Filthy Pro

(Do you mean the fanzine by M. J. Simpson?)

Filthy Pro (and its variants vile pro and dirty old pro) are generally an affectionate sobriquet for a professional writer. (While these aren't necessarily derogatory, make sure you know the pros you use it in front of and that they know your intent; see comment with Filthy Huckster.)

Quoted in the Pro entry in Fancyclopedia 2, Bob Tucker observed sourly:

"These people are often called 'filthy pros' and 'dirty old pros' [or 'vile pros — because that's what they write'] because they are supposedly rich, and because it is whispered that they will stoop to any trick to do wrong to the innocent fan. The majority of them are as much fans as anyone; many are older fen who turned to writing for fun and profit [including Bob himself]. They are both despised as parasites and fawned on as minor tin ghods. And those fans who are loudest in censure are often just those who try hardest to sell fiction and thus become pros."

In fact, the term is often used to tease fans who've gone pro: "I hear you're a filthy pro now. You get to buy the bheer." Alas, the majority of pros, filthy or otherwise, are no longer fans.

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Fanspeak

This is a fanspeak page. Please extend it by adding information about when and by whom it was coined, whether it’s still in use, etc.