Among science fiction, comic book and fantasy fans, a Big Name Fan (BNF for short) is a member of a fandom who is particularly well-known, liked and celebrated for their contributions of art, fanfiction, or articles on fandom. They generally have many fans of their own, who praise them and read their online journals. Some authors and columnists for fanzines and semi-professional magazines are considered BNFs, among them Kim Metzger and Cat Yronwode. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... For other meanings see Fantasy (disambiguation) Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. ... Fandom (from the noun fan and the affix -dom, as in kingdom, dukedom, etc. ... Fan art or fanart is a type of artwork that is based on a person or item that the artist did not create. ... Fan fiction (also spelled fanfiction and commonly abbreviated to fanfic) is fiction written by people who enjoy a film, novel, television show or other media work, using the characters and situations developed in it and developing new plots in which to use these characters. ... Fandom (from the noun fan and the affix -dom, as in kingdom, dukedom, etc. ... A blog (a portmanteau made by contracting the phrase web log) is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. ... A fanzine (also called a zine) is an amateur publication created by fans of a particular cultural phenomena (such as a literary genre or type of music) to address or correspond with others who share their interest. ... cat yronwode (born Catherine Manfredi in San Francisco, May 12, 1947 - ) is a writer and editor notable for her extensive career in comic books, in particular for her role as an editor for Kitchen Sink Press and the now-defunct Eclipse Comics company; she now works for Claypool Comics. ...

Ideally, a BNF is an intelligent, well-spoken individual who earns the respect of other fans. BNFs may have their autographs requested at conventions; they are often paid to speak as convention guests. One cannot proclaim oneself to be a BNF, as to do so might invite derision or ridicule. This article might not be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ...

Fans report ambivalent feelings towards BNFs. The title BNF also carries a negative connotation of being arrogant and self-important. Accordingly, many people who are deemed BNFs resist using that designation.

A good example of a BNF is Bev Vincent, who frequents Stephen King message boards and writes a column on King for Cemetery Dance magazine. In 2004, Vincent wrote "The Road to the Dark Tower," a book analyzing King's Dark Tower Cycle. Although he has also published short stories in small-press and semi-professional 'zines, Vincent is best known for his articles and reviews of King's work. Bev Vincent is the author of The Road to the Dark Tower, the Bram Stoker nominated, authorized companion to Stephen Kings Dark Tower series, and has been writing News From the Dead Zone for Cemetery Dance magazine since March 2001. ... Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author best known for his highly successful horror novels. ... Cemetery Dance is a literature magazine specializing in dark fantasy and horror. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Dark Tower is a fantasy fiction, science fantasy, horror, and western themed series of novels by the American writer Stephen King. ...

Due to Vincent's reputation as a prominent Stephen King BNF (and his acquaintanceship with King himself), some critics have suggested that editors are more open to publishing his fiction, citing the horror anthology Borderlands 5 as an example. In the collection, Vincent's story, "One of Those Weeks," appears directly before a novella by Stephen King. Some readers have suggested this was not a coincidence. Borderlands 5 is an anthology edited by Thomas F. Monteleone and Elizabeth Monteleone that was published in 2004 by Borderlands Press. ...

Some BNFs such as Jacqueline Lichtenberg, author of the seminal Kraith Star Trek fanfiction series, go on to become professional authors or screenwriters themselves. Lichtenberg now co-authors the independent SimeGen series. Jacqueline Lichtenberg is an American science fiction author. ... The Sime~Gen universe is a creation of author Jacqueline Lichtenberg, and involves a future world where humanity has been divided into two larities...Gens, who look like ordinary humans and produce excess quantities of a life energy called selyn, and Simes, who have tentacled arms and must take selyn...

More recently, the world of podcasting has added greately to thenumber of big name fans. Notably, the cast of the popular Harry Potter podcasts Pottercast and Mugglecast, of the-leaky-cauldron.org and mugglenet.com, respectively.