More Nonsense from the Land of BookTok! 📱📚

[@strizy]

the issue is I highly doubt the etsy accounts selling the fanfiction books are the people who wrote the fanfics. it's probably just someone who found the book and made physical copies for profit.

[@bookloverlaura]

Definitely a possibility!

[@marg3157]

They definitely are! Many fanfiction authors are scared as shit because they understand that fanfic is in a risky legal place of no profit, and platforms like AO3 are REALLY strict with the non-profit rule. Unfortunately popular fanfics are of easy online reach and free, so profit for book binders is really easy. Edit: especially AO3 with the ability to download fics/copy-paste them Edit 2: with book binders I talk about those who profit with it. I'm fine and even enjoy seeing when people bind their fics because they adore them and it's only for them/a gift to a friend who liked them.

[@kailyn4744]

People have bound thier fanfiction for years but selling it for profit especially if they arent giving a cut to the actual fanfiction author is crossing a line

[@bookloverlaura]

Definitely

[@SkyeSoleil]

Fan fic authors legally can’t make any money/profit from their work. They can even get sued for people binding and selling their work whether they were involved or not. It’s why binding fics for profit is always wrong.

[@TheCrazyChickUpstair]

I agree that we should be more open about not liking popular books. I read and disliked some of the major names out there and I got major hate for it. Tiktok and instagram makes it feel like you're the odd one for not liking these books.

[@bookloverlaura]

That’s just not cool. Why does someone else care whether or not you like a book? I’ve certainly tried to convince a friend to reconsider a book, but I’d never actually be mean about it.

[@TheCrazyChickUpstair]

@bookloverlaura I don't take it to heart! I just don't understand why some people feel like book (popular or not) doesn't deserve critique or constructive criticism.

[@bookloverlaura]

@ 💯💯💯

[@plumdutchess]

I hate when people say: "I'm not doing anything illegal." That doesn't make it morally right. Laws aren't the only measure of right or wrong.

[@bookloverlaura]

💯💯💯

[@bunbacheso]

The problem with the first video to me is that the person who posted the original post was NOT promoting the sale of bound fanfic. That’s why I’m glad you picked the second video you picked. There are people who bind fanfics and who, to my knowledge, don’t sell them. It’s a hobby. ETA: imo, binding fanfics isn’t wrong if you don’t sell them.

[@bookloverlaura]

I agree! I think it’s a really cool thing to have as a personal memento of this story you wrote!

[@bunbacheso]

@ have you ever thought about writing a book? (You don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to!)

[@bookloverlaura]

@@bunbacheso not really. Definitely not a novel, if I did it would probably be a children’s book.

[@AGK1999FE]

Binding fanfics for yourself sounds so fun, but I'm too lazy and frugal for that personally☠️

[@actuallyapomergranate]

I rated a book a one star (one of the Cassandra clare books) and I said I hated a character in the book, I got 2 people telling me in detail how to commit and then stalking me on social media for a month. I no longer share my opinions on books online as im scared of the community (the newer community... aka booktok)

[@bookloverlaura]

That’s actually insane! What is wrong with people?! I’m sorry that happened to you.

[@AGK1999FE]

They should get a life, oh ma lord🫂

[@haikatos]

WHAT, I once said that I disliked Clary from TMI and people were like, "girl me too" or "Jace should had been the main character". I'm so impressed by this but I said it on tumblr so maybe it is the reason why no one said anything bad to me (?)

[@KatieeBug445]

People seriously need to grow up. There is not one thing out there that’s above criticism, and people need to learn to not engage with those posts if they disagree.

[@chellyfishing]

I think hobby bookbinding is really cool and I support people doing it but that guy’s not wrong that you gotta be careful about drawing attention to this stuff (especially if you’re gonna just straight copy the original cover and title??). Also the “be careful driving while you listen to smut” feels like the 21st century equivalent of your grandma telling you to always wear clean underwear when you leave the house in case something happens.

[@bookloverlaura]

Omg it does 🤣🤣🤣

[@bluecannibaleyes]

I see no reason why wearing clean underwear wouldn’t also still be sound advice. 😅

[@Simpleandslowliving]

As a nurse I always went super slow to my car after night shifts in the wintertime. I always thought of who is working that day and could potentially see me naked once I fall and hit my head 😂. So clean underwear and normal underwear is always super important

[@Stoneybrookmoon]

The one fanfic I'm most familiar with is Manacled. The author didn't mind people binding it and selling for the cost of the binding/materials in the past. But some were selling it for much more, and she was reporting them. She's now been picked to for traditional publishing for that fic.

