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Fossil Fuel Witch Hunt

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Can't say I like that I see a rising number of fandoms of self-published authors added. This comes over as a commercial usage of the event on a level with marketing and advertising. More like abuse than usage. Those authors go on my never-to-buy list for what I consider unethical behavior.

How can you tell that it's the authors doing it, though? Maybe it's people who read the book(s) and want fic?

Fans ought to think twice before they do something that tacky. Especially when it's going to be the first ever fic on the internet for that author and that of all things in one of the biggest and most covered and read challenges. The coincidence is a bit too much to be believed. Call me a cynic.

LOL what. What.

Do you also feel like that about requesting comics of obscure webcomics? They're self-published too.

Not really, no. Even the rarest fandoms I came across in the past had a few non-Yuletide fics to their name from a variety of dates and authors. Those are obviously legit. When I come across noms where there's nothing out there except the commercial books, then I feel someone is doing some heavy marketing instead.

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lmao, yeah, I'm definitely calling you a cynic. Nomming a fandom for Yuletide isn't a tacky move just because the canon was self-published?? What a weird opinion.

NA

I know for sure at least one of the books wasn't nominated by the author, because I know both author and nominator.

So a friend is pimping the author.

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(Anonymous) - 2014-10-26 19:09 (UTC) - Expand

Even if it is the authors self-nomming, I don't really see how it's unethical. Awkward and a little embarrassing, yeah, but not unethical.

The writers for those fics have to buy the source material. That's a direct link into one's own pockets. The fics are on the archive forever as free commercial ads. Very unethical.

...I'm pretty sure if you're offering to write for it, you've already read/bought the book.

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Dude, that's no different to ANY OTHER FANDOM.

No one has to do anything. If someone buys the book it's because they're interested.

That's every fandom ever. At least for a one person self published book the money goes right to them and they can eat. I don't even think it'd be awkward to nom your own stuff. Sounds great but you know what would be more embarrassing, is if they did it and none requested or offered.

You sound like the bitter author of a failed self-published novel.

For at least one of the self-published books on the list, the author and their friends weren't responsible for nominating and requesting it. It's a weird coincidence that a fan would ask for it in an exchange the author was secretly part of, but that's all it is, the same as when fans of Astolat's irl books unknowingly requested fic for them in the exchange that she was running.

and chicks for free
now that ain't workin

If this is about A Hero At The End Of The World, yeah, that did leave a bad taste in my mouth as well.

Oh, that's the BBP book, right? Why did the nom leave a bad taste in your mouth?

IDK the whole behind-the-scenes drama just soured me on the book and preemptively makes me mistrust any kind of advertizing for it (I'd count requesting it in a fandom exchange as advertizing). The whole thing was marketed under false pretenses. ("Look, none of these people have ever had a manuscript accepted!"- Except they'd never sent one in. "We're doing this to give fic writers better options!"- Except we're only publishing these books. "We're all experts when it comes to publishing!"- Except their calculations and distribution system are full of questions and holes. "Evil publishing industry doesn't want fanfic writers!"- Except they do, which of course none of these authors would know as they've never sent in a manuscript anywhere.)

Then there's the fact that you (general you) are offering/requesting to write fic for a book whose publication was financed by promising that the author would finish their WIP.

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na

For me it wasn't the nom. People can nominate whatever they want, and I was thinking about nomming a self-pubbed book myself. I didn't this year, but next year I will.

What left a bad taste in my mouth was the Big Bang Press tumblr using the #yuletide tumblr tag to advertise that it had been nominated: http://bigbangpress.tumblr.com/post/100952019691/a-hero-at-the-end-of-the-world-is-a-yuletide-fandom

I just find it uncomfortable because there's a difference between fans being fannish and that having a flow-on effect for creators, and creators very deliberately using fannish interest to lever sales for themselves, especially given that the book gets published next month if Amazon's dates are right.

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I wanted fic for that... So I was glad someone nommed it. I don't think I could write or offer it though I haven't finished the book yet. Maybe as a treat.

Stupid assumption. Not this year, but I've considering nominating self published books myself, and I haven't a published story, self or otherwise, to my name. A lot of the most creative YA stuff out there is self pubbed, sheesh. And it's inexpensive and accessible.

name names

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