Standing Up for the Little Known Author
Today, I’m writing about standing up for the little known author (LKN). I think I have a bit of knowledge about the subject because, well, I am one. For the past two years I have been a reader, writer, and beta of Twilight fan fiction. It’s funny, because I had no idea such a thing existed before Twilight. The idea of writing fiction based on characters created by other authors was something I had never, ever considered. Needless to say, once I started reading fan fiction, I quickly became obsessed. And, looking for recommendations about what to read, was steered to what I know know as Big Name Authors (BNA). At the time, I didn’t know or care who wrote the stories. I just knew I enjoyed reading them.
All of that changed when I became part of a close knit group of friends who all wrote fan fiction. Once I got deeper into the fan fiction world, I became more aware of the divisions betwen BNA’s and LKA’s. By now, you know the spiel, BNA’s win all the awards, get a bazillion reviews, get all the recc’s, yada yada yada. Now, let me be up front and say that I have read and continue to read stories written by many BNA’s. These authors did not write thinking they would catapult to the top of the fan fiction food chain, nor did they ask for the mantle of BNA. But, as is common when people form together in a group, a hierarchy is created. And, in the Twi fan fiction world, the hierarchy between BNA’s and LKA’s is clearly drawn.
My message today is simply this, there are a huge number of LKA’s who write amazing stories. They write for the love of writing, despite their lack of reviews, rec’s, or awards. And in my opinion, their stories deserve as much attention as stories by BNA’s that generate thousands of reviews per chapter. It frustrates me when I hear readers say they only read BNA’s or fics that are recommended by them. I have even heard people say they only read stories that have above a certain number of reviews, as if review count equates quality. Perhaps if these LKA’s received the exposure that BNA’s do, their stories would have huge review counts as well.
To that end, MVF has decided to create Team MVF for the Fandom Gives Back. Our goal is to pool our money together and bid on unknown and lesser known authors. These authors have put their creativity up for auction for a worthy cause, some of them with bids as low as .99. We thought it would be a great idea to support a worthy cause and give some exposure to these lesser known authors at the same time. If you would like more information about Team MVF, please contact us at admin@myvampfiction.com. We will be accepting donations to our MVF PayPal account, and any funds that don’t go to an auction will be given as a straight donation to FGB. Even if you can only give $1.00, it will help us discover some great new authors and give you warm fuzzies knowing you’ve donated to a great cause.
I certainly hope I’m not coming off as whiny or as exacerbating the BNA/LKA division. That is not what I’m trying to do. What I ask, what I hope, is that each person who reads this join Team MVF and add two LKA’s to their reading list for every BNA. I guarantee that you will discover some wonderful stories which will make you wonder why they don’t have more reviews. Then, rec the stories to your friends, spread the love. There is enough room in the fan fiction world for everyone to enjoy success. Pay it forward, it will come back to you ten fold.
Recent Comments