From that press release:

packaging it for mainstream audiences

Wow, how far off the mark is that?

Just going to the main page for a few moments made me feel ill. Packaged, trite bullshit. (I wonder if that's where the badfic will go to live...)

There are already stories up on FanLib. And they are pretty much of th quality you'd expect. I was browsing through the summaries of some and one that struck me was an LoTR story about Faramir discovering his adopted daughter, Grace, is deaf.

How the heck are they going to make money off of something that depends on the studios not serving us all with cease and desist orders?

They claim (or at least a couple of employees have claimed, when pressed) that the studios are changing their attitudes towards fan fiction. So, you know, it's a "fair bet" that no one will get sued.

Who wants to be the first person to test that theory and post some underage Harry Potter slash?

Isn't there also something in Fanlib's TOS that says that, in the even of legal badness from the creators of the source material, the fanfic authors exempt Fanlib from fault?

I devoutly hope cosplay has nothing to do with figgy pudding.

::snerkle::

Isn't there also something in Fanlib's TOS that says that, in the even of legal badness from the creators of the source material, the fanfic authors exempt Fanlib from fault?

Of course! You can't expect them to be responsible for what's posted there.

"It'll be just like YouTube, but for fic!"

And we all know that no one's gone after YouTube and made them take down videos.

Faramir discovering his adopted daughter, Grace, is deaf.

Oh, dear. And also WTF?

There are men in fandom, but I think the general rule of women coagulating (sorry, couldn't think of a better word) into communities applies to online fandom/fanfic. Women are more likely to seek out and/or create a community around their fandoms.

So, when do we build Sang Sacre in Second Life?

So men can have fandoms and not seek out or create communities about them?

My personal definition of fandom rides on community. You're just a fan until you start seeking people out based on them being a fan of the same thing--the more structured that gets, the deeper you get.

But I know everyone's mileage differs.

I'm trying to come up with a short list of book review sites/blogs to send my publicity folk, and I'm coming up confused.

Any faves? Advice? I'm unsure how to ask, "hey, can I send this for possible reviewage?" without sounding like a used car salesman.

so , basically they had an idea, but forgot to do their due diligence. I'm not a big fanfic reader - but I know more about it than the guys that put together this site.

Smart Bitches? [link]

Early Ink? [link]

Websites/blogs that review books are used to receiving ARCs. It's new to you, but old hat to them. Just ask.