I received this PM via FF.net this morning:

Did anyone else recieve this message? I'm going to reply, just because I see no harm in answering a few questions.

Are requests like this a common thing? I haven't been writing long enough to really know, as this is the first of these type of things I've ever received.

 

It's a Trap!

/Ackbar


I wonder how many people are going to answer "yes" to the whole "selling fanfic" thing. Gah... I also wonder which publishing company is fishing for money.

 

I've had similar messages before, but they weren't as professional - i.e., typical ff.net grammar/spelling, although in fairness they were (allegedly) from students writing papers etc; they read more like spambots. I'd be dubious about replying to it, but *shrug*

 

Yes, I received this, as well, Voice.

While not common, it is the fourth such message I've received over the last six years or so. People study fanfiction.

I'm in two dissertations about it, would you believe. A post-grad student from Scotland interviewed my good self, RossWrock, Barb, AspenintheSunlight... a few others back in the day.

I've still got a copy she sent me if anyone wants a look. Not exciting stuff, if I'm honest.

I'd say reply, Voice - I'm going to. It's no harm, really, and it may help someone out. As a post-grad student myself these days, I know how godless and unholy it can be trying to get respondents to answer surveys.

 

I'd like to see it.

@OP: Answer it if you want to. I can't see how this will hurt you, or fanfiction, in any way.

 

I'd love to see it as well. I think the outside perspective on fanfiction will be pretty cool, though you do say it sounds rather boring.

 

I actually wouldn't mind buying published fanfiction if they were good.

Other than Harry Potter, all the other series I am interested in are of Japanese origin, and in Japan is really common to sell novel-lenght fanfictions for cheap (basically covering just the cost of publishing). Granted, the quality of sold fanfiction in Japan is generally way better than what you can find on FFNET and the like... still, I don't see how selling fanfiction would be any different than selling fanart, which seems to be widely accepted.

 

I received one as well, though not as well written as yours. The questions were a bit too personal for me, and so I just ignored it. The person was also asking if I had any plans for new stories and was asking to send him or her my rough drafts and outlines of future chapters for some of the stories I've written.


I wouldn't mind buying the published works as well, of they're as good as shezza's or nuhuh's stories.

 

So you forward your new stuff, they post it on FFn before you do, and then they report you to FFn for plagiarism when you do post it.

Sounds legit - go for it.

 

I got the VoN questionnaire a while ago.

Joe, did you ever read the final draft of the dissertations?