with them.
I could also go into transformative works. As a longtime writer, artist, cartoonist and hobbyist animator I know I could add new sequels (comics, stories, even animated cartoons) to 20 year old franchises and make a mint off them. Take for example the You Tube hit "Trains-formers," a crossover between Transformers and Thomas the Tank Engine produced in Flash by a fan. It was a massive, massive hit for the genre, with something like 14,000,000 views and three sequels. The creator didn't take home a penny. He could have been selling Trains-formers t-shirts, videos, and even toys (thanks 3D printing!)or even pay-per-view advertising. But no, his innovation and creativity received no reward. Finally the Thomas the Tank Engine company sent him a cease and desist letter. Was this video competing with Thomas and friends to drive them out of business? I doubt it, but suppose it *was*? In that case maybe the company should face the fact that it is failing to meet the demands of its consumers. Competition can drive up creative quality as well as product quality. So I say, bring it on!
I believe fervently that copyright is stifling creativity, innovation, and business. If only we could get rid of it!
BestNetTech has not posted any stories submitted by Jennifer Pars.
I stumbled upon this site a couple years ago when I was looking for signs of hope that fanfiction might be legalized within my lifetime. At first, I was just reading articles that gave me new reasons to reaffirm my dislike for copyright. Copyright helps creativity? What a cruel joke. Many, many great fan projects have been shut down by copyright holders who wield a law-granted ability to censor and destroy art. Not to mention that I'm not allowed to sell any of my fan creations or even solicit donations for my work. I'm a self employed writer with two published books, and I know darn well that I could make money off my fanfic too if it weren't for the laws pushed through by Big Copyright. Copyright helps authors make money? Hahaha! Not fan authors!
At first, I was just reading BestNetTech articles about copyright, my area of interest. It gave me visceral satisfaction to see my opinions of copyright's shortcomings confirmed by a knowledgeable third party. I was also interested in learning about the new business models people are exploring to replace copyright, especially in the area of writing. On that note, BestNetTech has encouraged me to use open licenses and try business models other than "pay to read." Last month I switched one of my books to a "pay what you want" donation model and sales underwent a modest increase of ~10 - 15%, not to mention that a TON more people downloaded my book than usual.
At first, I ignored the rest of your articles about patents and police corruption and Tor, etc. But then I gradually began to get curious about the other stuff that pops up on your homepage and started perusing topics I wasn't originally interested in. Talk about an eye opener... Now I not only explain why copyright is bad, but why patents are unnecessary and we should be worried about the NSA. I also learned how to use Tor to post fanfic which satirically criticizes the franchise owner's inability to adapt to the changing world of copyright and 3D printing. And thanks to you, I also know that now I'm on the NSA's special watch list for Tor users. I think some of my friends are beginning to believe I'm a bit paranoid. But what do they know? :p
I tend to share what I read on BestNetTech with my writer e-mail buddies, my fellow fans, my family, and my writing group. For example, I recently sent over your article on the Sherlock Holmes public domain debacle to a friend who is writing a novel about Holmes. I am able to tell people at my writing group why copyright is failing and what they can do to harness fanpower by use of open licenses. I tell them that if they're not taking advantage of their fanbase's creativity, then they're throwing away money.
I'd love to see BestNetTech do more coverage of abuses in the area of fanfic, fan art, etc. You guys already name and shame companies who sue their Yelp critics. You should also name and shame copyright holders who crush fan creativity. Take for instance the delightful flash cartoon crossover between Thomas the Tank Engine and Transformers. It got 24,000,000 hits on YouTube, and the children I showed it to loved it. Then it was shut down by the people who "own" Thomas the Tank Engine. Someone needs to point a finger at this and say, "This is wrong. And it's also stupid. And bad business."
About the only site that covers corporate abuse of fans consistently is The Mary Sue site, and they don't have a copyright/new business model emphasis that you guys do. I've generally found that fans are aware of copyright and concerned about its impact on their work, but no one--NO ONE--has seriously tried to show them how to act on their concerns. Not to mention that the larger writing community needs to be educated on why letting fans make money from your work is a good thing. I wish you guys would run articles on stuff like how much money Stephanie Meyers lost by forcing E.L. James to barcode strip Fifty Shades of Grey. Imagine if Fifty Shades of Grey had kept Bella as the main character, and all that money had stayed inside the Twilight franchise? Instead Meyers lost it all, thanks to too much copyright control.
