The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks

by Sam Maggs

Overview

This ultimate handbook for ladies living the nerdy life is a fun and feminist take on the often male-dominated world of geekdom.
 
Fandom, feminism, cosplay, cons, books, memes, podcasts, vlogs, OTPs and RPGs and MMOs and more—it’s never been a better time to be a girl geek. With delightful illustrations and an unabashed love for all the in(ternet)s and outs of geek culture, this book is packed with tips, playthroughs, and cheat codes, including:
 
• How to make nerdy friends
• How to rock awesome cosplay
• How to write fanfic with feels
• How to defeat internet trolls
• How to attend your first con

And more! Plus insightful interviews with fangirl faves, like Jane Espenson, Erin Morgenstern, Kate Beaton, Ashley Eckstein, Laura Vandervoort, Beth Revis, Kate Leth, and many others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594747892
Publisher:	Quirk Publishing
Publication date:	05/12/2015
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Sam Maggs is a best-selling author of books, comics, and video games. She’s the author of Wonder Women, Girl Squads, The Fangirl's Guide to the Universe, and The Fangirl's Guide to Leveling Up, as well as many YA and middle-grade titles like Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope, Con Quest!, and Tell No Tales; a senior games writer, including work on Marvel’s Spider-Man; and a comics writer for titles like Marvel Action: Captain Marvel, My Little Pony, and Transformers. She is also an on-air host for networks like Nerdist. A Canadian in Los Angeles, she misses Coffee Crisp and bagged milk. Visit her online at sammaggs.com or @SamMaggs!

Read an Excerpt

Introduction: One of Us! One of Us!
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy"
by .
Copyright © 2015 Sam Maggs.
Excerpted by permission of Quirk Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

If you or someone else in your life could do with an inclusive, funny, super smart, and sweet introduction to the world of female geeks, look no further.”—The Mary Sue

“Short, thorough, wide-spread, funny, and varied—I wish I'd had this handbook when I first ventured into the fanzones!”—Tamora Pierce, author of The Song of the Lioness series
 
“Everyone could use tips on how to be a better and happier geek from this book. Maggs dishes out the best advice on cosplay, gaming, fan fiction, social media and even how to battle trolls. You'll start reading as student and leave a Jedi Master. May this book be with you always.”—Bonnie Burton, author of The Star Wars Craft Book and You Can Draw: Star Wars
 
“Part analysis and part celebration, this handbook thoroughly explores geekdom and the way women have made it their own. A must-have for anyone interested in fangirl culture."—Beth Revis, author of the New York Times bestselling Across the Universe series
 
“This FANtastic book embraces and encourages the growing number of women who are unleashing their glorious and gorgeous inner geeks.  It celebrates the nerdy girl in all of us. Such fun!”—Amanda Tapping, actress from Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis

“Read it cover to cover, and then make sure you share it with all the young girl geeks you know.”—Brit + Co
 
“A handy handbook for being an empowering and happy girl geek.”—Sweety High

“The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy is a great homage to anything and everything fandom, especially for those new to the genre.”—Reading Eagle 

“...this book could be invaluable.”—GeekMom
 
“Through and through, Maggs manages to talk about feminism, fangirling, cons, lingo, and the general idea that you should be yourself, and do that unapologetically, with a great deal of lightheartedness and fun.”—The Frisky
 
“For a woman trying to find her way in fandom, I think this book would be invaluable. But that’s not to say men can’t get something out of it as well.”—FreakSugar

From the Publisher

★ 03/01/2015
This is a supersolid guide to the social side of getting your geek on, targeted mainly to those taking their first steps into communal nerdity but also offering some new information for longtime fans. The book is a particularly welcome entrant in an arena that still too often presumes a straight white male as the default. The resources section alone is worth the price; however, the real rock star is the chapter on geek feminism, which presents the integral connection between fangirl fun and women's rights with clarity, humor, and a total lack of apology. Occasionally Maggs, editor of womens' geek blog The Mary Sue, is more aspirational than accurate on the lack of judgment and agenda of diversity found among fankind—but they are certainly present, if not yet universal. There are some omissions: readers not already in the loop might miss that adult written sf has an active fan culture with small but significant differences from the largely media driven one that Maggs describes. A larger section on intersectionality would also be welcome. But that just leaves room for a sequel! VERDICT Highly recommended for public and high school libraries that collect adult and YA sf, fantasy, comics, anime and manga, or present STEM or Maker programming.—Meredith Schwartz, Library Journal

Library Journal