Yet, the central tenet underpinning fanfiction and the one publishers and authors find particularly challenging is the notion of the “extensibility” of the text. One of the ways they do this is by writing and reading fanfiction about books, TV shows, films and, increasingly with a younger demographic, about real people.įanfiction is a very prolific and potentially rich field for publishers to engage with. And “uberfans” want even more: they want to contribute to the story, practice their art in the fandom universe, and collaborate with and meet other readers. They want access, they want content, and many want it now. Dedicated readers are most affected by the limits of traditional publishing and distribution of content, and conventions. Yet, readers and audiences everywhere experience similar challenges with regards to time and space: the time between novels in a series, access to content, the distance they feel between themselves and authors and publishers. When one lives on the perceived edge of the world, one feels keenly the challenges posed by time and space. We look out over the Hauraki Gulf to the volcanic cone of Rangitoto Island, the Coromandel Peninsula beyond, and a glimpse of the Pacific, stretching out seemingly forever, beyond that. I live on the East Coast of the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. In an increasingly online world, we may need to let go of traditional publishing boundaries of ownership, control, and format to fully realize the potential of the text.Ī View Across the Hauraki Gulf to Rangitoto Island (cc) Sids1 Where the book format (print or ebook) imposes physical boundaries upon the content, and asserts authorial and publishing control over text, the medium of the Internet removes the “physical” boundaries and also allows for the textual “instability” that underpins fanfiction. The online environment arguably provides greater opportunities for a broader range of storytelling and engagement with media and culture, and immediate conversations with readers, than is generally possible in a traditional book. While the source stories come from many media, including TV shows, films, and books, the fan writing, reading, and interaction happen primarily on the Internet. One of the distinguishing features of contemporary fanfiction is that it begins and exists online.

This is an article length version of the author’s BiB IV presentation which is also available as slides (PPTX).

Model undercover books in order