Legal

Writers need to understand that the legality of fanfiction applies to fanfiction works that are published or posted online and as a result, the writer needs to understand how to avoid legal trouble from writing the fanfiction. The easy way to avoid any legal issues is to only write fanfiction using works where the author has given permission for fanfiction writing. One such author that allows fanfiction writing is the author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling. She only requests that writers do not write fanfiction on her works that are pornographic in nature. After the writer selects a realm of fiction to use for his or her beta test and ensures that the original creator of the content allows for fanfiction to be written, the writer only has to take one more legal step.

The last legal step is that the writer needs to include a disclaimer stating that he or she is not profiting in any way from the fanfiction itself, that the original content belongs to the original creator, and that the work is fanfiction. An example of such a disclaimer would be:

Welcome Readers,

My username is FicWriter108 and the work you are about to read is a work of fanfiction. That means that most of the characters, settings, and events belong to the original writer of the work. However, some characters, plots, ideas, and settings that are different from the original work belong to me. As such I would request that you not post this work anywhere without my permission nor make use of any of my ideas without first consulting me. I am in no way profiting from this fanfiction. I hope you enjoy it and can find the time to comment after you have read it.

Where to Post and How to Post

 There are numerous websites that host archives of fanfiction. These archives are typically organized based on the type of the original work (book, TV show, movie, comic, video game). Some of the most well know fanfiction websites are: FanFiction, Archive of Our Own, Kindle Worlds, and Wattpad. However, there are other fanfiction sites that are dedicated to a specific work like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones. Writers can make use of these existing websites to post their fanfiction, post on social media, and/or create their own blog to post their fanfiction on.

While there are many places to post fanfiction, it is important that the writer understands how to post it as the goal is not just to get people to read it, but to get people’s opinions on it. The existing websites like FanFiction and Archive of Our Own possess a review/comments section that allows readers to share their thoughts. Whether posting on these sites, social media, or a blog, it is important that the writer tells his or her readers that they would like to hear the readers’ opinions on their work. This can be done by including a statement at the beginning and end of the work. An example of such a statement would be:

Welcome Readers,

My username is FicWriter108 and I am an aspiring writer who hopes to take some of my original ideas that I used in this fanfiction work and repurpose them in an original book that I am writing on magical dragons. I would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment after you finish reading to share with me your thoughts and feelings on the betrayal twist in this story. What did you like, what did you hate, what would you have liked to be different, and any other advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time and input,

FicWriter108