Reader

Someone who only reads the stuff. Readers read and enjoy science fiction, but they don't participate in fandom and may not even know of its existence. (This use of reader dates back at least to the 1950s — “‘fan’ distinguished sharply here from ‘reader,’” Dikini wrote under Graham-Ackerman Feud in Fancy 2.)

Some readers are protofans who need only achieve contact to make their way into the microcosm, but many are not. Some who know about fandom are uninterested. Some readers go to Readercon or other cons, especially when an author they like will appear — they watch programming, perhaps visit the hucksters room, and then go home without interacting with fans.

The most famous group of readers is MITSFS.

A particularly avid sf reader, especially one with an academic bent, might be a stefnist.

See also: Consumer, Circle of Lassitude.

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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.