Zine Guide by Matt Halloway
What is a zine? (Pronounced like Magazine without the maga) A zine is an
independently created publication. It is often created by any means necessary
and/or available more often done out of passion for a subject rather than for
commercial success. Currently, they are typically photocopied but there are
many out there that are handmade, silk-screened, and a few that utilize offset
printing. A zine can be about whatever subject its creator decides upon. Some
typical subjects are music, comics, personal writings, fan-based writings,
science fiction (Sci-fi zines are often called fanzines, and many feel that the
term zine is derived from that), literature, anthology/art, and reviews
however, it is completely open.
Brief History of the zine: 1454 Johann Gutenberg invents the
printing press. Once the press
begins to enter the public’s hands and the public becomes somewhat
literate, powers that be fear the power of the free press. Printers win the right to publish in
England in the 1700’s.
Self-publishing was often too expensive for most. Ben Franklin self-published “Poor
Richard’s Almanac”.
Samuel Adams and other Americans print works to help bring about the
Revolution (The Pamphleteers). Russians did the same with “Samizdat”. British mad genius artist & poet
William Blake self-published using etched copper plate engraving. Mid-1800s:
Inexpensive small table-top printing-presses (more than toys, but not much)
introduced and "Amateur Journalism" became a popular hobby,
especially among boys -- Todd Lincoln published on one from the White House,
and Lloyd Osbourne did a "zine" with contributions from his
step-father Robert Louis Stevenson.
Mimeograph introduced by Edison c. 1875 and soon became standard office
(& church basement) equipment. Dadaists begin self-publishing in the early
1900’s. 1929: Readers of
science-fiction magazines started communicating by way of mimeographed or
spirit-duplicated "fanzines", and still publish them, though most now
use xerocopy. Mimeograph
technology in the 1950’s is used for self-publishing by the beats. 1960’s introduced the photocopier
as self-publishers form publishing houses. Punks in the 1970’s exploit the photocopier and the
form closest to today’s zine is created. The zine explosion in the 1980’s is documented by
Factsheet Five (a now defunct zine that reviewed zines). The original editor of it, Mike
Gunderloy, originated or popularized the word "zine" and established
most of today's "Zine Ethos" (non-profit, trading, DIY, importance of
feedback from readers, &cet), based on his background in the s-f fanzine
tradition. Technological advances in the 1990’s makes professional
editing and publishing tools accessible to the general public. Mainstream media becomes interested in
zines which had for the most part remained in obscurity for years. The interest is more as a novelty
rather than as an art form or legitimate publication. Retail stores began to carry zines as part of their books or
comics or music. Towards the end
of the 90’s, many people who had published popular zines for years stop
publishing or move into more mainstream creative positions or begin to devote
their time and creativity towards web sites sometimes called e-zines. The 2000’s-The zine explosion of
the 90’s made many people aware of zines but an often lack of quality
jaded many would-be retailers and readers. The absence of many of the publications that were staples of
zinedom and lack of mainstream attention has created a fresh, new, open
environment. While a number of
sub-par zines are still being created, the awareness of what has come before
has helped motivate individuals to create book-art with zines. Many zine publishers have returned to
many almost forgotten printing methods such as silk-screening, letter pressing,
linoleum cuts, and hand stitched bindings. The use of the web has created
farther stretching networks of people working within the same medium as well as
providing publishers a virtual retail area, increasing reader access to remote
locations and allowing more people to see content than the self-publisher could
afford to non-virtually print.
Annual conventions have also aided to regenerate public awareness while
strengthening relations among self-publishers.
Why publish a zine? To see your work in print. To share
what you can create. To encourage others to be creative. To find and connect
others with similar interests. To get mail. To make new friends. To create the
publication you always wished existed. To teach yourself something new. The
individual reasons to create are zine are as diverse and unique as the
individuals who create zines. Often someone wants to see their work in print by
any means necessarily. “Amelia: … it's a way
in which people communicate on a very passionate, free and sometimes intensely
personal level as it is a medium which isn't bound by censorship. it allows
people of all interests and agendas to voice their opinions, art and rants to a
wide audience in a relatively cheap and fun way.”
Getting Started: Once you decide that you would like
to make a publication, the work begins. The most important thing that you can
have is determination and the ability to see things through to completion. Next
is the ability to make the time to dedicate to it. There will always be other
things to focus on, but it takes active sacrifice to make a publication go from
idea to reality.
Supplies you need to access to: All supplies
are available at most photocopy shops. The more that you own yourself, the more
you can do at anytime. However, it isn’t recommended that you purchase
many of the supplies until you have put out your first publication and see if
it is something that you would like to do.
Supplies that can help: Type writer or computer with a word
processing program, Scissors, glue stick, Stapler, Cutting Board, Exacto Knife,
Sharpie Markers, Blue Pencils, Cutter, Scanner, Ruler, Paper Trimmer, Copier.
