Index ➤ Zinemaking

Zinemaking for Greenhorns

An in-depth guide to the practical side of zinemaking

Congratulations on checking out Zinemaking for Greenhorns. There are many guides like it but this one is yours!

This is a guide to making zines that actually gets at some of the nitty-gritty stuff. It’s meant to walk you through making your first(ish) zine from start to finish, with the goal of leaving you with a small run of photocopies for you to sell, share, or swap (and a few tips for how to do so, but I’m gonna focus on the making part). I’ll also be sharing my process and some tricks I’ve picked up that might be helpful even if you’re a zine veteran.

The number one rule of zines is don’t let anyone tell you what to do! You’re a badass DIY punk and you don’t have to toe any lines. All of these guidelines are absolutely meant to be thrown in the trash if you don’t like ‘em.

If you have any question, no matter how small, please send me an email at any time and I’ll do my best to help you out (and I won’t even make you feel stupid about it): twentytwozines@posteo.net

And remember, half the fun of zines comes from their copy-streaky, often-cheeky nature. I’m not perfect, you’re not perfect, and luckily, neither are zines!

A Yellow Kougra with headphones and a lamp giving a thumbs up. Above is the text Lets get Started!

ZINES 101

two-second zine history
zine culture 101
common zine subjects

INSPIRATION

an important decision to make early
finding basic direction

SETUP

supplies
choosing a size
b&w vs. color
setting up your master copy

PRINTING

arranging for print
scanning
printing settings etc.
where to print
assembly

DISTRIBUTION

ways to share
in-person
through the mail
distros, publishers, and libraries
content coming soon!

RESOURCES

additional resources
zine activities
so long


ZINES 101

two-second zine history

The common narrative is that the word “zines” is derived from “fanzines”. The word “fanzines” was invented in the 1920s-40s to describe publications made by fans celebrating science fiction and fantasy serials. These fan publications are often considered to be the first zines. I find this narrative to be incorrect!

We tend to define zines as something like handmade, DIY, small-run pamphlets and booklets made for cheap, quick, and easy distribution, which definitely didn't start in the 40s. True, the word “fanzines” may not have cropped up until the 40s, but based on our definition of them, we’ve been making zines basically since the invention of the printing press!

But really, trying to find a single point where zines started is like trying to pinpoint the exact moment when homo erectus became homo sapien—kinda impossible and arbitrary since publications, like humans, are ever-evolving. Just know that zines aren’t some new fad, nor are they a relic of 80s band culture or something. Zines are a consistent part of small press history, and you’re in very good company making your own.

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zine culture 101

There is an existing culture around zines, and I think it’s very naturally formed by the nature of the medium itself. You've probably already felt it to some extent just exploring zines so far. I think knowing a bit about zine culture, specifically these key components, will really help you get in the right mindset for making zines and interacting with other zinesters.

Free expression: Zines are a means of intellectual, creative, and personal expression that is not regulated by the particular standards of an existing industry. Go into zines without any rigid expectations about what a zine is, what it will look like, what content it will have or how it’s presented. Zines can be nonsensical and unorganized; the content can be super deep or completely superficial—all zines are welcome.

DIY style: Zines are meant to be made yourself and made cheaply. Typos, copy quality, physical quality, etc. are usually considered unimportant. In fact, it’s often these very imperfections that make zines enjoyable! So don’t judge a zine by how grungy it looks, and don’t try to force your own zine to be perfect or look professional.

Creative exchange: Zines are usually meant to be shared. They are not just about creativity for creativity’s sake, but for expressing oneself around others. You absolutely don’t have to share your zine with others in any capacity. I just mean that you shouldn’t be offended if someone offers to trade zines instead of purchasing zines from you, or if they ask if you have it available to read for free somewhere. You can of course decline a trade, but be nice about it, because creative exchange is a big part of zine culture. And don’t be afraid to ask others to trade--it’s how zinesters make friends!

Creator privacy & self-description: Zines allow creators a level of privacy and self-identification they may not get from traditional publishers. This anonymity is often an important shield so creators can fully express themselves. If you happen to know information about a zine creator that they haven’t shared in their zines or made available on a zine-centric account, don’t spread that without their consent. And if you would feel more comfortable with a penname or no name at all on your work, that’s totally valid! You can describe yourself however you want and share as much or as little about yourself as you want.

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common zine subjects

I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time considering how to categorize zines, as I’m a librarian and I feel that the way things are organized greatly affects how we interact with them. But categories are anathema to zines.

