Abstract

This article considers fan fiction as (self-)publication, particularly noting the tensions between institutional notions of textual production within academia and how fan writing works against paradigms of publishing espoused in higher education. Such tensions are indicative of institutional pressures for "legitimate" publications. Offering a fan writer's first-person perspective on fan fiction, this article questions who defines "publishing" and how that definition affects fan creators within academia and offers a consideration of these relationships as meaningful in ongoing conversations regarding how "publishing" is conceived.