Niglover
Typically three reasons.
1. The biggest reason is that they are mixed in with the original novels in the rankings. Many original readers dislike seeing them fill up the rankings, making it harder to find originals to read. On the flip-side, some fanfic lovers also dislike this as it can make it hard to find just fanfics. There is a fanfic category, but this prevents the novels from having a different 'main' category. Ideally, fanfics would all be put in their own rankings so they can also be divided into proper genres and such.
2. Another good chunk of the dislike comes from original authors. Again, this sort of falls back to the issue of the original rankings being shared with fanfics. New authors and/or books must build a fan base from scratch. Fanfics can pull from millions of existing fans, and because of this they typically rise in the rankings much faster/earlier than originals. Additionally, many fanfics are just poorly written and still rise as the fans are hungry for content. There are of course exceptions to this rule, but they're rare. On another note, this leaves a bad taste in the mouths of some new authors that enter the weekly writing competitions. It doesn't feel good losing to a fanfic, as it isn't really fair that they get to pull from huge existing fan bases. Granted, whether it is fair or not is debatable. Sex/adult novels also do really well in competitions, so they get some similar hate as well.
3. Many readers and authors view fanfic as lazy since the fanfic author is starting off with an existing world. This frame means they don't have to put as much effort into world building, system designs, etc. On the other hand, the author is often constrained by that same frame, and if they step out of line then the more hardcore fans may attack them for it. So it's a double-edged sword that presents its own challenges and advantages.

I've never written fanfic, though I have taken to reading some in recent times. I've been disappointed with the vast majority of them, finding them very lacking. There's only been a few I've come across that are actually really good and kept me hooked. That being said, I'd imagine it probably is a good way to improve writing skill. At the very least it might give you a large reading base that can provide you with feedback, though I'd question the accuracy of that feedback based on some 'top' fanfic novels I've read in the past. Ultimately, anyone that writes anything frequently and in large volume is likely to improve over time as long as they don't repeat their mistakes and keep trying to learn as they go. I welcome fanfic on the site, but I still think it should have its own section. Webnovel had actually mentioned putting it in its own section in another forum thread a while back, but they didn't give an estimated date as to when.

    I'm writing my own fanfic (called Superfail) and I agree with you on that. I'm only writing a fan fiction to improve my terrible writing skills. Surprisingly ive only wrote 5-6 chapters recently in a 2 month period and I already have 13k views o.o so yeah your base can just skyrocket! I didn't even know fan fictions get a bad rep... Thanks for the information! =

      I have nothing against fanfics, but I think they should be in a different tab from original works.

      Write a Reply...
      Web Novel Novel Ask