That said, I want to share my deliberately broad categories for the sake of idea generating and finding your feet. These categories are not mutually exclusive, and they are not exhaustive! If your zine does not fit in these categories, or fits in many categories, that’s fabulous! (I’ve also listed one of my zines that fits in each category; you can download them for free from itch.io/twentytwozines for an example of each type of zine).

Instructional zines: Zines with the primary purpose of teaching the reader how to do something.
Some things in this category: DIY instructions, workbooks, activist safety, tutorials for navigating life and bureaucracy, & recipe zines
A zine of mine that fits here: You Should Be Questioning: A guide to questioning your gender

Informational zines: Zines with the primary purpose of sharing information [the "nonfiction" category].
Some things in this category: feminism, fanzines, queer history, mental and sexual health advice, music & bands, reviews, science, & political zines
A zine of mine that fits here: Take a Rest: A list of restful activities

Artistic zines: Zines with the primary purpose of creative expression by the author(s).
Some things in this category: artbooks, illustrations, fanfiction, fictional comics, literary, poetry, & photography zines
A zine of mine that fits here: Please Pray for Gavin Claiborne and Jimmy Lee: The Comic

Perzines: Zines with the primary purpose of self-understanding and self-expression by the author(s).
Some things in this category: diaries (including diary comics), musings, travel zines, queer/identity experience zines, & zines about personal associations with a topic
A zine of mine that fits here: Unfair Maiden #3: The homecoming issue

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INSPIRATION

an important decision to make early

The very first decision I’d advise you to make as early as possible: are you planning to print/photocopy this? A zine doesn’t have to be photocopied—it can be scanned and shared digitally, or it can be kept as a single unique original and never shared. But the answer will impact your entire creation process. If you’re gonna do all-digital, for example, you can obviously use stuff like gifs that don’t really work in print. If you’re doing it physical but keeping it as a single original, you’d have an easy time making all the pages different sizes, or gluing on hefty 3D objects.

But most zines are printed/photocopied, and that’s what I’m focusing on in this guide. Therefore, a lot of your decisions will probably be influenced by what makes your zine easier or cheaper to copy. Color copies, for example, are tremendously more expensive than black and white. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth it, just that it’s something to keep in mind. We’ll get into more specifics as we go on. For now, just decide if you’re gonna photocopy at all (or at least if you want to leave the option open).

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finding basic direction

Now it's time for the big part--picking a topic for your zine. Zinemaking can be very seat-of-your-pants, which is what makes it fun. But having at least some super-vague idea of the sorts of things you want your zine to be about or what you want to put in it will make your life easier later. This is mostly because your general idea will likely influence practical decisions like size, printing, etc. So it's great to at least have something in the back of your mind as we're going.



Whatever you usually to do generate your ideas, start there. Check out the resources section for zine prompts and idea generators. If you have any ideas for content, scribble them all out. Think about what topics have been exciting you lately, or just what you’ve been spending all your time on. And be honest with yourself about what topic really excites you! If you’ve been doing nothing but watching anime, a fanzine or a review zine or even just listing out what you’ve been watching are all totally valid zine topics. You don’t need to make something groundbreaking here.

If you’re totally lost or stuck, it might be helpful to pick one of the broad categories listed above and start from there--informational, instructional, artistic, or perzine. That way, you’ll have a purpose to focus on and help guide your writing and creating. Pick whatever suits you or grabs your attention, and don’t feel limited in medium by the categories (for example, you can make an informational zine about, say, marine life that’s entirely comprised of photographs).

Speaking of medium, it might be helpful to make a distinction here. Zines are basically a form of mixed media, and the mediums which are used are super varied. When I'm using the term "medium/s" in this guide, I'm referring to the different means one might use to communicate or express themselves within the general zine format. For example (and some idea generating), here's a list of some not-mutually-exclusive mediums you might be inspired to use in some or all parts of your zine:

And if you're writing, you might like to try:

I mean, this barely scratches the surface, and I'll probably come back to add more and more to these lists. But you get the idea--there's so many ways you can express yourself in a zine!

When it comes to a topic, first remember that a zine doesn't have to be on a single topic at all. Perzines in particular (my go-to genre) are often beautifully diverse in topics. That said, having a general theme might be helpful for the sake of idea generation. Here are a few ideas for each category:

For an instructional/informational zine: something you know about (even just a bit), something you feel the world/your community needs to know about, and/or something you want to learn about (a zine documenting your learning process could be really cool!).