[@bookloverlaura]

Very interesting!

[@Nari-7022]

i hope these people know that selling fanfiction for profit is in fact illegal and companies with their ip involved can sue 😅😅😅 pretty sure nintendo did so a while back about unofficial merch

[@SkyeSoleil]

I came here to say this!! There’s a whole reason Ao3 doesn’t let fic writers link their Ko-Fi/Patreon, or even mention that they have original work that’s available to buy. It’s to protect everyone who writes fic and the websites that host them.

[@faramirbutnothatone]

yeah, disney is also super persnickety about it and I think DC has cracked down on fanworks in the past as well.

[@user-px1mf7uz5m]

something something we are everyone who came before yeah yeah. but my god it peeves me so much as a ficwriter that fanfiction is viewed as a "sandbox otw to getting published" because 90% fic authors ik (including me) just write for the love of the media & as a way to engage w/ the community. yeah ficauthors LIKE to write but the skills you develop in this setting usually isn't transferable to professional publishing. it irks me that people now view fandom as a phase/gateway that you will leave behind instead of community with folks who share a love for the art it is expanding on as an audience member.

[@bookloverlaura]

That’s such a great point. I have no experience in the fanfic space, but I hope people aren’t losing sight of the community aspect that brought them all together in the first place.

[@AGK1999FE]

Yeah! Fanfiction is a super nice hobby and a sweet way to share stories for other fans. I haven't written in 8-9 years, but so much love and respect for all the fanfiction writers!! You fanfic writers have made some of my best memories and unlocked a lot of creativity in my own character daydreams ❤️🧡💛

[@emryborge7027]

People definitely aren’t supposed to sell fanfiction, but most of the time it’s someone other than the author doing it, with the author being completely unaware. Awhile ago one ff writer I follow discovered that someone in russia was translating, printing and selling their fanfics😂 it’s absolutely crazy. However I don’t think it’s gonna bring down fanfiction as a whole, as this sort of thing isn’t anything new unfortunately

[@bookloverlaura]

Wow that’s so wild!! I wonder if they were claiming it to be part of the real series

[@songsfordragons]

This has nothing to do with the video, but your voice is so pretty! It gives me voice actor vibes, I don’t know how to explain it.

[@bookloverlaura]

Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I personally cringe every time I hear myself recorded, so I appreciate that a lot! 😊😊

[@SloanePaoPow]

I recently discovered your channel and really enjoy your videos. I don't have tiktok, so it's always interesting to see what's going on there. I also don't read much romance, and I typically find if a book is being hyped on tiktok, I probably won't like it, not necessarily because it's romance, but they just don't have the elements Im looking for.

[@bookloverlaura]

Pretty much the same for me! I just can’t seem to find any books recommended over there that sound good to me. Thanks so much for watching, happy to have you here!

[@ellenmadebookclub]

I might be reaching too, but I feel like the romance/nonfiction one could also be interpreted as like “don’t make me laugh, we are fully aware men are not this good in real life” 😂 I feel like romance is such an empowering genre to read (unless it’s the damaging kind) in the sense that it can help set a standard for what we want in life and in relationships. Kind of like the Disney princess dream, but with some reality components and modern social issues, if that makes sense. Sitting at home and expecting a prince might not be realistic, but knowing your worth and having standards for yourself is a good thing. As you know I’m not a romance reader myself, but I have no issue with other people reading it. And it definitely doesn’t have to be either or with nonfic either. As with everything, girl’s interests are looked down upon and that just makes them dig in even harder and then you get the “skipping paragraphs” crowds ruining it for everyone else and setting weird trends 😂 It makes me sad too that people don’t feel safe to say their opinion. I get that it’s scary sometimes, and doubting yourself and feeling like you must be missing something. But I also love hearing people’s honest opinions and rants, if I don’t agree or I feel personally attacked (however silly that is, let me have my feelings 😂) I’ll just watch another video instead. Voicing your opinion is part of a democracy, so feeling the need to agree with “everyone” is just a part of / result from a form of censorship, in my opinion. Whether it’s from the state or other people. When people allow it, it’s easy for the state to get away with it. That’s scary to me. ALSO what even is the point of booktok/booktube if everyone is just saying the same things?! Let’s just have one channel then, and that can dictate everyone’s opinion. Fun times!

