Hi, all! I suppose I’ve never gotten around to posting an official policy on fanworks, mostly because a) I’m a n00b author and never had to think about it before, and b) it’s not like there are scads of people out there just waiting on tenterhooks for me to bless their Nahadoth-Hosts-The-Muppet-Show multipart AU crossover, so it didn’t matter. But in general I’m pro-fanstuff so long as it’s created in the spirit of sharing and not profit — though for legal reasons I don’t read fanfiction. I can’t draw a straight line, though, so fanart is less of a problem. I won’t send it to the folks at Orbit so they’ll use it on my next cover or anything like that — they’ve got perfectly good artists on staff, and I like those folks’ work — but if I have time, I’ll look, and if I like it, I’ll say so.
Anyway, I’m sharing this because it’s something a little different. Nubia Palacios is a professional artist building her portfolio of fantasy concept art, and she asked me if she could use the Inheritance Trilogy characters as the subjects of her latest work. I liked the result so much that I asked her if I could share it here. So here’s her depiction of Yeine!
Click to biggify. If you like it, visit her site and check out her other stuff, and maybe send her some kudos. (Artists love kudos. We eat them up, like potato chips.) And stay tuned; she says she’s working on Nahadoth next!
And now I want to write a story where Nahadoth hosts the Muppet Show! I blame you.
Seriously, thank you for your very reasonable statement on fanworks. As a fanfiction author who also loves your books, I appreciate it. If I write that story, I promise not to send it to you ;)
That’s a lovely image of Yeine! She looks…strong. I don’t know if that’s the right word for what I mean, but she looks interesting, someone who’s going to do interesting things.
Wow, that’s beautiful!
She’s gorgeous! And her face looks just like I imagined it.
I love fan art of characters because they either cement my mental image, or give me a new perspective through someone else’s mind’s eye. This is Yeine just as I thought of her: gorgeous, self-possessed, ready to kick some butt.
I agree with Jennifer — that’s exactly how I pictured Yeine. I can hardly wait to see Nubia’s Nahadoth. Yummy.
And yes: now my brain is filled with Nadahoth and Muppets, which I suspect is not an image that will go away soon, nor will Nahadoth-as-a-Muppet. Muppet!Naha… my brain just broke.
Wanted also to express my appreciation of, as Mara said, your most reasonable stance on fanworks. I owned a comic store for almost two decades, and I can tell you that the front-line fans are the ones most likely to want to dig in and play with the world — fanfic, fanart, Photoshopping wallpapers, building role-playing characters based on or named after your characters, etc. It’s a sign of passion and love, even when the actual creations fall short of the mark you might wish to set. Active fans are a blessing, not the curse some authors treat them as — they’re the same people who will talk (endlessly) about the books to their friends, stand in line at conventions, pre-order the new series when it comes out. I understand why some authors get offended by poor characterization or whatever, but even when they’re awful, fanworks are an expression of love.
Excellent! I like how her hair was rendered — makes Yeine look exotic and elfin.
And I was wondering a tad about that long vest, hehe. I pictured the *entire* thing made of white fur, not just trimmed.
At the risk of thread-jacking, regarding authors who are explicitly anti-fan-fiction/art, I think that some creators have had the bejeesus scared out of them by lawyers. If you write a story that is similar to a fan-fiction story, it may be difficult to prove in court that you never read it, even if you didn’t. Furthermore I think there is some concern that a copyright that goes undefended (through implicit approval of fan-fiction) can become public domain. (For similar reasons, Kleenex has placed ads in lit mags saying ‘Thanks for calling it a tissue. Kleenex is our trademark.’ They have to be able to prove that they tried to prevent Kleenex from becoming a generic term.) I don’t know if this has ever actually happened to anyone. I think encouraging an active fan base is probably worth the legal risks inherent in success, but that’s easy for me to say, and more difficult for folks who are worried about getting sued. :)
On the topic of Muppet-Naha, I am reminded of the Muppet-Angel episode and the ensuing plush toys. OMG adorable.
@Jennifer: “I think there is some concern that a copyright that goes undefended (through implicit approval of fan-fiction) can become public domain.”
What you’re thinking of is a trademark, not a copyright. The two are completely different legal terms and concepts. To quote Lev Grossman’s recent article ‘The Boy Who Lived Forever’: “In the U.S., at least, copyright is checked by something called fair use: if a work qualifies as fair use, it can borrow from a copyrighted work without permission and without paying for it…the scenario….in which an author’s rights are diminished because he or she doesn’t actively defend them, is associated more with trademark than with copyright.”
Trademarks are for logos and brand names. Copyright refers to authorship of books, music, movies, poetry, plays, etc. The two are not the same thing. Logos and brand names have to be defended, copyright does not. All the billion Harry Potter fanfics out there do not diminish J.K. Rowling’s copyright on the Harry Potter books by one jot.
I hope this was helpful! :)
Lev Grossman
The Boy Who Lived Forever
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2081784,00.html
Multiple responses here (sorry; not much free time this week):
Muppet!Naha: I am rabidly curious to see it, if someone wants to try and construct one.
Fanfiction: I think some creators have had the bejeesus scared out of them by other creators. I’ve only been a pro author for a short time, but already I’ve been bombarded with urban legends of Author Q, who embraced fanfic and got sued by her own fans, or Author P, who tried to look the other way and lost a book deal for her trouble, or whatever. I’ve delved a bit into some of these stories and there’s a lot of confusion to the details, which makes me suspect that the fear is the result of several decades-long games of Telephone. And some of it no doubt is the result of a few authors who just don’t want anybody else playing in their sandbox, trying to find a way to keep others out without seeming selfish.
(I’m selfish too, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that my selfishness isn’t particularly twigged by the idea of someone writing a really hot Yeine/Zhakkarn slashfic, or — I dunno, whatever, something that would actually offend me. But other people’s actions are no reflection on me, so why would I care?)
All speculation aside, I’m grateful to the Organization for Transformative Works for trying to clear up a lot of the confusion and rumor with real, useful information. Grossman’s article is helpful too.
And trust me, I’m very, very aware of how important it is to have an active, engaged fanbase. I’m not a bestseller yet, but I’m doin’ okay — and if I ever want to be a bestseller, then that kind of fanbase is crucial. So fanwork away!
@Redfish, very helpful, thanks! :)
Wow, nice art! It’s so good to get a visual on Yeine~~ The hair is interesting… looks very Saint Seiya (which I have to admit, I’ve never seen on a girl). I love her outfit! The sleekness but structure of it makes Yeine look both powerful/battle-ready and fashionable. ;-D
Can’t wait for Nahadoth art~~~