eosrose

Dear F-List,

If we're friends, that's probably because you participate in fandom in some way. Do you write fanfiction or meta? Translate works into other languages? Create vids, art, fanmixes, graphics, or podfic? Share picspams or hilarious episode reaction posts? If you said yes to any of the above, then you should have a Transformative Works Policy.

More and more people throughout fandom are becoming interested in transforming fanworks. Fans want to create podfics, remixes, sequels, timestamps, translations, art, fanmixes, or teaser vids for their favorite fics. They want to write fics inspired by their favorite art or even attempt art in the style of their favorite artist. They want to illustrate their favorite meta and make podcasts out of their favorite not!fics.

So what does this mean for you? It means that if you have not already been approached by someone who has been inspired by you looking for permission to play in your sandbox, you probably will be at some point in the future. No matter how you feel about the quality of your fanworks, I promise you that someone, somewhere, has been inspired by them. But people are shy. And, for some, the idea of approaching you to ask permission to do something when they're not sure of their welcome can be terrifying.

Now ask yourself this: Are you in favor of other fans transforming your works? Yes? No? Do you prefer that people ask first? Maybe you welcome transformative works of anything you've tagged a specific way? There is no wrong answer here. Just think out your policy and state it plainly on the profile of any journal or archive you post to. You may wish to post your policy on your masterpost too, if you have one.

Remember: This message isn't intended only for people in-favor of others playing in their sandbox. If you aren't comfortable with the idea and your answer is "no", that doesn't mean you're a bad person. You won't hurt anyone's feelings by politely stating that you are not comfortable with transformative works at this time. In fact, you'll probably spare someone the disappointment of having their request declined and spare yourself some anxiety over having to decline any direct requests. Be upfront!

With Love,
eosrose | eosrose | eosrose

Resources:

akamine_chan has posted a far more in-depth explanation of Transformative Works Policies than I could ever hope to devise, so you should absolutely consult that post for suggestions.
Fanlore's explanation of Blanket Statements of permission to transform.
In the podfic fandom, it has been a common practice to invite pro-podfic author's to share their blanket statements in response to community and/or challenge posts:
- Pro-Podfic Authors on amplificathon
- Pro-Podfic Authors on amplificathon
- Harry Potter Podfic-Friendly Authors on fire_juggler's journal
- Sherlock Transformative Works Policy List on Tumblr