Things to Watch Out For
For You and Your Patrons
What Should My Patron Know Before Reading Fanfic?
Fanfic ratings are similar to movies with K (everybody), K+ (age 9+), T (age 13+), M (age 16+), or MA (mature adults). While a fanfic's rating isn't evaluated like movies are, the writer's judgment on what the rating should be is almost always sufficient. As long as the patron also understands the rating system, you can use the same judgment you would in recommending any other materials. For the purposes of this website, all fanfic examples will be rated T.
It is generally advisable for fanfic readers to be caught up on the original canon before diving in. There are exceptions to this: if the fanfic writer specifically mentions that the work is canon up to a certain installment, the reader can usually continue without being spoiled for later installments. Sometimes a fanfic writer will specifically write the story so that knowledge of canon isn't necessary to follow what's going on, but this doesn't happen much outside of crossovers with a lesser known work. Regardless of this, the more the patron knows beforehand, the better off he or she will be.
Readers should also be aware of whether there are multiple installments in a fanfic series and whether they can be read out of order. Usually fanfic writers are good about being upfront about this in the story summary or in a preliminary author note (and, in the case of Archive of Our Own, the stories can be organized as such), so make sure the patron actually reads those before diving in.
Fanfic writers almost always appreciate getting reviews, so encourage your patrons to positively interact with them. Some writers like criticism, others don't, but in general, don't "flame"--that is, don't be a hateful jerk. A review is likely only going to be seen by the writer and maybe a few other people, so it's better to for the reader take the opportunity to relish in how invested he or she has become in the story--might as well spread the joy around. (As a side note: if they're using Fanfiction.net, the site only allows one review per chapter, so they should make the review count or utilize the anonymous review or PM features to write more.)
What Fanfic Elements May My Patrons Find Annoying?
There are story elements that some readers love that other readers hate. This is nothing new, of course, but here are a few signs that the general reader might not enjoy the fanfic as much.
Bashing: When fanfic writers don’t like a character who is canonically portrayed as a “good guy,” they are likely to engage in character bashing, that is, highlighting and/or exaggerating the character’s negative qualities and ensuring they face consequences. Readers of fanfic tend to be polarized when it comes to character bashing—either they love it when a “creator’s pet” gets his or her comeuppance or they hate to see a character they're fond of transform into evil incarnate. Most fanfic writers include warnings about bashing in their work; if they don't hide it, it makes it easier for them to attract only the readers who won’t complain about the portrayal. If you don't know what turns your patron off, it might be better to avoid this tag.
Incomplete Fanfics: You know how annoying it is when the next book hasn't come out yet? In the world of traditional publishing, there are usually contracts in place to make sure the fans get something eventually. In the world of fanfic, however, there is never any guarantee that the author will provide any sort of conclusion. There is never any guarantee that even the next chapter will post. A fanfic writer may even say they are working on the next chapter and then go for months or years without posting it. Many a fic has aqcuired a "discontinued" or "up for adoption" tag when its creator realized that the fanfic will never be completed, but not all creators are this self-aware or transparent. In general, you should recommend fanfics that are marked "complete," lest your patron become stuck in never-ending limbo.
Incomplete Canon: Any fanfic writer who writes while the original work is still in progress runs the risk of saying something that will be contradicted by later canon. This is not necessarily a bad thing and most of the time readers will just accept the story as a canon-divergent AU. Nonetheless, it can be particularly jarring when the contradiction results in characters acting out of character, such as in fanfics where Professor Snape starts calling his Muggle-born students “Mudbloods,” a term he is later revealed to hate. Keep an eye on the story's published and updated dates as a gauge for how much the fanfic writer could have known at that time.
Unusual or Controversial Pairings: There are a lot of ships in the world of fandom. Some fans are extremely particular about who they want to get together (see the legions of Avatar: The Last Airbender fans who ship either "Zutara" or "Kataang"). Some fans only want canon pairings. Some fans are opposed to a ship between the protagonist and the villain. Some fans are distrubed at incestual pairings or ones with a large age gap. Some fans don't like slash or multi, or at least prefer that the canonical sexualities aren't changed willy nilly. Other fans don't care so long as it's well-written. Knowing what your patron's shipping preferences are beforehand can help you match them to what they want to read.
Anything Else I Should Know about This Website?
This site focuses on three types of fanfics: the ones where characters do interesting things off-screen, the ones where characters change the plot to be more rational, and the ones where things go wrong for the characters. These are far from the only types of fanfics that can help readers think deeper about the implications of canon, but they can be a good starting point for you to find things your patrons will enjoy.
As you browse this site, a working knowledge of the following franchises will be helpful: Harry Potter, Star Wars, Superman, Spider-Man, Young Justice, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Twilight, and Danny Phantom. You don't have to have seen or read all of these, but you should know the names of the protagonists and the central premise at least. The fanfic synopsis/discussion will catch you up on everything else. Do note that there may be some spoilers, so if you've got the canon version on your TBR pile, maybe skip that example until you're caught up.