Fanhackers: Amazon announces publishing platform for licensed fanfic
I’m curious about whether, for instance, this licensing agreement with Amazon would permit a fic writer to still offer her story for free on another fic archive.:I can give you at least one answer—the license agreement is exclusive. No publishing…
A paywall would be so restrictive, and I can’t see building up the critical mass necessary to identify really great work in that kind of scheme.
I’d much rather see an optional donation setup in the current communities. I’d happily donate to authors whose work I love (in fact, if AO3 had the ability for me to give an author 50 cents or something every time I left “kudos” on their work, I’d be thrilled).
I’d love to be able to give 50 cents to fic writers who’d like that! And would be happy to also give a bit to the copyright holders whenever I give money to a fic writer. Both parties played a part in creating the emotional and entertainment value that a good fic has for me. What bothers me about the Kindle Worlds setup (apart from the other things) is that it seems to really minimize and dismiss the major role that the fic writer played in creating that value. The way money and rights are divided here suggests that the fic writer’s contribution is not valued in any meaningful or realistic way.
Whether it will amass any sort of following seems doubtful to me too, but this is Amazon, not a single publishing house or tiny new company. Hmm. At least the reviews section will be interesting?