Should Fan Fiction Be Free?

Abstract

The mainstreaming of an alternative form of cultural production is nearly always synonymous with commercialization; some enterprising force realizes an opportunity for profit in a little-known but interesting subcultural practice. In fact, an attempt at commercializing fanfic already has been made by the company called FanLib, which was largely excoriated by existing fan fiction communities because, as Henry Jenkins wrote, it "didn't emerge bottom-up from the fan culture itself. . . . It was a business, pure and simple, run by a board of directors which was entirely composed of men. This last point is especially relevant when you consider that the overwhelming percentage of people who write fan fiction are women."³