Music
An 8-step guide to making your first zine
Want to chronicle your passions in print but don't know where to start? Read on for a how-to guide from the fanzine-making experts.
From 70s punk pamphlets, to Boy’s Own’s chronicles of the acid house era, to today – where you can find independent print of all stripes – zines are the subcultural publications where you’ll find exciting new ideas, leftfield artists, and creators unafraid to operate outside the system.
But, even if you might have all the enthusiasm, just how do you start your own zine? Here are eight steps to get you started, from creators who’ve shared everything from teenage diaries to articles from the vanguard of black British music and everything in between.
1. Find your theme
Pick subjects and topics that you’re passionate about, whether that’s class politics or your favourite artist. Don’t worry about geeking out over things that might seem niche, absurd or uncool - the rules of the mainstream don’t apply to zines.
‘Perzines’ – autobiographical, written by one, sole author rather than various contributors – are also a popular format. They tend to focus exclusively on personal opinions and lived experiences, like Marianne Eloise’s Myspace-era zine, Emo Diary. “I started out just wanting to publish bits from my diary on Twitter, and was then urged to make it into a zine by friends,” she explains. “I already had a ton of material hoarded from over the years – in diaries, screenshots, chat logs, old texts. I choose what to include based on what is funny and what says something about the culture and the zeitgeist”.
Bettie Kirkssen, co-founder of Sheffield Zine Fest, enjoys making and reading perzines because of the freedom they allow. “Perzines mean I don’t always choose a theme as such; I just write about stuff that's happened in my life or things that interest me.”
2. Get your team together
If you’re not looking to do a one-person project, then you’ll be in need of some people to collaborate with. Word-of-mouth is often a good way to find contributors, but online call-outs can be more immediate and effective. Facebook event pages can be really useful for this, but some zine makers also use flyers, handing them out at zine fairs or slipping them into the zines they sell via ‘distros’ (online zine shops). A good call-out should include a clear brief explaining what the zine is about, says Kirkssen. “Include as much detail as you can about the kind of submissions you’re after – text, art, illustrations, etc. Include a deadline and contact details, so contributors can reach you with any questions they might have about submitting. Then spread the word online.”
3. Set some goals
Having a strong idea of what it is you want to make from the outset can be beneficial. Before you start your zine, it can help to ask yourself what you’re hoping to achieve or communicute, and who your audience is. However, sometimes it’s good to allow yourself a bit of freedom, too. “I’m generally very bad at this,” says Kirsty Fife, who makes the female/queer music zine Move Under Yr Own Power and is the founder of Weirdo Zine Fest in Leeds. “Generally, I just think ‘I'm interested in this’ and dive in. I start writing, then edit later. I often also write down lists of rough prompts as things to think about while writing.”
4. Hunt for inspiration
Ripped and Torn zine
© Tony Drayton
You’ve got your zine planned out, you might have even found some people to work with and you know what kind of thing you’re aiming to make… but now you’ve got no idea what to put in it. Worry not – inspiration is all around. For Tony Drayton, who started the seminal punk zine Ripped & Torn back in 1976, it started with a process of “working out what music I was liking, plus considering the potential of stuff that wasn’t immediately grabbing me but could be interesting to my readers”. After moving from London from Glasgow, Drayton was able to get into the thick of the scene he was writing about. Whether or not a cross-country move is on the cards, it’s important to remain consistent, and stay plugged into your topic. “Being a countercultural force is essential for a fanzine if it wants to be known as a fanzine, otherwise it is just a magazine,” he adds.
5. Get creating
Your zine’s all ready to go! You just have to work out how best to send it out into the worl Digital publishing tools such as Microsoft Word and InDesign are best for ease and neatness, or you can go old-school and get creative with pens, scissors and glue. Alternatively, try a combination of the two – Kirkssen’s preferred approach. “I put my layouts together by hand, figuring it out as I go. I use a typewriter or a computer, then I print out the text and cut it up, arranging it around drawings, art and washi tape.”
Pagination – working out the number and order of your pages – is also important: the book Stolen Sharpie Revolution has more info on getting your layout right. For publishing, check out professional printer services such as Footprint Workers Co-Op in Leeds, or go for the DIY route and use a photocopier. Risographs are a perennial favourite among established zinesters.
6. Distribute your work
Sita Abellan in Pink Noise
© Pink Noise
You’ve got 600 copies all ready to go, but nowhere to sell them. Don’t panic - there are plenty of websites where you can create your own online shopfront. Eloise started a Bigcartel page, as did the creators of Pink Noise – a zine for women in electronic music. Moira Letby and Anastasia Glover also stocked their zine in record stores, though because Letby “personally printed, folded and binded the magazines” they had limited copies, making distribution more of a challenge. However, keeping things homespun has its advantages; “I post every zine in person from the Post Office, which I kind of enjoy,” Letby explains. “I love seeing all the different postal addresses and writing little notes and messages. I think keeping it that way keeps it personal and allows me to properly interact with our readers”.
7. Join the community
Linking up with other people in your industry can be a real boost to any creative project, but especially where zines are concerned. “When I began making Pink Noise, I applied for a stall at Grrrl Zine fair at Southend-on-Sea in 2015 last minute and a stall dropped out meaning I got the place,” says Letby. “From going to that fair and meeting loads of other people that made mags, it made me want to get more into it and continue producing them”. Besides, rubbing shoulders with people in the industry you’re writing about can never be a bad thing. “When we started out I reached out to loads of great DJs and producers who I liked and thought were doing really great things in the music scene expecting to be fully blanked,” adds Letby. “I was really pleasantly surprised with the amount of support, and the number of people willing to have a conversation.
8. Survive the challenges
It’s only natural to encounter difficulties and challenges when you’re putting a creative project together, but doing your best to get through them could mean you’ll reap dividends. Trench – a “music, style and culture platform” – launched its first print zine last year, with grime veteran D Double E as its cover star. “Putting together a zine isn't easy," says founder Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson. "There are always last-minute changes you want to make to be sure that the end product is just right, whether that’s what font to use, or how the stickers should look on the front cover. But the best part, for me, is when it's finally out in the world, a collector's item that only a few people will ever have and cherish. Making zines in 2019 shows that you're not afraid to put your money where your mouth is; you're not afraid of the big giant magazines because you don't care about that – you're doing it for the people”.
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