Often you can find materials to use/borrow.
Things that should be within just about every publication: A Cover, A
back cover, Contact information, Table of Contents and page numbers (once you
have a collating fiasco, you will learn the importance of page numbers)
Protecting your identity: The world can be a dangerous
place. It is recommended that you get a Post Office box for correspondence and
a separate email address for your online correspondence. A Pen Name can help but
if you are looking to make money off your publication and will be accepting
checks, that can get tricky. You will have to make your own policy on who you
will and won’t deal with.
Lay out While
creating your publication, if you are planning of making it out of folded
pages, you need to think in four page segments. (For Example, if you create a
23 page piece that you are planning on copying on paper your are folding in
half and stapling, it will take 6 pieces of paper for 24 pages, but that will
have the piece either beginning or ending on the front or back cover. If you
include a cover, back cover, contact information, and table of contents, you
will need to create one more page of content to go up to 7 pieces of paper and
28 pages. Sounds more complicated that it is)
Cover______________
(Actual Page 1)___________________Back Cover
Page 1
(Intro)
(Contact
Info)
Page 10
Page 2_______________
(Actual Page 2)________________
Page 9
Page
3
Page 8
Page
4_
(Actual Page 3)_________________
Page 7
Page 5
Centerfold
Page 6
When you are ready to print, it can help to make a blank paper
mock up of what you would like to create. Pick your pages and decide on the
flow of your lay out and then it’s off to the photocopier. Identical
machines will have different levels of quality. Search around and find the best
quality for your time and money. Once you have your layout decided and all of
your pages filled, copy and paste your work onto pages the same size as you are
going to print (unless you did your lay out on computer). You can use the
“2 pages to 1 double-sided page” feature to transfer your cut and
pasted pages to create a master copy. With your master copy, you can feed the
machine and use the feature “2 sided to 2 sided”. Some machines can
collate and separate and some can even fold and staple for you. It depends on
the machine. After making your copies, you can fold and staple and then
distribute!
Helpful tips:
á
Give
yourself a half inch margin of your content on each side to give the photo
copier space for variance.
á
Color
pictures and shading often get slaughtered by a photocopier. When using
other’s work, this can become a problem. Black and white originals with
bold lines often turn out closer to the original on a photocopier. To
semi-gauge how a picture will turn out, squint at it until it become blurry.
Blue’s will often disappear or appear light while red’s will often
copy as black.
á
Layout,
especially the first time, will take much longer than one would expect.
Don’t run everything the second the master copy is ready. Make a copy
that you can read through and edit. Then re-edit. Once you are really
satisfied, print your run. Don’t be afraid to step back from your zine
for a little bit. Give it room to breath so that it is right when it is
finished. Once it is finished and you send it off, it is on it’s own.
á
The
more you do yourself, the cheaper things can get. Your time is worth something.
Shop around and explore options.
* Never
underestimate the value of a great relationship with your printer.
* A zine can
be a great place to explore and express your feelings and to say things you
have always wanted to say, but once something is printed and distributed, there
is no way to recall it, and there is always the chance that every single person
you know could see what you have printed. The chance of that with a zine is
slim, but you should believe and be able to stand up for what you print.
* The one who
creates the publication is ultimately responsible for everything printed.
á
If
you plan to mail many copies, keep the weight (including envelope, if used)
slightly under an ounce (or two or whatever) to get your full money's worth
from the Post Office.
* If you are
going to use a computer, make sure that everything you worked on is backed up in
more than one place. Have a hard copy somewhere and it is recommended that you
store your work somewhere online as well.
Places to submit your publication for Review:
(Guidelines
for submissions: The dollar amount at the end of each listing is the cover
price for each publication. It is recommended that one sends the money with
some stamps and include a legible name and address to see if it is the type of
thing you would want to be reviewed in. To have your publication reviewed, send
your zine and take a piece of paper and put your name, your publication name,
your address and your email address and your website if you have one and attach
it to the back cover if it isn’t clear within the publication. Some
reviews can be brutal. Don’t take them too seriously.)
