Published fanfiction is threatening all of us

Don't mind me, this is a rant.

As we all know it, a certain ex-Dramione work is currently at the top of book sales everywhere. I haven't re-read it, and I don't know if it has been significantly re-written in order to erase similitudes with the source material, but this trend of taking popular fanfictions and repackaging them as original works is getting on my nerves.

Yes, fanfiction authors put a lot of effort into their craft. Yes, it takes as much effort to write a good fanfiction as it to takes to craft a good book. Yes, some fanfictions surpass their source material and can be read on their own.

HOWEVER, the only reason copyright holders aren't coming for websites like AO3 is because of a legal loophole and that writers aren't monetizing their fanfics based on someone else's IP. Professionally publishing works with slight tweaks to separate it from the work that inspired it is crossing that sacred line that allows other fanfictions to exist. You can be sure that, one day, a case about this will be brought to court and that it will threaten the right of anyone to write and publish fanfics online.

Another thing, fanfics are free. You're not paid to write them, and you don't pay to read them. It's a gift from some fans to others, it's a rare free access to culture and entertainment in a capitalist world that otherwise wants to turn everything into profit. Some people only have fanfictions as a reading material. I was someone who couldn't afford books and only achieved literacy through websites like fanfiction.net. To me, fanfic authors who publish their works are no different from those who put a link to their Patreon in their fic's notes, or who put the rest of their fanfic behind a paywall.

I understand the desire to profit off of your passion, but if it is the case, you can just write your own work. Make it a fanfiction in private if you want, and then make the necessary changes to get it published. Everyone is inspired by someone else, nothing is new. Initially posting a fanfic for everyone to enjoy online, but then pulling it out because the community gave you visibility and you figured you could make a quick buck without having to write something new is tacky, lazy and despicable.

You also prove to publishers that they can just roam through AO3---just like they roam through YouTube to offer YouTubers book deals---and select popular works they can publish easily and quickly, depriving some unknown authors of a chance to get professionally published and further encouraging the slothful and risk-averse tendencies that have overtaken the entertainment industry in general.

Sigh. I'm done.