Amazon’s Kindle Worlds Didn’t Catch Fire

Compared to fanfiction sites, it’s just not cutting it.  When you look at all the free sites out there, the numbers don’t add up.

Oddly, I can’t fault Amazon for trying.  This is an obvious market, it’s nice to get approved fanfic, and I can see some companies going for it as a way to find middle ground.

However the issue simply is that the limits are against what fanfiction is about.  It’s often crazy, freewheeling, contrarian, extrapolatory, and at times sheer nuts – or seems to be.  I know enough fanfiction authors of many ages and part of the goal of fanfiction is going outside the property – or inside it in a different way.

And I don’t think you can manage that inside the legal concerns of many major property holders.  Or minor ones.  Not without some serious community involvement and outreach.

So what’s next?  That’s what I wonder – is this a failure, or will some new idea emerge?  Will companies give up?  Will this meander along?  Don’t know.

But still, it’ll be interesting.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, publishes books on career and culture at http://www.informotron.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.