Posts in Resources for Fans
Why AO3 Doesn’t Have an Official App
Users often ask us to create a mobile app and wonder why we haven’t done so already. We’ve spotlighted this before and even included it in our FAQs, but it comes up often enough that we wanted to provide an updated explanation of why we don’t have – and don’t plan to make – an app. Third-Party Apps There is no official AO3 app. If you have come across or are using an app that looks like AO3, it is not official and is not owned by the OTW. These apps are made by third parties and are normally just specialized web browsers that change… Read more
AO3 Is Always Free to Use
In the past few weeks, the Archive of Our Own’s Support Committee has been receiving a number of requests for assistance with an app that creates a paywall block after more than one hour of daily reading. We have no control over this (or any) mobile app, and do not approve of any paywalling of AO3 content. This is not the first time users have had problems with unofficial apps. For various reasons, the Archive is not developing a mobile app, so any app you may find available is unofficial and might even pose a security risk to use. The AO3 site is always free… Read more
OTW Fannews: Commercial Opportunities
Airlock Alpha posted Ann Morris’ discussion of What Mainstreaming Of Fandom Has Done For Me. Namedropping the OTW’s Fanlore, she notes that tech advances have helped her follow her fannish interests despite having low vision problems. “I have low vision, and it used to be super annoying to go to the library and try to find large-print science-fiction books. The people who published large-print books didn’t seem to think that anyone with low vision would be interested in those weirdo books with the rocket ship on the spine. Here’s a pet peeve which is fortunately a thing of the past. The Science Fiction Book Club and the Large Print Book Club were owned by the same company. And yet, they did not publish any science-fiction books in large print. Augh!”
Contribute to Fanworks Taught Me
In July, the OTW joined with The Harry Potter Alliance (HPA) and fans from around the world to promote their Fan Works Are Fair Use (FWAFU) campaign. Part of the OTW’s mission since its founding has been to support transformative works that manifest as fanfiction, fanart, fan films, discussion communities, cosplay and other forms of fannish creativity. With the HPA, we are working to build a community of 5,000 fans and fan creators interested in protecting all types of fan-made works.
OTW Fannews: Fandom Advice
One fanfiction reader turned writer based on his wife’s advice as reported by Houma Today. “Nearly 15 years ago, Caldwell discovered online discussion boards and began reading fan fiction… Barbara, his wife of 16 years, inquired about his reading material. ‘He said it was Jane Austen fan fiction, and he explained it to me… He told me about the stories out there, and he would critique them. As we were reading them, he kept saying ‘They missed it.’ or ‘They left this hole here.’ Finally, I had enough of that, and I said ‘Prove it. Prove that you can write better.'”