Fanficcers: How do you promote "parent" works?

[Nerys Ghemor]

Here's something I've been thinking about a lot lately.

One of the characters I use in my fanfics, as I think my readers are already aware, comes from a Star Trek novel called Betrayal, written back in the old numbered-novel days, by Lois Tilton. Berat--who's received quite a promotion from me, as well another major, life-changing event, is a character I LOVE working with.

But in some ways, that leaves me with an even bigger debt of gratitude.

I know it's probably a long, long shot--but I would absolutely be tickled...greyer... ( ) if I could somehow generate enough interest in the character that people would go back to the original work and see what it was about Ms. Tilton's work that was so compelling. I doubt a physical reprint would ever happen, given what a small subset we fanficcers already are...but I would be absolutely, completely thrilled if perhaps people would buy the E-book (which I checked, and it is available).

I believe E-book purchases compensate the author?

I would also add Andrew J. Robinson's A Stitch in Time to this list. Out of Garak's blend of truth and lies (and yes, I do believe Garak lied in some places in that book, and that I even caught him out on one) I came away with a VERY strong inspiration for writing about the Cardassian faith, the Oralian Way, and some lives it turned in a very different direction in an alternate universe.

What about you guys? Do you have any inspirations, any particular "parent" works you feel this sort of debt of gratitude towards, and that you would want to promote?

 

[PSGarak]

^ All of this talk about Garak lying I keep seeing. I honestly can't fathom why.

I would also say "A Stitch in Time" was very much inspiration for me, as well as all of the original writing for the DS9 show. Not that I would think Mr. Robinson is hurting for money or anything, but yeah, I would encourage anybody who likes Garak as a character to buy that book, even if you can only find it used. And I'm always trying to recruit new Niners to the show.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Why? I have a reliable source.

<--- See illustration.

 

[Gibraltar]

As my cast of characters are original creations, there's really no specific parent work to cite. However, my series and characters owe equally to TNG and DS9 for inspiration, with a lesser debt to Voyager for some of Pava's background.

From TNG I'd learned what career shipboard life looks like in 24th century Starfleet service.

From DS9 I learned the value of not always having your characters see eye-to-eye (or even like one another, for that matter), as well as the complexities inherent in species that I'd previously felt I understood particularly well.

 

[KobayashiMaru13]

A story I started a while ago owes inspiration from Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz's "Vulcan's Heart" which gave an in-depth look into Romulan society.

And, the crew of my USS Neverland was much modeled after the TOS crew.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Another story I'd like to promote..."Seeds of Dissent" by James Swallow. It's one of the Myriad Universe stories that looks at an AU where Khan won.

But another feature of the story is a very interesting AU Dukat that sadly we only get to see a little of. Now, I took my own AU Dukat in a very different direction, set him in a world with a different story and fleshed him out a LOT more, but "Seeds of Dissent" most definitely emboldened me to go ahead with my choice to write a version of Dukat that turned out as a truly good man.

 

[Mistral]

I'm fascinated with Strangers In the Sky-in fact, my story The Dove Farm is directly related to it. In order to promote it, I often paint the title in lurid reds across my naked body and streak through conventions. I'm kinda old and slow so its fairly easy to read.

 

[BolianAuthor]

Here's something I've been thinking about a lot lately.

One of the characters I use in my fanfics, as I think my readers are already aware, comes from a Star Trek novel called Betrayal, written back in the old numbered-novel days, by Lois Tilton. Berat--who's received quite a promotion from me, as well another major, life-changing event, is a character I LOVE working with.

But in some ways, that leaves me with an even bigger debt of gratitude.

I know it's probably a long, long shot--but I would absolutely be tickled...greyer... ( ) if I could somehow generate enough interest in the character that people would go back to the original work and see what it was about Ms. Tilton's work that was so compelling. I doubt a physical reprint would ever happen, given what a small subset we fanficcers already are...but I would be absolutely, completely thrilled if perhaps people would buy the E-book (which I checked, and it is available).

I believe E-book purchases compensate the author?

I would also add Andrew J. Robinson's A Stitch in Time to this list. Out of Garak's blend of truth and lies (and yes, I do believe Garak lied in some places in that book, and that I even caught him out on one) I came away with a VERY strong inspiration for writing about the Cardassian faith, the Oralian Way, and some lives it turned in a very different direction in an alternate universe.

What about you guys? Do you have any inspirations, any particular "parent" works you feel this sort of debt of gratitude towards, and that you would want to promote?

I'd have to say my biggest inspiration for any of my fanfics, was the ST:TNG novel "Vendetta", by Peter David. That novel was probably THE single biggest inspiration for me to write "Star Trek: Entomalians", my first posted fanfic. The way Peter David was able to describe the scale of battle, and the emotion of the characters blew me away. It remains my favorite novel, of any genre.

