Here’s a roundup of stories on fandom and creator interactions that might be of interest to fans:
- This Magazine featured professional book fans Book Madam & Associates who “spread their appreciation through blogs, tweets, and occasional podcasts, events, DJ playlists, and online comics clumsily drawn in Microsoft Paint” from various Canadian cities. The group is focused not only on the interests of readers but on increasing the success of books in the marketplace. “A new returns policy instituted by Indigo Books & Music will soon see Canada’s largest retail book chain sending books back to publishers 45 days after they’ve been ordered, slicing in half the long-standing 90-day returns term. That means some books will have only a month and a half to make an impact on readers.”
- While Book Madam is trying to promote the medium of books, some fans are banding together to promote artists directly. This has usually been done collectively, but in one case, a fan was the sole sponsor of a musical tour: “A physician by trade, Tanaka loves independent, underground music from Japan, not something Toronto tends to have in abundance.” Rather than continue to go to Japan to enjoy his favorite bands, Tanaka decided to bring them to Canada. Speaking of his $30,000 in losses, Tanaka pointed out “I could buy a car, but I already have a car. What’s that going to do for me? These are memories of a lifetime.”
- Taking a contrary view, a blogger at Game Informer asks “How Much Should the Gamer Influence the Game?” After pointing out how fans flesh out the characters and storylines in a game, Oni no Tenshi adds “Bottom line here is that the fans of a series often dictate certain things, which result in the change of gameplay options, story arcs, and even characters themselves. Sometimes it’s even more insidious-it’s based on “market research” or “test audiences” that basically curtail or squash creativity in gaming stories and ideas simply because games are first and foremost a commercial endeavor and not purely available as artistic and creative outlets.”
If you’re part of a gaming, music, or book fandom, why not contribute your perspectives to Fanlore? Contributions are welcome from all fans.
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