Zine World (Attn: Jerianne) Press PO Box 330156 Murfreesboro TN
37133-0156 ($5)
Almost Normal Comics Attn: Wee PO Box 12822 Ft Huachuca AZ 85670
(Online)
http://members.tripod.com/almostnormalcomics/id54.htm
Comixville PO Box 697 Portland OR 97207-0697 ($1)
The trouble with normal Attn: Boone PO Box 329 Columbia MO
65205-0329 ($3)
Poopsheet c/o Ricko Bradford, PO Box 2235 Fredricksburg TX 78624
http://azure.bbboy.net/poopsheetnews
Slug and Lettuce attn: Chris PO Box 26632 Richmond VA 23261-6632
($1)
UGZ attn: Jay c/o PMB 419 1442 A Walunt St Berkeley CA 94709 ($2)
Maximum Rocknroll PO Box 460760 San Francisco CA 94146 ($4)
Slug (Zineland) 2225 S 500 E #206 SLC UT 84106 (Available for free
in Utah)
Xerography Debt c/o Davida Gypsy Brier PO Box 963 Havre De Grace
MD 21078 ($3)
Zine Guide PO Box 5467 Evanston IL 60204 ($5)
Beating Hears of the World Unite c/o Jyoti PO Box 444
Wollongong NSW 2520 Australia ($8)
Broken Pencil PO Box 203, Stn P, Toronto ON M5S 2S7 Canada ($6)
ProperGander (Josh Rios) PO Box 434 San Marcos TX 78667 ($5)
Punk Planet PO Box 6014 East Lansing MI 48826 ($6)
Utne Reader Associate Editor Karen Olson 1634 Harmon Place
Minneapolis MN 55403 ($5)
The Deathship c/o Violet Jones PO Box 55336 Hayward CA 94545 ($5)
Razorcake PO Box 42129 LA CA 90042 ($5)
Thrasher Magazine Zine Thing PO Box 419 Tempe AZ 85280-0419 ($6)
Ten Page News attn: Owen, PO Box 9651 Columbus OH 43209 ($1)
Vice 122 W 27th St 11th Floor NY NY 10001 ($6)
Publications to submit your work for publication:
Guidelines for submissions: You might want to check out the
publication first before you submit to it to see if it something you would like
to work with. When sending for a publication, provide contact information and
be patient. When submitting work to a publication, be even more patient. You
might not always get in, or worse, your work will get accepted but the
publication won’t come out, but that shouldn’t stop you from
trying.
Out of the Blue c/o Justin, Larned PO Box 471 House Springs MO
63051 ($3) candidcartoons@yahoo.com
Bog Gob c/o Howell, Richard PO Box 4425 Chattanooga TN 37405 ($2)
Not My Small Diary c/o Delaine Derry Green1204 Cresthill Rd
Birmingham AL 35213 ($2) delangel3@hotmail.com
A Multitude of Voices c/o Matt Holdaway 1945 B Berryman St Berkeley
CA 94709-1955
The Hungover Gourmet c/o Dan Taylor PO Box 5531, Lutherville, MD 21094-5531 ($4)
Eyeball c/o Chris Sharpe PO Box 211411 OKC OK 73156 (Underground
reporting $4)
Glue c/o Chrissy 45 Clifton Heights Lane Marblehead, MA 01945 (DIY
crafts, $2)
White Buffalo Gazette Elmore Buzzizyk PO Box 2452 Butler PA 16003
(Open, $1)
San Francisco Reader c/o Jeff Troiano 503 2nd St Petaluma
CA 94952 http://www.sanfranciscoreader.com/
http://www.cherrybleeds.com/ (Online E-Zine)
Lowhug c/o A.j. Michel, PO Box 2574, Champaign, IL 61825
lowhug@yahoo.com
How to Copyright your material: If you put
the © symbol with the current year and your name, your work is
copyrighted. To officially copyright your material send a copy of your zine to:
Library of Congress, Copyright Office, Washington DC 20559.
They will send you a form, fill it out and send it back with the
proper fees and two copies of your zine. The proper form to fill out for a zine
is Form SE (reserved for serials). To unofficially copyright your material,
send a copy of it to yourself, registered mail, and don’t open the
envelope.
Or go to http://www.loc.gov/copyright/ for more information
Libraries that accept and display zines:
Independent Publishing Resource Center 917 SW Oak #304 Portland OR
97205
Salt Lake City Public Library c/o Brooke Young 209 E 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Seattle Zine Public Library 1254 10th Ave E Seattle WA 98102
Pennsylvania Zine Library c/o April Freyer P.O. Box 209 Wilcox, PA 15870
NY Zine Library c/o Alisa Richter Mailbox #1333 735 Anderson Hill
Road Purchase, NY 10577
Ontario Zine Library c/o Jen /11
ascot ct /Welland
Ont /L3C
6K7/ Canada
Long
Haul Infoshop 3124 Shattuck Ave Berkeley CA 94705
Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center 218 W Main St, Ste 110,
Urbana IL 61801
Bread and Roses Library PO Box 63132 St Louis MO 63163
Alternative Media Library PO Box 204902 New Haven CT 06520
Junto Local Ninety-One, 2D-91 Albert St., Winnipeg MB R3B 1G5
Misfit Theater Zine Library PO Box 68939, Newton, Auckland, New
Zealand
Civic Media Center Library PO Box 13077 Gainesville FL 32604-1077
On Ramp Library 5307 N Minnesota Ave Portland OR 97217
Highly Recommended Reading:
Stolen Sharpie Revolution PO Box 14332, Portland OR 97293 ($3) www.microcosmpublishing.com
Whizzbanger Guide to Zine Distribution c/o Shannon PO Box 5591
Portland OR 97228 ($4)
DIY Comix PO Box 14185 Portland OR 97293-0185 (1 Stamp)
Other Reading on the subject:
Re-Search Guide to Zines Volume I ISBN
0965046907
Re-Search Guide to Zines Volume II ISBN
0965046923
Start Your Zine by Veronika Kalmar ISBN 0786882174
Make A Zine by Bill
Brent
ISBN 0963740148
Conventions: A zine convention is a usually a place
where people who produce zines will be setting up their publications on tables
for sell and/or trade. Often this is a place where people who are interested in
zines will come to purchase zines and to meet people who produce them. More
often than not people will travel for a convention. There will often be other
activities during and after the convention like workshops and informal
gatherings.
