That's a new reason for rejection...

[kippurbird]

Rejection letter a friend of a friend got. Said friend already has a few novels published.

At this time, we are looking for authors with a considerable following of readers. I am afraid that we will not be considering your book for publication at this time, as we do not see an adequate fanbase on the Internet."

Comments

[pandoras-closet.livejournal.com]

. . .

publisher fail?

[albijuli]

huhwhat

[dergerm.livejournal.com]

HAAAhahahaha, that's cute! OMG, first publishers detest and spite fandom and fan fiction, NOW THEY WON'T PUBLISH YOU UNLESS YOU HAVE IT! WHAAAAT?!

Now it's your job to tell us who this writer is so we can start making a fanbase for them.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

My friend didn't tell me. D:

[faded-enmity.livejournal.com]

Ah, well ... you can post original fiction online and gain a following that way, too. >_>

[bklydej.livejournal.com]

Soooooo...how do first time writers get published?

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Fan fiction!

[palmer-kun.livejournal.com]

Who was this?

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

In regards to the publisher or the author? In either case, I don't know.

I will try to find out.

[baeraad.livejournal.com]

Grrrrr... yeah. I don't know how widespread this is, but it does seem to be the latest brilliant idea of the publishing industry - only publish people who's already built an army of fanatical fans who think that everything they do is golden.

[jacedraccus.livejournal.com]

Sounds like they're copying the music industry.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Executives in any company seem to take a good idea, push it to the extremes and then wonder why it blows up in their face.

And then, they don't learn from it.

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

Hmm, this does explain Cassie Clare and Sarah Reese Brennan's major contracts, no?

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Probably.

[reverie-shadow.livejournal.com]

Wh--

WHAT?

[lenka0602.livejournal.com]

*jawdrop*

are you fucking kidding me? no fanbase on teh internetz? NO INTERNET FANBASE?!

this is indeed a very sad day. I never though I would ever witness times when the world of literature would stoop THIS low.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

It's not literature likely, but the executives who probably told the editors this.

[prototypical]

My icon say about everything right now.

[kjtaylor.livejournal.com]

Jiggawha?

Who is this publisher? Tell me so I can avoid their sorry arse.

[vytresna.livejournal.com]

Stole my words.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Going to see if I can find out.

[falconwhitaker.livejournal.com]

Shouldn't that mean that you'd have no problem getting published because you're already Internet-famous, Kippur?

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

I'm only a little bit internet famous.

[smurasaki.livejournal.com]

Clearly, we need to see that you become more internet famous!

[brightrosefox.livejournal.com]

...
Wait, What?

Yeah, okay, this publisher is a dick.

[dracorn-adagio.livejournal.com]

Bwuh wut? That is... odd.

[nekros-dokragen.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry but, what?

What did they mean by fan base? They liked your fan fiction? I thought fanfics were looked down on.
Or must you post your actual story online to show how many people read and commented on it? Because that would make buying it pointless wouldn't it?

I mean yeah, people publish fanfics and online stories sometimes and some people (like me) do plan to write side stories online to get a small fandom to say "hey I got publish, why don't you check it out" to.
But to enforce that idea is...

I really hope this doesn’t catch on.

[jacedraccus.livejournal.com]

I think they're saying "Ok, you have already published books, but you do not have enough fan fiction about those books on the intarwebs, so you are clearly not popular enough for us to publish your latest book."

[smurasaki.livejournal.com]

O_o Indeed.