How to Celebrate Your Fandom is an interactive guidebook structured around 52 activities designed to help fans of any age dive deeper into their chosen fandoms, showing readers that you are never too old to find your passion. What was the inspiration for the original and fascinating idea at the center of the book?

NICHOLAS SEIDLER: We had an experience at a convention, in which we went to a panel on fanzines, and the presenters at the front of the room were talking about how difficult it is to make one.  I was honestly totally disappointed in the panel, because doing a fanzine is as simple as writing down your thoughts on a piece of paper, making copies of it, and sharing it with others who are interested in the same topic.  The point of entry should be so simple and available to everyone, but the fanzine editor presenters — in an attempt to make themselves a bit self-important – were giving bad advice to the audience.  It actually demotivated the new and younger fans in attendance.  After that panel, we had a conversation about how we needed to give fans better advice and encourage anyone to be a part of whatever fandom they are interested in!

STEVEN WARREN HILL: Together, we all became friends through our shared interest in several fandoms.  We sought to express our enthusiasm for promoting “best practices” among fans by fostering positivity, encouragement, representation, and camaraderie, while rejecting the negative aspects of certain portions of fandom.

LIBBY SHEA: When I was brought into the project, the original idea for the title was “How to Be a SuperFan.”  To me, that felt like we were setting a “higher level” of fan, which could very easily be used to separate and discourage those that may already feel excluded.  All I could think of is 8-year-old me being told “Oh, you aren’t a superfan because you haven’t done everything in the book” and that set a negative tone for something that we all wanted to be very positive.  So, we transitioned away from putting a label on fans to focusing on how to be more involved in what you enjoy.  All of us (the authors) have become friends by being in the same fandom and celebrating what made our friendship as strong as it is, is the core of what inspired this book.

ROBERT WARNOCK: We’ve seen too much negativity in fandom over the years.  We wanted to write something that was inclusive and non-judgmental, especially if someone was just starting out in their fandom.

What were some ideas that were important for you and the other writers to share in this book, and how did you come up with the activities you suggest?

ROBERT WARNOCK: It was important to keep the activities at the beginning fairly simple, so we didn’t intimidate new fans.  We started thinking of activities in a brainstorming session at a convention. 

LIBBY SHEA: Because this is a book aimed primarily at kids, teenagers, and those just entering into the fandom space, we really wanted it to be a guide of how to be an overall positive influence in fandom.  So often you hear of fans taking it too far and forgetting that everyone they interact with are still people.  The activities are there to give you a starting place.  We originally came up with over 100 ideas, but wanted to focus on 52, so that you could do one a week for a year and allow yourself to deep dive into your fandom.  They are in order from easiest to (our perceived) most difficult to complete.  When coming up with our final list of ideas, we tried to keep in mind what it would actually look like for a younger child to complete them.  We kept the ideas generic enough so that if you had limited money or resources, you could still have fun and feel like you’re a part of something.

STEVEN WARREN HILL: Coming up with the ideas was a lot of fun.  Some of the ideas stemmed from odd things we did ourselves when younger.  Once we had a long list of ideas, we grouped them in several different ways (such as by difficulty, and how much we liked each one) and also eliminated the ones that were too similar to others.  As Libby said, we decided the final list should number 52, so they could be weekly goals, adding another functional facet to the book.

NICHOLAS SEIDLER: We also realized that fandom was a very broad topic – and we wanted to give advice that applies to them all.  Whether someone is a bibliophile, a sci-fi fan, interested in gaming, likes to cheer for a sports team, enjoys horseback riding, music, or whatever, the advice in the book applies to their interests.  We chose to select activities that everyone can do, regardless of ability, and they become more complex further into the book, as a person’s fandom and experience grows.

What are some tips you have for older generations that are just now learning to embrace the world of fandom and feel behind the curve from the younger generations, or even like a fraud for not being involved sooner?

LIBBY SHEA: It’s okay that you found your fandom when you did.  It’s not about younger or older, and it’s not about how long you’ve been in the fandom.  Everyone walks different paths to get to where they are.  What matters is how you show up to engage today.  Feel safe and confident in the knowledge that you are a fan now and that’s all that matters.

STEVEN WARREN HILL: I used to bristle somewhat at younger people joining the same fandom that I’ve been in for decades, for the usual flawed reasons, until I realized that without young people joining my fandom, the fandom would just keep aging until it died.  We need to remember, first and foremost, that if someone says they are a fan of something, then they ARE, even if they enjoy it in a different way.  Conversely, for older people who have privately been fans of something and are only just stepping into fandom, my number one tip is to treat all your fellow fans as equals, regardless of anything, especially their age or the extent of their knowledge.

ROBERT WARNOCK: It’s never too late to get started.  Your involvement can be as immersive as you want it to be.  Be observant early on in your involvement to get a lay of the land, so to speak. 

NICHOLAS SEIDLER: Be your authentic self.  If you love something, own it – most people will love you for it.  It’s our interests and fandoms that make us interesting.

What is one thing that you hope readers take away from How to Celebrate Your Fandom?

LIBBY SHEA: Everyone has to start somewhere. When you finally get to the point of feeling fully immersed in your fandom, embrace others who are just starting out, pass this along to them, and join in their journeys.

ROBERT WARNOCK: That anyone can be involved in whatever fandom they choose, at whatever level they choose.

STEVEN WARREN HILL: That it’s okay to focus on positivity!  Not just the positivity of your specific interest, but positivity among your fellow fans and across other fandoms.

NICHOLAS SEIDLER: And have fun.  We interviewed over 30 fans from ages 5 to 101 years old (their interviews appear in the book) and that was the advice they each shared with us — have fun!  I think that’s what our book is all about.

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