For an artistic zine: art on a central muse/theme, art that's ugly-on-purpose, art with limited/cheap materials, and/or a portfolio of previous works.

For a perzine: your past/present/future, your identity, your opinions, and/or your joys and sorrows.

And remember, all of these topics/categories/mediums can and do overlap! I don't mean this as a self-promo, but as an example, my first perzine Unfair Maiden #1 contains, in part:

All of this was loosely united under the theme of "Summoning", and so most of this was somehow related to goth-ness, demons, Satanism, etc. That definitely made it easier to come up with stuff ("draw a 3-panel comic" = not inspiring; "draw a 3-panel comic about summoning demons" = now we're talking). Try making some lists of things you like or find inspiring, freewrite/make and see where it takes you, or try a random theme generator if you're really stuck.

The most important thing is not to let thinking & planning get in the way of actually making, especially if this is your first zine. You want just enough to be inspired--and how much you need is up to you.

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SETUP

supplies

A zine truism: the best supplies are ones you already have or can steal from work!

Really, don't bother buying stuff unless you know it would make zinemaking more accessible for you. Just save your money for photocopying (we'll get to how to do that for free/cheap later). For digital tools for zinemaking and public domain/free use assets, check out the links page on this site. With that in mind, below is a list of things you might want to explore for physical zinemaking, including what they're used for and a free/stealable alternative. And if you think of another alternative that'll work better for you, go for it!

Surfaces

Markmaking

Binding supplies

Other assembly/creation supplies

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choosing a size

The content of your zine can inform your size, and the size of your zine will likely inform your content. But we've gotta get one of those more or less nailed down, and unless you already have a bunch of content you're just trying to arrange for printing, you'll probably want to pick your size first. Note that you don't necessarily have to know what length your zine will be yet, unless you're going for a particular folding method!

Before we go further, here's a few general common standards:

I've split up zine sizes into two general categories. One is the "standard sizes", which are zines whose pages are sized based on a "doubled"* number of folds of a piece of paper. (You'll see what I mean here). The other is "nonstandard sizes", which is, well, everything else. Here are a few zine sizes in each category:

Standard sizes Nonstandard sizes

When picking a size, my primary consideration is how much page space I'll need. Personally, I’m a fan of the half-size. It leaves you a lot of room to play on, it’s relatively easy to arrange and it means you don’t have to do any trimming at all. Minizines are popular for first-timers because there’s not too many pages to get overwhelmed with, it’s single-sided printing so it’s easy to arrange, and they’re interesting to fold. But if you're working with a minizine, you will pretty much have to stick to those 8 little pages exactly, because there's not an easy way to add more pages unless you're going to cut them out and staple them in!

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b&w vs. color

I like to decide whether my zine is going to be in black and white or color before I end up making pages, mostly because it ends up influencing the way I create. Obviously, if I start in black and white and decide later I want it in color, I'd pretty much have to just redo all my pages. You might think it'd be a good idea to always create in color, since that way you could print in either color or black and white, but I would caution against it! The reason is because color saturation can really throw off your perception of contrast on the page, so printing a color thing in black and white will often turn out washed out or hard to read due to low contrast. If you can decide now whether you want color or black and white, it will generally look better in the end, trust me.


The main consideration for me in black and white vs. color is price. Color printing is almost always 3-10x more expensive per page than black and white, and unless it's central to the feel of the zine, I don't have money for that crap. (Of course, if cost isn't an issue, or you have a way to print color for free, then sure, go all out baby!)

There's nothing wrong with zines printed in black and white; I personally tend to prefer them! But if you're feeling bored/limited by black and white, here's a few things you can do to make it more interesting that don't require paying to print a whole zine in color:

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setting up your master copy

Okay, you've made it this far, and now I'm going to share my number one, saved-my-ass, best-tip-I-can-ever-give tip for simplifying your zinemaking life. That tip is: save arranging for print until later. Cut individual pages out of your master copy paper to size, then work single-sided directly onto those pages. This is so much easier because:

The only time I don't bother cutting out individual pages is for a minizine, since I usually only work on one side of it anyway and it's only a single sheet of paper, so I just draw or fold my pages to size without cutting. But for all else, I highly recommend cutting out pages in advance.

What I'll usually do is cut close to the number of pages I think I'll need, then I can add or subtract as needed. Once I'm nearing the end of the content I want to make, I'll go through my pages and make sure the number of pages I have is the right number of multiples based on the size of the zine--the page count of my typical half-letter should end up as a multiple of 4. Then I'll arrange the pages in the order I want them to be read. Once I have the order and the page count set, I arrange them for print.

