60
AdAptAtion in the Age of MediA ConvergenCe
the series. 6 By now, the f irst book of the series alone has sold more than
65 million copies worldwide, and the success of the franchise is ongoing.
In February 2015 the f ilm version of Fifty Shades of Grey was released,
followed by the latest book sequel Grey in June of the same year. The
second movie, Fifty Shades Darker, was released in 2017 and the third
one in 2018.
Like Leonard, Judith Rumelt initially published the fanfiction series
The Draco Trilogy (Draco Dormiens, Draco Sinister, and Draco Veritas)
on Fanfiction.net, beginning in 2000. In March of 2007, now writing as
Cassandra Clare, she published the first book of the Mortal Instrument
series with Simon & Schuster, set in its own imaginary world. Unlike
Fifty Shades of Grey, The Mortal Instruments is not an edited version of
Rumelt’s fanfiction, but includes passages that are recognizably similar
to The Draco Trilogy. As Cassandra Claire, she had garnered a substantial
following on Fanfiction.net, and as in Leonard’s case, her account was
deleted, this time in 2001. The removal of her account was triggered by
accusations of plagiarism, which caused a rift between different groups
of fans and administrators on the site. Rumelt moved The Draco Trilogy
to the developing Harry Potter related site FictionAlley.com, where her
texts remained available until August 2006. Shortly after she concluded
the series, Claire informed her readers that her fanfiction would soon no
longer be available on fan sites, which allowed fans to finish reading the
fanfiction and to secure copies (pdf versions of the fanfiction can easily
be found online), before she deleted all of her online material. 7 Since
then, Clare, increasingly in collaboration with other authors, has written
sequels, prequels and a spin-off series for The Mortal Instruments that
appeared in print and as e-books. By now, the franchise comprises 21 books,
with more in production. The narrative has been adapted into a movie,
graphic novels, a TV show, and a game. Online, the media change of the
narrative and its characters has gone full circle, as The Mortal Instruments’
fanfiction is currently among the top ten fandoms in the category “books”
on Fanfiction.net.
Taken as select examples of a larger phenomenon, the genesis of The
Mortal Instruments and Fifty Shades of Grey each foreground different
6 See Bethan Jones, “Fifty Shades of Exploitation: Fan Labor and Fifty Shades of Grey,” Transformative Works and Cultures 15 (2014) and Bertrand, Natasha, “‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Started
Out as ‘Twilight’ Fan Fiction before Becoming an International Phenomenon,” Business Insider
UK, Feb. 17, 2015.
7 See “The Draco Trilogy.” Harry Potter Wiki. Accessed Jan. 3, 2017.
AdAptAtion in the Age of MediA ConvergenCe
the series. 6 By now, the f irst book of the series alone has sold more than
65 million copies worldwide, and the success of the franchise is ongoing.
In February 2015 the f ilm version of Fifty Shades of Grey was released,
followed by the latest book sequel Grey in June of the same year. The
second movie, Fifty Shades Darker, was released in 2017 and the third
one in 2018.
Like Leonard, Judith Rumelt initially published the fanfiction series
The Draco Trilogy (Draco Dormiens, Draco Sinister, and Draco Veritas)
on Fanfiction.net, beginning in 2000. In March of 2007, now writing as
Cassandra Clare, she published the first book of the Mortal Instrument
series with Simon & Schuster, set in its own imaginary world. Unlike
Fifty Shades of Grey, The Mortal Instruments is not an edited version of
Rumelt’s fanfiction, but includes passages that are recognizably similar
to The Draco Trilogy. As Cassandra Claire, she had garnered a substantial
following on Fanfiction.net, and as in Leonard’s case, her account was
deleted, this time in 2001. The removal of her account was triggered by
accusations of plagiarism, which caused a rift between different groups
of fans and administrators on the site. Rumelt moved The Draco Trilogy
to the developing Harry Potter related site FictionAlley.com, where her
texts remained available until August 2006. Shortly after she concluded
the series, Claire informed her readers that her fanfiction would soon no
longer be available on fan sites, which allowed fans to finish reading the
fanfiction and to secure copies (pdf versions of the fanfiction can easily
be found online), before she deleted all of her online material. 7 Since
then, Clare, increasingly in collaboration with other authors, has written
sequels, prequels and a spin-off series for The Mortal Instruments that
appeared in print and as e-books. By now, the franchise comprises 21 books,
with more in production. The narrative has been adapted into a movie,
graphic novels, a TV show, and a game. Online, the media change of the
narrative and its characters has gone full circle, as The Mortal Instruments’
fanfiction is currently among the top ten fandoms in the category “books”
on Fanfiction.net.
Taken as select examples of a larger phenomenon, the genesis of The
Mortal Instruments and Fifty Shades of Grey each foreground different
6 See Bethan Jones, “Fifty Shades of Exploitation: Fan Labor and Fifty Shades of Grey,” Transformative Works and Cultures 15 (2014) and Bertrand, Natasha, “‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Started
Out as ‘Twilight’ Fan Fiction before Becoming an International Phenomenon,” Business Insider
UK, Feb. 17, 2015.
7 See “The Draco Trilogy.” Harry Potter Wiki. Accessed Jan. 3, 2017.