[@bookloverlaura]

Right? It made me so sad for the girl who felt like she couldn’t share honest opinions. Meanwhile I’m over here putting Kristin Hannah and Emily Henry on blast 😂😂

[@xio1062]

the cheap paperback girl looks around 16 to me (for reference im 18) and it makes me sad that she's so comfortable doubling down on things like that online. at that age, its very likely that your political views are influenced by your family, and (speaking from experience lol) its really hard to expand your views and learn once you've doubled down so publicly

[@blane1814]

Thank you for recommending Fable I LOVE it !

[@bookloverlaura]

That makes me so happy!!! Make sure to add me, and I’ll follow you back!

[@cobbler88]

Regarding the tariffs resulting in higher book prices, I can only say that most people don't read to begin with. There is then a large percentage of readers who only buy used or use e-readers. Then we have those who exclusively experience stories via audiobook. Right or wrong, the percentage of people consuming written media who will be impacted could be fairly small. On a side note, I appreciate it when the people claiming they "read" 20 books the previous month admit to actually only listening to some of them. I don't believe they're including ALL such instances, but I wouldn't expect them to. I'd say that probably only about 8/20 books "read" were actually read. People should consume their stories however they want and not feel bad about it. Just don't BS us in the process. Take care.

[@Slangert-1]

6:57 a friend of mine binds fanfiction for friends as gifts. they’re not sold, just given to us as a gift of something we really like to read over and over and over again. That I think is acceptable. However, if you were binding fanfiction without the authors permission, then you were doing something wrong.

[@zoebrugg7594]

I’m a fanfic writer and want to self publish original work, and this is news to me. #1 rule is not proffering from someone else’s work. Fanfic is for fans and labor of love, not money. Shame on the ones printing someone’s work and profiting from making it into a binded book. Just enjoy the free ebooks called fanfics. Pure and simple. Don’t rock the boat, we have a line that keeps inching toward us, making the platforms that much more rocky or likely to not exist.

[@jcehaan]

If you are looking for a bookcommunity to gell with maybee try a silent bookclub. Only read what you want to and share your experiences so maybee you get new ideas of book to read from others. People read classics fantasy non fiction poetry or homework whatever they want.

[@cindywingetbooks]

That girl is obviously wrong that paperbacks aren't going to be $10 now, but why do people have to be so hateful 😢 I also validate my bad reviews 😉

[@jhncxv]

I’m so glad I’ve never used TikTok.

[@MusicalErika]

So, we're just glossing over the mean things that angry tiktoker said about a young girl having a horrible day and her Thanksgiving sucking because she's mad about a vote? Guess what? The people you strongly disagree with also have a right to say crap on tiktok just like you. Can we keep the focus on silly readers and books? Let's not publicly wish a terrible day on people we don't know or who are very young. I mean, you can if you want, but I'm sad that zero attention was brought to this girl's mean spirited attitude. Maybe she had a point, but insulting someone else isn't an argument

[@bookloverlaura]

What she said was definitely not kind, but I’m assuming her patience and kindness for people who voted against basic human rights has just worn thin. I’m not condoning her words, but I can understand why she’s angry.

[@chellyfishing]

People are not obligated to be nice to those who think that ten dollar paperbacks are more important than human rights. And it’s not like the person who responded brought this up out of nowhere. Books are political, reading is political, you cannot separate the two, but the original poster was the one who brought the election into it. Also, the responder didn’t insult them, they said I wish you have a bad day and that your macaroni is greasy, which is hardly a hate crime (you know, the thing that actual marginalized people face regularly). If the OP had the right to say what they did, so did the responder.

