that is why I sometimes toy with "fan fiction" I think for the vast majority, fan fiction is just plain shit. Usually, I think it is just some dudes (or lady) fantasy for a specific story line.
But I have come across some decent fan fic where I was thinking, "Dang, that was nice free download, but I would've actually would have paid to read the stuff."
I wonder tho' if my expectation is lowered when I read some fan fiction so I tend to cut it some slack. Whereas books written by DRGIII or Mack, I have a high bar, as I expect (and usually get it), excellent writing from those two.
Not to de-rail the topic to the pros/cons of Fan Fic, but sometimes Fan Fic provides nice backstory (or a sequel) to some characters for instance, Lt Sam Lavelle -- from Lower Decks TNG episode --
Lower Decks is another episode I would've liked novelized.