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After the release of Alchemised by SenLinYu, people are talking about fanfiction now more than ever. Before getting published by Del Ray books, Alchemised was first a Harry Potter fanfiction called Manacled written on the popular fanfiction website Archive of Our Own, otherwise known as AO3. Although it is a rare case for a fanfiction to be this beloved before getting published traditionally, there are many other popular books that also started off as fanfictions.

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon was originally a Reylo fanfiction titled Landscape with a Blur of Conquerors written on AO3. Similarly, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood was also a Reylo fanfiction, though set in a modern au (alternate universe). Cassandra Clare, the creator of the Shadowhunter Novels, wrote three Harry Potter fanfictions starring Draco and Ginny that became known as the Draco Trilogy, which later inspired the main characters of The Mortal Instruments, Jace and Clary. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James was originally a Twilight fanfiction called Master of the Universe. And probably the most notorious of them all is After by Anna Todd, which was first a One Direction fanfiction starring Harry Styles.

Fanfiction is a huge part of fandoms for both readers and writers alike. While readers get to experience the magic of reading beloved stories in new and interesting ways or explore relationships between characters that might not have ever come to fruition in the original media, fanfiction can also be an incredible tool for new writers to start honing their craft without the daunting task of world building and character creation looming over them. And that is where things get a bit controversial.

Fanart and fanfiction have always struggled to be seen as “real art” due to their natures of borrowing from other forms of media. While it is true that a fanfiction cannot be published because of its ties to copyrighted media, it cannot be denied that the fanfiction community has produced some really incredible traditionally published authors. And I’m not talking about Ali Hazelwood, Cassandra Clare, or any of the authors I’ve mentioned above (not to say that they aren’t also talented authors). Most people know that those authors started off writing fanfictions. Instead, I wanted to introduce you to seven popular authors that you might not have known started their writing careers as a fanfiction writer.

Marissa Meyer

Marissa Meyer, most notable for her series The Lunar Chronicles, started off her writing career as a very active fanfiction writer on Fanfiction.net. Although she dabbled in a few fandoms, most of her works were written in the world of Sailor Moon. Unlike most authors, Meyer never deleted her account on Fanfiction.net. In fact, you can still read all the fanfictions she wrote under the pen name Alicia Blade. You can find her page here if you’re curious to see what Meyer was writing before she became a New York Times-bestselling author.

Interested in Meyer’s work? Check out Cinder, the first book in The Lunar Chronicles.

Naomi Novik

Naomi Novik, who won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 2015 with her book Uprooted not only started writing fanfiction on AO3 in 2008, but is actually one of the founders of the website. In fact, Novik was so involved in the fanfiction community that her first published novel, Her Majesty’s Dragon actually began as a Master and Commander fanfiction. While the majority of her works are within the fandoms of American Idol RPF, Person of Interest, Supernatural, Stargate Atlantis, and Harry Potter, Novik has written 528 works across 100 different fandoms. She is still decently active on the website, with her latest story uploaded on January 11th, 2024 and you can find her page here under the name astolat.

Interested in Novik’s work? Check out Spinning Silver.

Olivie Blake

Before Olivie Blake was writing her viral series The Atlas, she was writing fanfictions under the pen name McKinnon. Although she eventually made the switch to AO3, where she started writing under the name we all know and love, Olivie Blake, she became well known for her Harry Potter fanfiction The Dispossession of Hannah Clarke, a story focusing primarily on the character Regulus Black. While Blake’s early works on AO3 were within the Harry Potter and Sherlock fandoms, and mostly of the Dramoine variety, her most recent works focus on pieces of classic literature, particularly those of Jane Austen (which you can still find here). While Blake hasn’t been active on AO3 in a few years, her last piece being posted in March of 2021, she is very open about her love for fanfiction and its usefulness in helping her experiment with storytelling before committing to a traditional novel.

Interested in Blake’s work? Check out The Atlas Six, the first book in The Atlas series.

Andy Weir

Did you know that The Martian by Andy Weir actually started off as serialized chapters posted on his blog? Although not a fanfiction, the process of sharing his writing for free while engaging with fans and building up a fanbase before self publishing his work is similar to the process of other authors who first started writing by posting fanfictions. So, it’s really no surprise when Andy Weir did end up dipping his toes into fanfiction.

After the success of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Weir wrote a short story set in the OASIS universe titled Lacero following the character Nolan Sorrento, the head of Innovative Online Industries and main antagonist of the series. While Weir originally published the story online, Cline loved it so much that he decided to make the work officially canon. You can find the story published at the end of the Subterranean Press version of Ready Player One here on Galactanet.

Interested in Weir’s work? Check out Project Hail Mary.

Ruby Dixon

Although you may know her from her alien romance series Ice Planet Barbarians, Ruby Dixon first became popular writing Twilight fanfiction under the name mspurplefluffycat. Her fanfictions generally explored well loved characters in alternate universes, so it’s not surprising to learn that some of her books and characters took inspiration from fanfiction. Her novel Sworn to the Shadow God, the second book in the Aspect and Anchor series, is well known to be inspired by Reylo. Dixon confirms it herself in the author’s note that the character Rhagos, the aforementioned Shadow God, was inspired by Kylo Ren.

Interested in Dixon’s work? Check out Ice Planet Barbarians.

N.K. Jemisin

Before becoming the first African American to win three Hugo awards in row for best science-fiction or fantasy novel, N.K. Jemisin was writing Dragon Ball Z fanfiction. While a lot of writers experiment with storytelling through fanfiction, Jemisin was a little different than what you’d expect. During a low period in grad school, Jemisin started writing fanfiction. Though the initial draw to writing stories about Dragon Ball Z was the community surrounding fanfictions (as someone who did not have very many friends at this point in her life), her time writing fanfictions reignited her passion for writing. So you can thank Dragon Ball Z and fanfiction for helping to create one of the best science-fiction/fantasy authors of our time.

Interested in Jemisin’s work? Check out The Fifth Season, the first book in the Broken Earth trilogy.

Tamsyn Muir

Tamsyn Muir, the author of the Locked Tomb series, first became popular on AO3 with her Homestuck fanfiction titled The Serendipity Gospels, written under the name urbanAnchorite. Still on AO3 (you can find her page here), Muir has 19 Homestuck fanfictions spanning the years of 2011 to 2013. While I am not sure if the Locked Tomb series started off as a Homestuck fanfiction, readers who have read both the series and The Serendipity Gospels comment that there are some similarities to the stories and definitely some references she left for Homestuck fans. There are even conversations on reddit about whether or not you should read The Serendipity Gospels before the Locked Tomb series, which you absolutely don’t have to. 99% of the references are things that feel very natural within the setting of the series. And if you’re curious about the 1%, I’ll leave you with this: “none House, with left grief.”

Interested in Muir’s work? Check out Gideon the Ninth, the first book in the Locked Tomb series.

Listen to the pros: write fanfiction

In a world where people will try to tell you that fanfiction isn’t real literature, don’t listen to them. Listen to the countless successful authors who, once upon a time, used fanfiction as a tool to develop their craft. Listen to the authors who built fanfiction writing platforms to bring together readers and writers alike. Listen to the authors who found a supportive community and a newfound passion for writing through fanfiction.

Read it, write it, tell all your family and friends about it. Don’t let anyone every make you feel bad about enjoying fanfiction. The pros love it too.