Expectation is a fascinating thing. Gaiman is essentially describing the dichotomy in expectation between products and consultancy. This is particularly compl

Expectation is a fascinating thing. Gaiman is essentially describing the dichotomy in expectation between products and consultancy. This is particularly complicated in fandom, because creators often say (and legitimately mean) that a body of work exists because of (the encouragement of) their fans. That's true, but it doesn't mean that what they're creating isn't a product first, and not bespoke work on the authority of and responsible to fans. Apple has fans too, but took basically no heed of complaints that the Mac Pro hadn't been updated in years.