Fanfic being sold on Amazon as "parody"

Cyia · Jun 10, 2014

I've been following EvilWylie on Twitter tonight as he posts links to some top selling fanfic pieces masquerading as parody (the Divergent "Letter to Tris") or flat-out using the original work's cover, complete with author name (the guy with his own account who published a 7-page "book 2" of The Fault in our Stars).

Some links if you want to be ragey - or just report them to Amazon for violation of copyright.

Some of these pieces are seriously high on the sales chart, illegally.

6 page Divergent "parody" : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JMPI4NE/?tag=absowrit-20

Twilight slash "parody" : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007T8TVUQ/?tag=absowrit-20

The Fault in Our Stars fanfic, complete with John Green's name attached and original cover in tact: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KSAOZ3A/?tag=absowrit-20

No matter your feelings on fanfic, this is just wrong. It's profiting from the original writer's work.

DanielaTorre · Jun 10, 2014

Jeezy Creezy. Since when is slapping a parody label on a fanfic and making money off of it legal? Wait... didn't E.L. James do just that?

Time to dust off that old Doctor Who fanfic. Need to make some money.

Honestly, this is low. Scams are everywhere.

Liosse de Velishaf · Jun 10, 2014

The Twilight one almost seems like a legit parody, but the rest of them are not even close.

JournoWriter · Jun 11, 2014

In following Amazon's report-a-copyright-violation links, it appears they only accept reports from people authorized to act on behalf of the copyright holder. Is there another way to do it?

BeeGem · Jun 11, 2014

Definitely not cool.

JournoWriter said:
In following Amazon's report-a-copyright-violation links, it appears they only accept reports from people authorized to act on behalf of the copyright holder. Is there another way to do it?

Yeah, I noticed that too. I couldn't see another way to report it either.

Old Hack · Jun 11, 2014

Perhaps the best thing to do, then, is for one willing volunteer to contact the literary agents of the authors affected, and let them report it.

ETA: Please don't all do this. The agents will be swamped. Just one person.

veinglory · Jun 11, 2014

There are a bunch that are just up there, not even pretending to be parody. I reported some to no avail. Amazon only responds when there is a big ass media blow up about something.

Hapax Legomenon · Jun 11, 2014

Isn't amazon publishing legitimate fanfic as well?

Torgo · Jun 11, 2014

Hapax Legomenon said:
Isn't amazon publishing legitimate fanfic as well?

Yeah, Kindle Worlds is a licensing framework for fanfic.

Samsonet · Jun 11, 2014

...anyone wanna pretend to be Edward Cullen and give all these fanfics five-star reviews? All just parody, of course.

JulianneQJohnson · Jun 11, 2014

This bothered me so much that I blogged about it. Slapping the word "parody" on the cover doesn't make it one. I can put a jelly label on a jar of bees, but that doesn't make it jelly.

DancingMaenid · Jun 11, 2014

I don't know that I'd call this stuff "fanfic." Fanfic implies stories written by fans. Without actually reading the books, it's kinda hard to tell what these are. My first thought was that they look like deliberate attempts to capitalize off of successful series by selling cheap knock-offs. Kind of like how knock-off products are often designed to resemble the more successful brands that they're mimicking, or trick people into thinking they're getting the real thing. Here, the sellers have been particularly nervy and blatant.

Bolero · Jun 11, 2014

This is awakening a faint memory of there being knock-off Harry Potters released before the real one was.

Fanfic being sold on Amazon as "parody"

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

DanielaTorre

...

Liosse de Velishaf

JournoWriter

Just the facts, please

BeeGem

The one with the gemstone eyes

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

veinglory

volitare nequeo

Hapax Legomenon

Torgo

Formerly Phantom of Krankor.

Samsonet

Just visiting

JulianneQJohnson

Ferret Herder

DancingMaenid

New kid...seven years ago!

Bolero