A list of Conventions:
Alternative Press Expo (APE) San Francisco, California Area
www.comic-con.org
Beantown Zinetown (BTZT) Boston, Massachusetts Area
www.richmackin.org
Toronto Comics Arts Festival www.torontocomics.com
Olympia Comics Festival, Olympia Washington frankcrash@juno.com
Small Press And Comics Expo (SPACE)
www.backporchcomics.com/space.htm
AERO-ZED 6: THE INTERGALACTIC EGGPLANT MISSION Australia
www.octapod.com
Portland Zine Symposium Portland Oregon www.pdxzines.com
SFZine Fest, San Francisco, California www.sfzinefest.com
LA Zinefiesta Los Angeles, California lazinefiesta@yahoo.com
SPX, Bethesda Maryland www.spxpo.com
MOCCA Arts Festival, New York City www.moccany.org
Allied Media Conference, Bowling Green, Ohio www.clamormagazine.org/amc2003/
New Orleans Book Fair www.nolabookfair.com
Distro’s: A distro is a self-made zine distribution.
It is often run by one or two people who will have people mail them their zines
and they will sell the zines. Often the zines are sold to the distro on
consignment or at half to 60% of cover price. Some distro’s only need a
master copy of your zine and can make their own copies and are on the honor
system.
Distro Directory c/o Olivia Pepper P.O. Box 12258 Eugene, OR 97440
USA ($2)
ShadowSide Distro c/o Alli PO Box 761 Mountain View CA
94042
www.shadowside.com
Stickfigure Distro & Mailorder PO Box 55462 Atlanta GA
30308
http://www.stickfiguredistro.com/
USS Catastrophe PO Box 12299 St Louis MO 63157
www.usscatastophe.com
Vox Populis Distro PO Box 253 Roselands NSW 2196 Australia
http://www.voxpopulis.org
Microcosm PO Box 14332 Portland OR
97293
www.microcosmpublishing.com
Stores to sell your publication: To sell your zine through a
store, send them a copy with a SASE and request that they consider selling your
publication. Typically they will pay 40%-50% of cover price or will sell it on
consignment. It is up to the store how many copies they want and if they want
to sell your publication at all, so be considerate. Once they get your copies,
often they put a low priority on your invoices, so be patient, but don’t
be afraid to remind them. Keep copies of your invoices, just in case. To
generate an invoice, include all of your contact information and a break down
of materials sent and the cost.
Atomic Books 1100 W 36th St Baltimore MD 21211
Axis Records & Comics 1431 A Park St Alameda, CA 94501
/510-864-8682 axisrecordsandcomics.com
Comic Relief 2138 University Ave Berkeley, CA 94704 /510-843-5002
Fat Jacks 2006 Sansom St Philadelphia PA 19103 /215-963-0788
Quimbys 1854 W North Ave Chicago IL 60622
Fat Jacks 2006 Sabsin St, Philadelphia PA 19103
33 1/3 Books 1200 N Alvarado St, Los Angeles CA 90026
Flyrabbit 155 Haryard Ave Allston MA 02134-2702
Left Bank Books 92 Pike St, Seattle WA 98101
Reading Frenzy 921 SW Oak St Portland OR 97205 / 503-274-1449
Star Clipper Comics 379 North Big Bend Blvd St Louis MO 63130
/314-725-9110
For more information about getting a grant for producing a comic
go to http://www.xericfoundation.com/
For more information, go to http://www.juxtapoz.com,
http://www.moderntales.com/
http://www.altgeek.net/, http://www.cherrybleeds.com/,
http://www.grrrlzines.net/
http://www.invisibleinkradio.com, http://www.lilycat.com,
http://members.cox.net/okiezine/
http://members.aol.com/vlorbik/zine.html,
http://www.zinethug.com/index.html
http://www.zinebook.com/, http://www.topwebcomics.com/top.php,
http://vox.i85.net/