My friend, when sharing the story with all his friends on Facebook, was not shy about voicing his anger about this. And, to a degree, I guess I can't blame him. I've never been a fan of fan fiction, and, while I can imagine the possibilities (and eventualities) of Mild Mannered fan fiction popping up, I doubt the chances of me reading that either. Fan fiction, from what I've seen, is simply created by those who are highly passionate about the film, book, and/or celebrity they are fanatic about, and there is usually no harm done with this.
So, what makes this case so special? Why was this work singled out? To put it bluntly, economics.
Upon research of this work, After, at the time of this posting, has just under 195 million readers. That's right, million! More than that, it has received almost 2 million votes from its readers. The word of mouth from this piece is huge to say the least. Furthermore, as much as it pains me to admit this, One Direction is a huge band right now. Whether you like them or not, the band's celebrity stock cannot be denied.
Even more than that, one only has to look to an upcoming movie list to see why Simon & Schuster jumped at this opportunity. Fifty Shades of Gray, the best-selling novel series from E.L. James, has made quite the name for itself over the years, but what many don't realize is that it started off as a simple piece of fan fiction on a similar site as Wattpad. The difference? It was Twilight fan fiction -- very aggressive and kinky fan fiction, but fan fiction nonetheless. Because of the similar response, a book deal was inked, character names were changed, and a bestseller was penned. It would be foolish to assume a similar deal won't be made for After.
Is it understandable why something like this blowing up in a huge way would make other writers mad? To a degree, sure. The writers I know mainly focus their efforts on purely original works of fiction (i.e., not fan fiction or satire), and would do anything from selling a kidney to murdering a family member to achieve this sort of deal. But is anger the best response?
Okay, let me put it a better way. Is anger the best use of energy? While I certainly won't be celebrating this success, I won't be voicing my irritation about it either. If there is anything I have learned from my inaugural year of being an author, it's that indie writers share as much camaraderie as competition. We're our own little support group, egging each other on to create, offering a shoulder and ear when things aren't going well, and celebrate every copy sold. This acquisition should not effect what other of us are doing at large. Because we're in the age of self-publication, we no longer have to achieve success with a publisher. And while my previous sentiment about inking a deal with a publisher, especially one like Simon & Schuster, applies to me as well, I choose to take this news with a grain of salt.
Look, fan fiction isn't my cup of tea, and One Direction isn't even a blip on my musical radar, but it is still reasonably impressive that this deal was struck. Wattpad, by all means, is only a step up from total obscurity, so overnight success like this should at least be respected. And though I know I won't be buying the book myself, I know plenty of people out there will. A spot on any best-seller list is inevitable now, so, instead of focusing energy on rage alone, use that rage to create.
That, and that alone, is how you can insure your own success. Keep creating.
