Do you think Nancy Drew entering the public domain is a good or bad thing? Been seeing some polarization online from book fans.

The polarization of the books going into the public domain really took me by surprise. I’ve mainly seen it online on Facebook within the book fan groups and there has been some critical concerns about it.

On some level, I can understand the frustration from a collecting point of view and how the market can get flooded with any copies of public domain books. I could also see it as a fan. This opens up the opportunity for anyone to take the property and do what they want.

At the other end, this was always inevitable? The yellow back versions will still be there. The originals will still be there. The Minstrel/Wanderer editions will still be there. On another level, it comes across a bit of gate-keeping where people are more concerned with the value of their collections versus the collective good of something no longer being under copyright. There’s good and bad that comes with the territory but that happens with anything when barriers are removed.

Sure, someone might make a cheap Nancy Drew horror movie. But the opposite can also be true: someone might take that source and make a loving fanmade film because the bar for entry has been removed for them.

Personally, I think it’s a good thing.