Den of Geek Book Club discussion

SHIP IT is a book that has multiple entry points when it comes to your familiarity with fandom. While Claire lives and breathes fandom, Forest knows nothing about it prior to the start of the novel.

Where do you fall on the fandom familiarity spectrum? Is this your first time reading a book that has fandom as a subject?

"To make art in fandom is to follow your passion at the risk of never being taken seriously. I've written dozens of fics—put them together and you'd have several novels—but who knows what a college admissions officer will think of that as a pastime. Where does 12,000 Tumblr followers rate in relation to a spot in the National Honor Society in their minds? Every week I get anonymous messages in my inbox telling me I should write a real book. Well, haven't I already?"

As someone who grew up as an online fandom lurker, I am fascinated by this growing subgenre of YA, fandom-centric books. I've read Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl and Carry On, as well as Zan Romanoff's Grace and the Fever. I'm curious if this subgenre appeals to people who are less familiar with fandom.