Ok, so I don't usually rant about something in fandom, because I am a firm believer authors should support each other, or if they have a problem with them or their writing, take it up with them personally, privately.
I HATE badmouthing an author when it comes to their writing, their characters, etc. It doesn't provide any help or solutions, so I generally stay away from doing it myself or reading other authors' distaste for a story in a public setting like Twitter or blogs.
HOWEVER, this whole thing with SR pissed me off to such a degree, that I needed time to think things through and figure out what exactly I was pissed off about. Was I upset that they were publishing? No. Was I pissed that they lied and took their readers for stupid? YES.
For those of you who do not know, SR, as he/she is so affectionately called, is the author of the acclaimed University of Edward Masen. It was probably the 5th fic I ever read when I entered fandom, and it was one of my absolute FAVORITE stories. Everything about it was fantastic: the writing, the characters, the plot... all of it, wonderful.
When this story was close to coming to its end, SR pulled the fic, not giving the final chapter five minutes of air time on ffn. He/she claimed it was because someone had made it available for download (btw, it's delusional to think your fic isn't in the hands of hundreds of readers who make it a habit of saving it to pdf files for safekeeping, but I digress).
He/she claimed to be so devastated that after posting two epilogues, they too were taken down, as was their blog. NOTHING was heard from the author since then, not even an apology to those who were in the middle of reading it, nothing.
I remembered SR's post that referred to them not pulling the fic.. I actually have their exact quote:
Posted by SebastienRobichaud on Mon Oct 26, 2009 4:40 pm
Yes, I promise all of the answers will be answered.
Even if I need an epilogue and an appendix numerically listed in order to do so.
And as I said earlier to someone, I’m not pulling the story.
Never.
I knew when I began it that in so doing I was obligated 1) to finish it in a timely manner and 2) never to pull it even if it is stolen/plagiarized
no ITLOMAH for me or my readers.
SR
So, I still had faith that they would most likely repost the story, you know, to stay true and honest (virtues SR claimed so many times to have and request from others). Boy was I wrong.
A couple of nights ago (after midnight of the New Year actually) a link was tweeted about a certain book being published on omnific with the title "Gabriel's Inferno." And the tweet also claimed it was UoEM, published by the author. Woah... hold the phone.... WHAT?
So yes, you, SR, promised your faithful readers, the people who made your story famous among fics, to not pull it regardless of ANY and ALL attempts at copying and/or being plagiarized, and promised in a few A/Ns and blog posts that you would not pull the story. But of course, there's no way of proving that, since the posts and the story no longer exist... at least, not in fic form.
Now, faithful SR readers, you can have your own published copy of a reworked E/B story for $4.99. And those of you who were not able to finish reading it when it was free... have no fear! Just BUY it, send SR a check, and read the ending.
I have NO PROBLEMS with ANY AUTHOR wanting to publish their fic, as long as they keep a level of trust with their readers, as did the author of Just Wait, for example. She told her readers over and over again that after a certain date, the story would no longer be available, and honestly shared that it was being published. Bravo... that's the way to do it.
I wish all authors who plan on publishing all the luck in the world (this include SR)... It's a big, exciting step, and you should be proud. But keep the trust with your readers. Trust us, we can handle it. We'll understand.
SR, I'm so utterly disappointed in you. What you did was deceiving, it was manipulative and diva-ish. It's also not nice to block people from contacting you on FFN who sincerely want answers. Be the bigger person and address your readership, we put you on top for a long time, and you enjoyed it. Be nice and put out a statement... You'll be surprised how understanding fandom can be when we know the full story.
Good luck
I shall now go back into my quiet, peaceful, zen cove of fanfic happiness. Carry on.
3 comments:
You're not the only one who was angry, saddened and disappointed by this. Omnific is a joke and if SR really wanted to publish, he should have gone with a better publisher. I kinda figured this is waht he was doing when he pulled it, but to go through Omnific.... *shakes head*. I will not be paying $16.99 for the book or $4.99 for the download. Nope. He's a sellout.
***claps hands feverishly***
I think you summed up perfectly what all the readers of UoEM are feeling. Perhaps SR will realize that without readers it's kinda hard to be a author. Once that trust is broken it's hard to gain it back.
Thanks for the info. Obviously, I'm out of the loop but I read this story religiously! I managed to get the final chapter and epis read but was shocked when it suddenly disappeared along with the blog.
Post a Comment