# 16 Year-Old Signs Fanfic Deal with Penguin



## Steerpike (Oct 9, 2012)

We have a thread on whether fanfic is good or bad. Between this one and 50 Shades of Grey, I think we can say that putting aside considerations of good or bad, it is selling these days. Though in this case the only thing that makes it "fanfic" seems to be that it was originally written with members of this real band as characters. It doesn't look like it is a fanfic of another fictional work.

One Direction fanfic to become book | Shelf Life | EW.com


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## Kevin O. McLaughlin (Oct 9, 2012)

Good writing is good writing. Some fanfic is excellent. I don't know that this qualified as fanfic in the usual sense, since it's just talking about real people in fictional situations. If that's "fanfic", then "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter" was fanfic too. 

I'm not sure I trust the article to be totally straight on the facts, however. For example, it said that the novel was being changed prior to publication "so there isn't copyright infringement". Except that a band name isn't covered by copyright. What they'd actually be concerned about is possible lawsuits related to use of the names (courts are increasingly giving celebrities more control over how their names are utilized), and possibly trademark infringement.

SFWA Bulletin on the subject of using real people in fiction:
SFWA Bulletin Column - Celebrities Bite Back! Using Real People in Fiction


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## Mindfire (Oct 9, 2012)

The facepalm is strong with this one. -_- But I'm going to be charitable and assume that it was well written.


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## Steerpike (Oct 9, 2012)

Mindfire said:


> The facepalm is strong with this one. -_- But I'm going to be charitable and assume that it was well written.



What I'd assume, I think, is that the publisher feels it is a story that will resonate with the target audience, and told in a way that will be effective for them. That may or may not include highly proficient writing.


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## Mindfire (Oct 9, 2012)

Steerpike said:


> What I'd assume, I think, is that the publisher feels it is a story that will resonate with the target audience, and told in a way that will be effective for them. That may or may not include highly proficient writing.



I suppose. The question is, what do we make of this?


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## Steerpike (Oct 9, 2012)

Mindfire said:


> I suppose. The question is, what do we make of this?



Just the obvious, I suppose - publishers want something they can sell. Story-telling trumps writing and the underlying idea can be important.


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## Kevin O. McLaughlin (Oct 9, 2012)

Steerpike said:


> Just the obvious, I suppose - publishers want something they can sell. Story-telling trumps writing and the underlying idea can be important.



That's my takeaway as well. Hey, I wrote...ok...at sixteen. I didn't write WELL, mind you, but it was readable. I'm perfectly willing to believe there are good sixteen year old writers out there, and if Penguin is publishing this they certainly believe they found one.

They think the story will sell. They think the story will resonate with readers. And they know it's a hot topic (watched the Disney channel on TV in the last few years? Ye Gods! )

Edited to add: Don't EVER think for a minute that publishers' primary role is to get the best available literature into bookstores. Publishers' primary job is to make money; they are responsible to shareholders to do so, and will lose their jobs if they fail. Therefore, the mortgage payments, food on the table, and healthcare for the kids of the people buying books at a large publisher are directly dependent upon them finding and acquiring rights to books which will MOVE COPIES. Nothing else trumps that. Not saying this book will be bad (we have no idea). But they will happily publish a hundred mediocre books that will move a lot of copies before one superb book that very few people will buy.


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## Mindfire (Oct 9, 2012)

I want the boyband thing to die already. It was annoying in the 90s and its annoying now.


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## Philip Overby (Oct 9, 2012)

If you go on Twitter, that's basically all that a huge segment of trending topics are about:  One Direction.  They're not just huge in one place, they're huge all over.  So it makes sense to publish something that can relate to their fans.  Does this mean the 16 year old is going to have a multi-book deal and be one of the greatest writers of our generation?  Who knows.  I applaud anyone for being successful.


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## Zero Angel (Oct 10, 2012)

What's One Direction?

Edit: Should I have heard of them? Are they a UK thing? Do they have any singles I have probably heard?


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## CupofJoe (Oct 10, 2012)

Kevin O. McLaughlin said:


> Publishers' primary job is to make money...


Absolutely... FSoG sold in the millions and came from nowhere... I can see that as soon as it started to make the best-seller lists every published got one of their interns to trawl through fanfic and slashfic sites to fine "the next big thing".
Mindfire's boyband comment is apt... every publisher wants to find the next Take That,  Beatles, Oasis, JK Rowling, Stephen King etc. [to bend genres more than a little]. Quality or merit have little to do with it.


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