Talk:Forever Knight: A Reference Guide

I'm not sure exactly how to classify this. It's a fan creation, without a doubt; and it was not only self-published but sold through Gwenn's fan website. That would suggest that it ought to be considered a "resource zine".

On the other hand, the book was definitely authorized by Sony/Tristar; and, as a result, Gwenn had unusual access to a wide range of creative personnel—not just a few actors at a con, but all the regular actors as well as some with recurring roles; Jim Parriott, who created the series as well as producing it and writing the premieres for Seasons One and Three; several of the script writers who were on staff, as well as some who wrote particularly popular episodes; and the composer of most of the music for the show.

Furthermore, although there is a section about fandom at the end, the bulk of the book comprises the sort of thing one would expect in an official book about a TV series, i.e. character/episode guides plus a hefty amount of behind-the-scenes background on the making of the show.

Is there such a thing as an amateur authorized book about a show? Because that's basically what this is, and how it is viewed in the fandom. --Greer Watson (talk) 07:30, 11 September 2013 (UTC)

It straddles a lot of lines. My definition of a fanwork is 1) fan-produced (which this is), 2) not-for-profit (which it probably isn't). Certainly fans have written official tie-in books, but those were, of course, sold through official channels, which this wasn't. That's the part that blurs the line. One question: does it have an ISBN #? That may be a tipping point. In the end, you could always add it as a fanwork, but add a section which encompasses the info on this talk page. That would let people make up their own mind, and it would emphasize the sometimes thin line between pro and fan. --Mrs. Potato Head (talk) 11:44, 11 September 2013 (UTC)

You know, the funny thing is that, until I had to stick a category onto the article, it never occurred to me that there was a potential issue here. As I have a limited number of active fandoms and came in largely after the 'zine era, I simply took the fandom's approach to the book—i.e. treating it as neither an official production nor a fanzine. Sui generis, really.

Anyway, I've e-mailed Gwenn for clarification on the points you raise. Certainly, there's no ISBN on the book as far as I can see. --Greer Watson (talk) 11:50, 12 September 2013 (UTC)

Gwenn says she had to spend a couple of thousand dollars up front to the publishing company to get the book published, and didn't get an ISBN because it would have cost $100 more. She had 200 copies printed, selling them for $20 plus shipping, and was sold out in a few months. She "pretty much broke even". I've asked if I may quote her actual e-mail in the article. It doesn't exactly sound like a major publishing deal; but the sales aren't at all bad for self-publishing. Then again, in 2003 there were still a fair number of FK fans on list. --Greer Watson (talk) 03:15, 13 September 2013 (UTC)

Sounds like an all-around fanwork to me. If you could quote or summarize some things on this talk page in a section on the article, it would be interesting. --Mrs. Potato Head (talk) 11:54, 13 September 2013 (UTC)