 

[Gibraltar]

I'm fascinated with Strangers In the Sky-in fact, my story The Dove Farm is directly related to it. In order to promote it, I often paint the title in lurid reds across my naked body and streak through conventions. I'm kinda old and slow so its fairly easy to read.

Thanks, Mistral. I just spit my tasty double-shot mocha all over my laptop!

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

I'm fascinated with Strangers In the Sky-in fact, my story The Dove Farm is directly related to it. In order to promote it, I often paint the title in lurid reds across my naked body and streak through conventions. I'm kinda old and slow so its fairly easy to read.

Thanks, Mistral. I just spit my tasty double-shot mocha all over my laptop!

Umm. Get out of my head - please!?!

In my case, I would have to give credit to Diane Carey's novel, "Ship of the Line," which delved into the character of Captain Morgan Bateson and gave a passing mention to the Starfleet Border Service and border cutters. I pretty much jettisoned 90% of the direction she took with Bateson, but I still guess I owe her a debt for inspiration.

 

[kes7]

I'm fascinated with Strangers In the Sky-in fact, my story The Dove Farm is directly related to it. In order to promote it, I often paint the title in lurid reds across my naked body and streak through conventions. I'm kinda old and slow so its fairly easy to read.

 

[Mistral]

I'm fascinated with Strangers In the Sky-in fact, my story The Dove Farm is directly related to it. In order to promote it, I often paint the title in lurid reds across my naked body and streak through conventions. I'm kinda old and slow so its fairly easy to read.

Couldn't resist.

 

[Rush Limborg]

Rand's backstory in Enterprise: The First Adventure inspired an in-the-works novel of mine.

The DS9 relaunch (particularly the Ezri-Julian break-up), and Ezri's captaincy in Destiny, inspired me, in part, to write "Of Power And Passion", the fan-fic I posted about a month or two ago.

(I also have ideas in my sketchbook for a series of novels revolving around Captain Dax and Dr. Bashir--and Section 31. My effort to reconcile the two--and fulfill a few other desires of mine....)

 

[mirandafave]

In my case, I would have to give credit to Diane Carey's novel, "Ship of the Line," which delved into the character of Captain Morgan Bateson and gave a passing mention to the Starfleet Border Service and border cutters. I pretty much jettisoned 90% of the direction she took with Bateson, but I still guess I owe her a debt for inspiration.

Ha! Love it. Here's what I had answered over on Ad Astra. It seems we were both inspired by the less than stellar portrayal of the border service in that book.

Well I think apart from Gene himself everything has been influenced by canon - the various TV series and movies.
With that said the nugget of a kernel of an idea about writing for a Border Patrol vessel was born from reading 'Ship of the Line' by Diane Carey. It explored the figure of Morgan Bateson before he entered the anomaly that almost make the Bozeman crash into the Ent-D.
That story also dealt with the Madred villages which inspired the background to the character of Caitlyn Ryan. Other than that reading other fanficcers spurred me to write down the stories I had in my head. So I thank an awful lot of you people in regards that.

 

[Gojirob]

'Sarek' by AC Crispin, even though, skill-wise, it Mary Sued Peter Kirk even more than I did in the Ancient Destroyer series. 'Spock's World' gave me the notion that the Romulans when they left Vulcan kept to the same clan marriage arrangements, leading to the Romulan CO played by Mark Lenard, who is a major supporting character in my AU. Reading about ST Phase Two's plans had me placing Decker, Ilia and Xon aboard the 1701 when three of the TOS 7 leave in succession. Q-Squared gave me the ambitious, explain-it-all scope I've used in the ADU.

 

[Trippy]

My fan fics are on my blog in my sig. I guess now that I'm a mod here I won't post them here (they are older anyway)

I have a few more on the job. They all kind of follow my first fan fic (all ENT stories)

 

[Trippy]

I'm fascinated with Strangers In the Sky-in fact, my story The Dove Farm is directly related to it. In order to promote it, I often paint the title in lurid reds across my naked body and streak through conventions. I'm kinda old and slow so its fairly easy to read.

Thanks, Mistral. I just spit my tasty double-shot mocha all over my laptop!

Ditto, but it was water

 

[kes7]

My fan fics are on my blog in my sig. I guess now that I'm a mod here I won't post them here (they are older anyway)

I have a few more on the job. They all kind of follow my first fan fic (all ENT stories)

What would stop you from posting them here?

 

[Trippy]

Well, I wouldn't post them for challenges.

They are old anyway. I wrote them when ENT was still on the air, and one is still unfinished.

My blog is a writing blog. I post some excerpts from my short stories there too, among other things.

 

[BolianAuthor]

May as well post them here... it is a fanfic forum, after all...