The best fan fiction that went mainstream

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The blockbuster series “Fifty Shades of Grey” notoriously started as racy fan fiction based on the young adult vampire series “Twilight.” Despite its humble beginnings, this famous example proved that fanfic websites could be catnip for an already established fan base. Since then, several fan fiction authors have crossed over into major mainstream success by turning their tales into original stories.

‘City of Bones’ by Cassandra Clare (2007)

The first book of the popular young adult fantasy series “The Mortal Instruments” can trace its roots to author Cassandra Clare’s fan fiction, the “Draco Trilogy,” set in the “Harry Potter” universe. The stories centered on Draco Malfoy and followed him through “various happenings at Hogwarts, including a romance with Ginny Weasley,” said Business Insider.

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The “fantastical demon-hunting universe” of the book series is “vastly different from the source of its magical inspiration,” but some “small character details carry over.” The heroine of the novel, Clary, is a “spirited redhead,” while Jace, her romantic interest, is “a snarky blonde, mirroring the dynamic of Ginny and Draco.” (out now, $9, Simon & Schuster, Amazon)

‘Throne of Glass’ by Sarah J. Maas (2012)

Sarah J. Maas has become synonymous with the fantasy genre and BookTok, but she got her start writing fan fiction based on “Sailor Moon” anime. Her debut novel began as a story loosely based on Cinderella that she began writing as a 16-year-old in 2002, called “Queen of Glass.”

When the story became one of the most popular on FictionPress, a sister platform to FanFiction.net, Maas took it down to develop it into a traditional novel instead. Since then, the book has become part of one of the author’s most popular fantasy series, gaining popularity after being rediscovered by BookTok creators. (out now, $19, Bloomsbury, Amazon)

‘After’ by Anna Todd (2014)

Another widespread use of fanfic is reimagining real-life celebrities as fictional characters. Even though they have since disbanded, the boy band One Direction was once a popular source of inspiration. Anna Todd’s 2014 novel, “After,” began as a fanfic on the social storytelling platform Wattpad, with an edgy love interest modeled after former member Harry Styles. His bandmates were featured as side characters.

“After” follows “bright-eyed” Tessa during her freshman year of college, where she meets a “broody, tattooed British deviant” named Hardin Scott, said Business Insider. While the male characters’ names have been changed, “they each still start with the same letter as their real boy band counterparts.” The romantic series has been adapted into four films starring Hero Fiennes-Tiffin as the renamed Scott and Josephine Langford as Tessa Young. The final installment, “After Everything,” premiered on Netflix last fall. (out now, $22, Simon & Schuster, Amazon)

‘The Love Hypothesis’ by Ali Hazelwood (2021)

A more recent example of fan fiction running through the traditional publishing route is Ali Hazelwood’s TikTok viral novel, “The Love Hypothesis.” The novel not only propelled Hazelwood into a New York Times bestselling author but also “marked the entrance of ‘Star Wars’ into the traditionally published fan fiction canon,” said People.

Hazelwood’s book is based on a story originally published on fan fiction website Archive of Our Own about Kylo Ren and Rey Skywalker, characters introduced in 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” said Vulture. The pairing, often referred to as Reylo, helped the author attract the attention of an agent who suggested she rework the fanfic into something original. (out now, $16, Simon and Schuster, Amazon)

‘Alchemised’ by SenLinYu (2025)

This one features Harry Potter characters Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger as an enemies-to-lovers couple, a pairing known as Dramione that has spurred multiple fan fictions. SenLinYu’s “Alchemised” was just one of the Dramione-coded novels published last year, alongside “Rose in Chains” by Julie Soto and “The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy” by Brigitte Knightley.

SenLinYu’s debut is a dark romance and “gargantuan doorstopper clocking in at over a thousand pages” that’s “not for the faint of heart,” said Paste Magazine. It’s a “marathon of dark, disturbing and often extremely upsetting imagery” that comes with “extensive content and trigger warnings” that are “no joke.” (out now, $35, Penguin Random House, Amazon)