Transformative Works and Cultures

In response to its not a null sum

Thanks very much for providing further context as to how the "Some of Us..." collection influenced the creation of "In the Hunt." I am glad that BenBella took an even more collaborative approach with fans than could be gleaned from the book itself.

Both collections sit happily next to each other on my bookshelf, as well, which is precisely why I believe that there is a problem here in terms of which text will be considered more "legitimate" by a larger, non-fannish audience.

Fair or not, it is BenBella's status as a publishing company that grants its products the privilege of conveying legitimization, regardless of whether this legitimization already exists in the eyes of fans and acafans.

I never meant to imply that fannish writing is somehow not legitimate - quite the contrary! - but to point out that if I had not already owned a copy of "Some of Us" (and if I were not already involved in Supernatural fandom), I may never have learned of its existence, and this is likely to be the case for others.

There is of course a long-running argument among acafans as to whether fannish writing "requires legitimization" from outside. And that is an argument that we certainly cannot solve here. But the fact that we are having it merely serves to illustrate my original point about how this collection speaks to "the enduring tensions between academia, fandom, and publishing."