Doctor Who novels
Jul. 2nd, 2005 08:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
owlTo think that's it's two whole weeks since the end of the programme! *twitches*
I was at Sainsbury's yesterday, and I reached a hand into the potato bread on my way past, but I came up with, not Ormo 4-pack potato farls, but a Doctor Who tie-in novel. I wasn't greatly tempted by it, although that may change by September or so when I'm screaming 'Not another Doctor-and-Rose-have-a-baby fic! Give me plots!! Plotsss!!!!'.
Anyway. For the first time I saw what the people who own the copyrights are driving at when they crack down on fanfiction. No matter how much Harry Potter fic I read, I'll still buy the books (and probably see the films, unless the divergence from canon becomes utterly unbearable). I've sent many, many pounds into the LucasFilm coffers. I've bought cinema tickets and videos and even a few EU books. Fanfiction isn't stopping me from buying the other bEUks, because frankly I wouldn't read them if you paid me.
Doctor Who, on the other hand...it depends on the quality of the writing, but if I can get my fix from free fanfic, why should I buy the books? This is true even more of the shippers. The programme itself is wildly shippy (too much so, IMO. Subtext, people), but it is shown at 7pm, therefore there are things that aren't going to happen on it (I sincerely hope).
The tie-in novel issue explains why Lucasfilm and the Beeb are more uptight about fanfic than JKR. Part of the solution, of course, would be to hire writers who a) are functionally literate and b) have actually seen the source material (Courtship of Princess Leia, I'm looking at you).
I was at Sainsbury's yesterday, and I reached a hand into the potato bread on my way past, but I came up with, not Ormo 4-pack potato farls, but a Doctor Who tie-in novel. I wasn't greatly tempted by it, although that may change by September or so when I'm screaming 'Not another Doctor-and-Rose-have-a-baby fic! Give me plots!! Plotsss!!!!'.
Anyway. For the first time I saw what the people who own the copyrights are driving at when they crack down on fanfiction. No matter how much Harry Potter fic I read, I'll still buy the books (and probably see the films, unless the divergence from canon becomes utterly unbearable). I've sent many, many pounds into the LucasFilm coffers. I've bought cinema tickets and videos and even a few EU books. Fanfiction isn't stopping me from buying the other bEUks, because frankly I wouldn't read them if you paid me.
Doctor Who, on the other hand...it depends on the quality of the writing, but if I can get my fix from free fanfic, why should I buy the books? This is true even more of the shippers. The programme itself is wildly shippy (too much so, IMO. Subtext, people), but it is shown at 7pm, therefore there are things that aren't going to happen on it (I sincerely hope).
The tie-in novel issue explains why Lucasfilm and the Beeb are more uptight about fanfic than JKR. Part of the solution, of course, would be to hire writers who a) are functionally literate and b) have actually seen the source material (Courtship of Princess Leia, I'm looking at you).
