My Thoughts on Commissions · 12:32am Aug 14th, 2014
First of all, yes, I'm still lurking around this site. Haven't been in a good frame of mind to write anything, but I'll save that for another time. Right now, I want to talk about an aspect of this website that I find a bit questionable: commissions.
For those who might not know, commissions are when an author agrees to write a story for another user in exchange for a fee. Typically charges are proportional to word count, so that a 10,000 word story would be more expensive than a 1,000 word story.
My issue with this is that we are working in the medium of fanfiction. By definition, we are using characters created by somebody else and, more importantly, legally protected by somebody else.
I may be wrong about this, but my thought was that the reason creators of the original medium haven't gone after fanfiction writers for use of intellectual property is because the writers weren't making a profit off of their stories. It's kind of like those warnings you get before you watch a DVD. You can use it for your own personal enjoyment, but you can't make money off of showing that movie to others.
But with commissions, isn't it the case that you are making money using somebody else's intellectual property? This befuddles me. We see it both in writing and with art, and it just seems a little bit seedy to me to make money off of characters that don't legally belong to you.
Similar to offering commissions are the so-called "tip jars," or places where people can donate to support writers they like. This doesn't bother me as much, because you aren't necessarily using intellectual properties. You're just offering people willing to pay an opportunity to support you directly.
Please, if somebody has a different opinion and can explain to me their own point of view, I would love to hear a discussion about this. I feel like I am in the minority when I say I am against the idea of commissions, and I would appreciate any feedback you can offer. Conversely, if you happen to agree with my point of view, I would like to hear that, too.
Might go back to "Week in the Life" starting tomorrow, because that story still hasn't really gotten off the ground yet and I need to develop some ideas. As always, no promises, but I'll see what I can do.
Well, artists take commissions all the time to draw pics. Hell, we wouldn't have half the pony art if people weren't making money off of them. Same goes for music videos and even fan videos. If you're having fun with it, then it's okay in my opinion. Hasbro, eh, I dunno, but I'm pretty sure their opinion on the matter is to sue your pants off.
2367984 I remembered about artists about halfway through writing this. It seems like this would be something Hasbro would be against, and I was baffled the first time I heard about it because I'd never seen it in any other fandom before.
I'm not against people that commission stories for free. In my opinion, people who commission stories for money are more than likely too damn lazy to get off their asses and get a [real] job. Same goes for the whole tip jar thing. Respect and admiration is earned, not given (in this case, money).
Perhaps somewhere down the line, Hasbro might just take legal action against those who commission [stories] for money, and I'll just laugh at them.
2368038 Do you have the same views toward fanart?
2368055
Not really, since fan art takes far more time and skill to do than a story does, with far better results (usually). I'd rather pay $100 for a very detailed picture of, say, Fleur than however much for a 10k word story that's just a bunch of words.
2368076
Anyone can draw a picture, and anyone can write a story. Question is, is it a good picture? Is it a good story?
Literature is art too, and fanart is subject to copyright laws as well.
2368079
Call me narrow-minded, but I've never viewed literature as art. Then again, I've never been interested in art in general, so...take that as you will.
2368097 You're confusing visual arts with art as a whole.
Art is poetry, painting, weaving a tale, an epic, everything from basket weaving to interior design. Do you consider ten dollars for a novel from the bookstore steep?
And legally, literature is subject to the same laws as art in terms of copyright. If Hasbro was going to go after people commissioning fanfiction, they'd be going after fanart too.
Hasbro doesn't give a flying fuck, dude. Calm your tits.
Btw, commission stories ruin writing due to the fact that it ruins the thrive to write for many authors. Soon, the stories just stops being so unique, y'see, and becomes repetitive/underdone as hell. It happens every time.
2368113
Essentially, I have no interest in art whatsoever as a subject. Art is for people who are deep thinkers, which I am not. I'm a small/simple-minded person.
2368268
I didn't see his blog as an issue; merely someone expressing their thoughts and views on a particular subject.
2368268 I wasn't worked up about this. As 2368312 said, just wanted to share some thoughts.
I agree with the second part of your comment, though. So maybe commissions are a problem for more reasons than just intellectual property usage. Just seemed weird to me, that's all, not something I'm comfortable with, even if Hasbro really doesn't care.
2367988
People selling prints of fan-based artwork is very common at conventions. In fact, I've seen it at every single con I've ever attended. It's the entire point of the artist alley/artist floor/etc. areas. It's been happening for years.
And it's not just drawings. Craft items like perler bead sprites are common, as are plushies, keychains, stickers, etc. I have a laminated hand drawn keychain thing of Amaterasu from Okami that I bought from a con. I've seen perler recreations of pixelart from 8-bit games.
I guess I'm so used to it that I don't have an opinion on it the way you do. It's just a fact of life for me, and for a lot of people immersed in the world of cons.
2368764 Like I said, I figured I would be in the minority on this. Since it seems to be happening all the time with impunity, I can't blame people for wanting to earn some money for their hard work. I myself won't be doing it, however.
If you ask me, it's just as dangerous to the writer as commissioned fan art is to the painter/drawer/whatever. The only reason it slides is because the copyright holders haven't opened their eyes to it.
It's something that I imagine has a great chance of fucking fanfiction over in the future.