Maybe you could hire a writer to work on fan issues? Even just one weekly column would do wonders for the lack of attention and education in this area.
My wishlist:
1. Highlight abuses of creative fans by copyright holders in the same way you highlight abuses in the areas of trademark, censorship, and online criticism.
2. Run articles describing how authors and artists can find new ways to make money by letting fans add onto their work. There is no way a marketing team, no matter how skilled, can satisfy the individual desires of 20 million fans spread across the world. But the fan community sure can exploit all those niches! Also describe ways in which authors and artists have LOST money through barcode stripping, which effectively sends highly profitable fan creations out of franchise (City of Bones, Fifty Shades of Grey).
3. Highlight how companies abuse their fans by allowing fan creativity, but only if the fan sells their SOUL to the company and gives up all rights to their fan work in perpetuity. (Amazon's Kindle Worlds, for example.) Highlight how GOOD companies and individuals allow their fans freedom to create and publish work where, when, and how they choose.
Keep up the great work, guys! This is one special site. :)
Innovation? Try Predation!
I'd love to monetize my fanfics, but the deal Amazon is offering is nothing short of predacious.
I do 100% of the work, and reap only 20 - 35% of the profits? That's insanity. Do Amazon and the franchise owners really deserve 65 - 80% of my profits just for sitting back in their comfortable chairs puffing cigars made out of hundred dollar bills?
The Constitution is supposed to promote the creation of art. So that's why they had to some forms of art illegal, to promote art. Yeaaaaah.
Nice try, Amazon--you're not getting a cent of my money. I'll wait till the Pirate Party gets copyright terms down to 5 years, then sell my own work for 100% of the profits. C ya!
The author of Wool also lets his fans sell fanfic that they write in the Wool universe. Pure AWESOME.
weep sob weep
Oh wait, I use ***LIBREOFFICE!***
Since the publishing industry lost control of literature, there's been great progress out there. The "genre mold" is no longer enforced so you can have a sci fi/romance novel instead of just one or the other. And now the idea of "mandatory length" is crumbling. Goodbye silly stipulations for padding and cutting--now the story size is the means, not the ends. It's truly a great time to be a writer.
I would object, however, to the idea that Amazon gives authors a "friendly split." No way! They take 30% (one third!) of your profits. And, if you try to sell your book anywhere but on their website, you're required by contract to price it 20% lower. I'll sell my books off my own website and take 100% of the profits, thank you very much.
As an author, I just want to state for the record that a.) I'm not worried about piracy, and b.) Copyright should last no more than 5 years, max! I could quadruple my income within a *month* if we cut down copyright length. How? By "remixing" 20 year old books that nobody reads in order to make them relevant to a more targeted modern audience. By taking one relevant chapter out of twenty old books and packaging them together to create a new twenty-chapter long book focused specifically on a single subject of interest, I could reach an entirely new audience with that old content, reignite interest in the twenty old books I "sampled," and offer service to an under-appreciated niche market where I have already seen quite a bit of interest in my offerings.
I could of course "rewrite" those twenty chapters into my own words, being careful to avoid plagiarism (which is what I did for my last book). But why reinvent the wheel over and over? It's slow--takes years--tedious and inefficient. Furthermore, since I'm not an expert in the content matter of each of the twenty books, the summary I provided would necessarily be of poorer quality. We already have "Open Source Books" like Wikibooks, but until we can do the type of direct incorporation I have described, we won't be going anywhere fast with them.
I could also go into transformative works. As a longtime writer, artist, cartoonist and hobbyist animator I know I could add new sequels (comics, stories, even animated cartoons) to 20 year old franchises and make a mint off them. Take for example the You Tube hit "Trains-formers," a crossover between Transformers and Thomas the Tank Engine produced in Flash by a fan. It was a massive, massive hit for the genre, with something like 14,000,000 views and three sequels. The creator didn't take home a penny. He could have been selling Trains-formers t-shirts, videos, and even toys (thanks 3D printing!)or even pay-per-view advertising. But no, his innovation and creativity received no reward. Finally the Thomas the Tank Engine company sent him a cease and desist letter. Was this video competing with Thomas and friends to drive them out of business? I doubt it, but suppose it *was*? In that case maybe the company should face the fact that it is failing to meet the demands of its consumers. Competition can drive up creative quality as well as product quality. So I say, bring it on!
I believe fervently that copyright is stifling creativity, innovation, and business. If only we could get rid of it!