Fandom permission statements
Hello, I am here with yet another pitch for writers to add a permission statement to their AO3 bio! Posts about permission statements tend to circulate among the podfic community, which is really preaching to the choir, so I would really love it if some writer-types also reblog this. ā¤ļø
(While permission statements can and do address multiple types of transformative work, this post very podfic-centric.)
What is a permission statement?
A permission statement tells people who create works based on fanfics (e.g. podfic, art, remixes) whether or not you're okay with people making stuff based on your writing and in what circumstances.
Even if you're not up for giving everyone permission for everything, having a statement we can read is SO appreciated!
What is blanket permission?
Blanket permission is a term podficcers use for permissions that let us create and post podfic without having to contact the author. We love this!
What other kinds of permission statements are there and why would I still want to use one?
If you don't want to give blanket permission, having a permission statement telling folks what you are and aren't okay with helps a lot!
If an author doesn't want to give blanket permission, a statement encouraging podfic but asking a podficcer to ask first still tells us you're interested and that we can expect to receive a friendly (even if not always a 'yes') response.
If you don't want podfic made of your work at all, then telling us this saves us time and saves you from getting repeated messages from different podficcers!
Sure do! Here's the statement I currently have in my AO3 profile (which you should feel free to copy, modify or take any other kind of inspiration from):
I grant blanket permission for podfics, art and translations, and any other transformative work as long as it involves absolutely no monetary profit or monetary exchange of any kind, or contribution to or use of generative AI. Please link back to the original so I can be thrilled you did it!
Why consider blanket permission?
If you do want podfic made of your work, blanket permission makes it a whole lot more likely a podficcer will choose your work! Because:
Especially for events with quick turnaround times and that include recommendations made to other podficcers for projects, it's often the only way we can get permission in time
It means we can start working on a project as soon as we decide to, rather than having to wait to hear back
Some people are less comfortable reaching out to ask and so will be less willing to podfic works without blanket permission
It can also feel awkward to ask for permission and then not do the podfic for a while (or ever), which can be a mental barrier to reaching out
Blanket permission is so helpful that we even have a whole database of people who have blanket permission so we can find them more easily and an extension that highlights their names in green for 'full speed ahead!'
Podfic makes a writer's work more accessible to audiences that aren't always able to engage with written text, and I personally love it when someone cares about my writing to put in the effort to podfic it. So I want to encourage its creation as much as I can!
No matter what kind of permission you end up being comfortable with, I hope you will consider adding a statement to your AO3 profile, and thanks for reading this pitch!
Fanworks permission statement builder by flamingwell
Directory of creators with blanket permission (FPS list)
