Fanfiction and literature always seem to be at odds, but these experts suggest that there might not be a big difference after all.

Fanfiction—often considered weird, quirky, and poorly written participation in a fandom—has been gaining traction, and some popular fanfiction novels are even outpacing bestselling books. For example, one of Barnes and Noble’s bestselling books of 2018, Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone, had sold over two million copies as of early 2021 (Audible Blog). However, All the Young Dudes, a popular novel from the fanfiction website Archive of Our Own (AO3), was also completed in 2018 and also reached two million reads by April 2021 (Fanlore). As of early 2026, it sits at just under 20 million reads (despite being five times The Great Alone’s length), according to its AO3 page. How is fan fiction becoming so popular, especially considering its lack of formal editors, press tours, or prominent book deals? 

THE RESEARCH 

Mia Jacobsen et al. of Aarhus University sought to understand the draw toward reading this supposedly “lower quality” literature. In their study “Patterns of Quality: Comparing Reader Reception Across Fanfiction and Commercially Published Literature,” they compared textual and reader differences of fanfiction in comparison to commercially published literature (CPL).

This extensive process started with a cross-examination of two corpora, each of which houses 9,000 works: the Chicago Corpus, a selection of CPL, and the fanfiction corpus, a collection of fanfics from three different fandoms. These two corpora were also separated into higher- and lower-ranked fanfiction (based on a ratio of reader ratings and number of views) and lower- and higher-ranked CPL (based on literary prizes and inclusions on a “classics” list).

Jacobsen et al. used these corpora to calculate textual measures of readability, grammatical complexity, and predictability. They analyzed readability using the Dale-Chall Readability score, which reports the ratio of difficult words to total words. They analyzed grammatical complexity using the Nominal Ratio, which compares the distribution of nouns and adjectives to verbs. And they measured predictability using the Hurst exponent, which measures how much the sentiment of the text changes throughout the work (i.e., its volatility).

The researchers also measured audience measures of reader appreciation and readership. When considering reader appreciation and readership of CPL, the researchers used Goodreads average ratings and rating counts. For fanfiction, they used the AO3 “kudos” (likes) to “hits” (reads) ratio and the number of hits by themselves (Jacobsen et al. 2024, 725–26). The researchers then compared these metrics across both literary mediums and within each literary medium for its higher- and lower-ranked texts. 

This comparison led Jacobsen et al. to report these findings:

  1. Regarding textual measures, fanfiction is different from commercially published literature in that fanfics on average are less readable, less grammatically complex, and less predictable.
  2. Regarding the audience measure of reader appreciation, it was predicted to be higher for fanfics that were more readable, less grammatically complex, and more predictable. For commercially published literature, reader appreciation was predicted to be higher for works that were less readable, more grammatically complex, and less predictable.
  3. Regarding the audience measure of readership, it was higher for both fanfiction and commercially published literature when the works were more readable, less grammatically complex, and more predictable. 
  4. When comparing the textual measures of the higher- and lower-ranked CPL and fanfics, the researchers found that higher-ranked texts in both mediums on average were less readable, more grammatically complex, and less predictable.

Fanfics showing higher levels of reader appreciation behave similarly to novels included
in the literary canon and long-listed for high-brow awards, displaying a more challenging prose and higher nominal ratio.”

—Mia Jacobsen et al.

As the researchers note, “What we are seeing are parallel tendencies that mirror each other within the fanfiction and published corpora, so that the same stylistic and narrative features seem to point to similar reader behaviours, in terms of reception and perceived quality, despite the vastly different characteristics of the texts” (Jacobsen et al. 2024, 732). In other words, when analyzed as a whole, the textual features of fanfics differ from those of CPL, but when the two mediums are compared based on readership and based on differences between high- and low-ranked texts, they exhibit similar trends.

THE IMPLICATIONS

As Jacobsen et al.’s findings suggest, the comparisons between and within fanfiction and CPL reveal trends about what readers want, and may even reveal what authors need from editors. Critical readers evaluating texts for higher ratings and awards appear to appreciate less readability, more grammatical complexity, and more predictability. Authors who are seeking to maximize readership, however, may need editors to help them achieve higher readability, less grammatical complexity, and higher predictability. Editors can use these findings to help authors achieve their individual goals.

Since fanfiction is a community-built domain with its own conventions, comparing it to published literature can more generally provide insights into the reception and perceived quality of published literature itself.”

—Mia Jacobsen et al.

As editors educate themselves on what fanfiction reveals for the publishing world and general readership, they can be prepared for many possibilities in this ever-shifting industry. If anonymous writers are gaining this much popularity without in-house editors, the industry could anticipate a future where these authors continue to independently publish popular works, without the aid of traditional agents, editors, and publishers. Alternatively, the industry could shape a future where promising fanfiction authors enlist the help of traditional agents, editors, and publishers as they seek to broaden the reach and profitability of their work.

In short, as we dispel our literary biases, even the most unexpected mediums can reveal crucial information about the versatility of the publishing industry. 

To learn more about how fanfiction matches the quality of literature, read the full article:

Jacobsen, Mia, Yuri Bizzoni, Pascale Feldkamp Moreira, and Kristoffer L. Nielbo. 2024. “Patterns of Quality: Comparing Reader Reception Across Fanfiction and Commercially Published Literature.” CEUR Workshop Proceedings 3834: 718–39. https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3834/paper106.pdf.

—Laura Vance, Editing Research

FEATURE IMAGE BY PEXELS

Find more research

Take a look at Mikaela Wilkins’s Editing Research article about the relationship between editors and self-publishers: “Why Freelance Editors Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Working with Self-Publishing Authors.”

Read about why readers love fanfiction in Megan Ray’s (2023) article “Why We Should Be Fans of Fan Fiction.” The New York Times. June 26. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/26/learning/why-we-should-be-fans-of-fan-fiction.html.