I’ve gotten into zines a lot of late, especially since I’ve got, well, a lot more time than I used to. I’ve been having a lot of random ideas that don’t feel quite right for my books, so I’ve been turning them into zines instead. And it’s been great! But why?
What is a zine?
From Flipsnack:
A zine (pronounced zeen) is an independently or self-published booklet, often created by physically cutting and gluing text and images together onto a master flat for photocopying, but it is also common to produce the master by typing and formatting pages on a computer. The publication is usually folded and stapled.
Historically, zines have been around since 1776 when Thomas Paine self-published Common Sense and used it as an instrument in promoting the ideas that contributed to the U.S. War for Independence. Just a perfect example to demonstrate the free spirit of zine culture.
Zines are freeform and allow experimentation
Zines are just paper. You can do anything with paper in a way you can’t do it with an ebook. You can combine visuals with text, arrange them on the page however you want, draw your own images and write things in your own handwriting! You can arrange newspaper clippings and experiment with your own photography. And when you’re done, you have something tangible that is different from the rest of your work. In theory.
You don’t have to make them about your books
I know! But my brand! But honestly, you don’t have to. Really. You can use these to be more authentic and talk about the things that interest you that aren’t about the books. The audience for zines is very different than the one for books. It can be very freeing to have a chance to branch out and do something different for different people for a little while.
Or you can make them all about your books
I know I have definitely done this with some bonus content. Short stories can be printed, inspiration photos that you took could be collected, or something else could be made that ties into your book. Just know that your audience may not latch onto the medium.
It’s not something for generating income
Honestly, zines are not a money maker. You can absolutely sell them and they are great to have at a table if you are at a convention1 but they’re not going to sell as well as your actual books. I find them to be a great creative outlet for when I need a break from more structured writing, and they’re a great way to experiment with some different creative outlets.
- If anyone is at conventions anymore… [↩]