[@Tinahgirl83]

@@bookloverlauraIn this case your bias is showing. You’re basically giving her a pass for atrociously ugly behavior to another human being (who, incidentally, also has the basic human right of freedom of speech and freedom of opinion) because you agree with her politically. What she said was ugly and wrong and says a lot about what kind of person she is. The problem with social media is that everyone lives in an echo chamber and is completely unwilling (on both sides) to A. Keep their politics to themselves, and B. Make any effort to understand someone else’s thought process. No conversation can be had. People pick their hot topic point or catchphrase and then just write off the entire other half of the country. You don’t know these people. They don’t know you. Neither side knows why the other voted the way they did and neither side is willing to shut up and listen to the other. They’d both rather just name call and wish evil on people, like that’s a decent thing to do. And then they wonder why America is such a laughingstock to the rest of the world. Let someone say “oh he was just angry that day” or “oh they were just misunderstood” for the next sickening incident at a school, and keep that same energy.

[@bookloverlaura]

@@Tinahgirl83 so much to unpack here… I’ve always been up front about my values and beliefs, so if the fact that I don’t feel bad for an abstract comment by a Tiktoker to a Tr*mp supporter comes as a surprise to you, I feel like that’s on you. I’ve never been subtle about my beliefs on here, so of course I’m biased against those who voted for alleged $10 books over human rights. I specifically said I didn’t think it was nice and I didn’t condone it, me saying I understand her anger does not mean I think it was great thing to say. All I’ll say to the rest of your comment is that actions speak louder than words. Why would I want to have a conversation with someone whose actions showed me with their vote that they care more about their guns and money than other peoples’ rights and lives?

[@Tinahgirl83]

@ You’re right in saying that some of this is on me and my lack of knowledge on your content. I’ve only seen a few of your videos before, so I don’t know anything about you, your channel, or your political views. I generally watch KZbin for entertainment, and the couple of yours I watched were entertaining. You’re perfectly free to have a problem with who she voted for, but I still say that “understanding” somebody picking on or wishing negativity on another person, particularly someone younger, is kind of cringe. Basically you don’t outright co-sign it, but you also low-key kind of do. Saying actions speak louder than words when the only actions you have are a supposed name on a ballot and some TikToks are why no discussions of value ever happen anymore in this country. Opinions are being fully formed based off of reels, as though people are always what they portray themselves to be online - even in the face of knowing how much stuff is scripted and performative. Honestly, considering how much stuff is said (about literally every topic under the sun) just to piss people off and gain views and reposts, I’m genuinely surprised that anyone took $10 books so seriously. However, to fully answer your question, the reason conversation with people who don’t think exactly like you is so important is because that’s how you grow. That’s how you expand your understanding of the world around you and about human nature in general. If you truly want to understand what makes people think/feel/behave how they do in any given instance, you can’t ask the person living in the same house (same mindset/circumstances) as you. You have to talk to those people. If you want to know why drugs are a huge problem for inner-city school kids, you don’t ask the people who live in suburbia with you. You ask the inner-city kids. I’m sure you get the point. People who refuse to talk to people who are different from them are easy to manipulate, which is why so much division is encouraged in the world. Too much time is spent in echo chambers, which exist to tell us what we want to hear as opposed to what we need to hear, and which reinforce already established beliefs instead of encouraging us to think critically. Ignorance runs rampant because it’s easier for everyone to lob labels and judgment around than actually attempt to hold a meaningful conversation that will result in better knowledge and understanding of others. If you don’t support this candidate, you deserve no peace and should be unalived by the next passing hurricane. If you don’t support that candidate, you’re unpatriotic and should be deported, regardless of citizenship status, based on what you look like. In the middle are the people who either simply voted the way they’ve always voted, which is what most Americans do, or who thought one side said something they liked better than the other side. It’s not even occurred to people that a lot of people on both sides are lying about their politics because it suits their wallets to do so. Politics have always been used to divide and set people violently against each other (and it has definitely succeeded in doing that in 2024) because political division has made, is making, and will continue to make a lot of people a lot of money, none of which has ever or will ever be seen by the groups of people doing all the arguing. My main reason for this diatribe is this - When we understand how little we really understand, it puts things in perspective. It reminds us to see people as people - fully formed and multi-faceted, with all the stories and backgrounds and histories and experiences that form them - and not just as a name on a piece of paper or a screen. It gives us empathy, which in turn gives us kindness, which in turn makes us better people ourselves. And we could ALL stand to be better people. ❤️

[@goodmanticore]

Ariana Grande’s “RIGHT” also jumpscares me every single time. Which is usually fine except when I’m driving. 😂

[@bookloverlaura]

EVERY. TIME. 🤣🤣🤣