Choose a cover by fandom

Different cover templates for different fandoms, with two lines of config

In Step 1 you set up one cover preset. Here you will create fandom-specific presets and tell FanFicFare which one to use from the story’s fandom metadata.

FanFicFare applies these rules whenever it processes a story: on a new download, an update, or a metadata-only refresh. You can also run Generate Cover manually for a selected book, but in that case you choose the preset yourself.

Generic and personalised covers

The supplied backgrounds are generic so they work for any fandom. Set up your artwork explains that the SVG files are editable and suggests programs you can use.

For a fandom-specific version, you might add the fandom name, an image, or a recognizable icon. Save the finished SVG under a new name, then use it as the background of a separate Generate Cover preset.

Create a fandom preset

1. Open Generate Cover and select your Classics preset.
2. Duplicate it so your original default preset remains unchanged.
3. Open Select Image and choose the SVG you customised for your first fandom.
4. Return to Settings, give the copy a clear name such as Classics Sherlock, and save it.

If you only want different colours rather than fandom artwork, a name such as Classics Green works just as well.

Repeat for each fandom you want to handle. Your existing Classics preset remains the default for anything that doesn’t match.

Add the rule to personal.ini

Open your personal.ini (FanFicFare → Edit personal.ini). It is organised into sections: [defaults] applies to every supported site, while [archiveofourown.org] applies only to AO3. This guide puts its cover rules in the AO3 section because the examples use AO3 metadata.

A heading such as generate_cover_settings: starts a list of rules. The indented lines beneath it belong to that list. Keep one generate_cover_settings: heading in each section; when you add another rule later, add an indented line to the existing list instead of creating a second heading.

Find or add [archiveofourown.org], then add this block beneath it:

[archiveofourown.org]
generate_cover_settings:
    ${category} => Sherlock => Classics Sherlock
    ${category} => Rivalry    => Classics HR

The value on the left (${category}) is the fandom metadata field FFF matches against. The middle value is the text or pattern to match. The value on the right is the name of the Generate Cover preset to use — it must match your saved preset name exactly.

That’s all the configuration needed.

Read a cover rule

Each rule has three slots, separated by =>:

${category} => Sherlock => Classics Sherlock

The middle slot uses a regular expression—a flexible way to search text. A plain word such as Sherlock is already a valid pattern, so you can usually copy a rule and change only the fandom text and preset name. The next examples use a few optional pattern shortcuts; keep their punctuation exactly as shown when you use them.

How matching works

First match wins. FFF reads the rules top to bottom and stops at the first match. Put your most specific rules first.

Patterns are regular expressions. You don’t need to know regex to use this: simple fandom names or parts of names work as-is. A few useful patterns:

Case-insensitive matching, for fandoms where AO3 tagging is inconsistent:

${category} => [Ss]herlock => Classics Sherlock

This will match “Sherlock” or “sherlock”

Either/or, for fandoms with multiple common tag names:

${category} => Heated Rivalry|Game Changers => Classics HR

Partial match — you don’t need the full fandom name. Sherlock will match “Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV)”, “Sherlock (BBC)”, and “Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms” without any extra configuration.

What about crossovers?

AO3 crossovers have multiple fandoms in ${category}, so a fic may match more than one of your rules. Because FFF checks the rules from top to bottom, the fandom rule you put first decides which preset is used. Put the fandom you prefer above the others.

Other Fandoms

If the fandom doesn’t match any of your rules, the default that you set in the FFF preferences will be used.