You can even do this method if you're working digitally, such as with a text-based zine. Set up a grid on your word processor with a little padding for each cel. There are a number of ways you can do this, but one that's pretty universal is inserting a table and manually adjusting the row and column sizes so each cel is the same size as one page. Once you print it, the grid lines will show you where to cut, and you can arrange for print manually just like you would above. This is handy for anytime you have a text-heavy page to make sure your text won't go over the page!

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PRINTING

arranging for print

In printing terms, a zine may be imposed or screen-readable. When a zine is imposed for printing, it means the pages are arranged so they’ll be in the right order when printed and assembled. This means that when the sheets are looked at separately, they’ll appear out of order. When a zine is screen-readable, it means the pages are in the order you’ll read them, but when folded they would be out of order.

The following instructions are for imposing pages for a zine that will be folded in half, rather than a minizine or an origami zine. Arranging can be done manually or digitally.

The easiest way to arrange digitally
If you're making a minizine, quarter-size, or half-size zine, you can and should use this FREE, OPEN SOURCE, INCREDIBLY EASY TOOL by Nash High! Scan your pages individually in reading order, upload, select your settings, and the tool will output a PDF that's imposed and ready to print!

The more expensive way to arrange digitally
Some programs have an option for you to print as a booklet, which will do the arranging for you, such as Adobe Acrobat. As above, scan your pages individually in reading order, then tell the program to "arrange as booklet" (this may be under the print button) and save as a PDF. Make sure you adjust the margins to 0 to avoid a white border around every page. Don't worry--when you actually print it, the printer will auto-add margins so the edges won't get cut off.

The highly controlled to arrange digitally
If you don't have access to a program that can auto-arrange, you can do it manually in a word processor (Word, Pages, Google Docs). You would scan in (or export) your pages as images (PNG is good), drop them into your word processor, and drag/resize them manually so they're in an imposed order. This kinda sucks to do but you do have a lot of control.

The best way to arrange physically
If you've made your pages individually as I've suggested above, basically all you have to do is impose the pages yourself one at a time, then add a little piece of tape on the backs to put them together. Then you'll scan the imposed pages or photocopy directly from your master copy. Simple! So let's look at how to do that.

Imposing can be a little confusing the first time you do it, but there's really only three patterns to remember:

And that's it! As long as your zine will ultimately be folded in half, you can do this for any size and length.


Let's see how this would play out:

For a quarter-size zine (or any other regular division of a page), you would put all your pages in the same order just like it was a half letter, then stack them on top of each other. You're going to be cutting the page in half anyway, so it doesn't really matter in what order you stack them! Here's how that might look:

I hope this helps! When in doubt, use a masking/washi tape or some other tape that you could move around easily. When you have your master copy pages imposed, gently fold them along the tape seam and flip through to see if the pages read in the correct order. Finally, once your pages are all arranged, it's time to scan and print!

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scanning

Nowadays, I rarely go straight from original to photocopy. Instead, I'll scan the original, then print the scan. This is helpful if you want to adjust things digitally, but even if you don't, it's more convenient to save your zine as a file instead of dragging the original to the copy shop.

You can scan in whatever format you like. PDF is standard if you're scanning all the pages in one go. Keep them in their imposed order, then you can print straight from your scan! If you're going to need to edit or move around individual images, like if you're imposing your zine digitally, I like PNG for a good balance between file size and quality. If you need to select the quality, 350ppi (pixels per inch) will be more than sufficient for printing any zines smaller than a billboard. Remember--you can always scale something down, but it's much harder to scale it up.

There are a few things that typically won't look the same when scanned/copied as they do on paper. Not that you can't use them, just know they'll surprise you:

If you're looking for a place to do your scanning, most local libraries have the capacity for scanning, and I've never heard of them charging just to scan. Otherwise, check a self-serve copy shop. Big photocopiers typically have USB ports--you can insert a thumbdrive and scan from the photocopier to the drive--or the capacity to scan and send the file to your email.

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printing settings etc.

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where to print

As you'd expect, there's lots of options for where to print your zines. You can print them at home if you have a printer, though keep in mind that compared to your average text document, zines are going to use up a lot more ink, and a lot of home printers won't like the volume you'd be putting it through. If you're printing more than like 5 copies, you'll probably want to find yourself an Outside Setup.

I want to touch very briefly on "sending it out"--using a full-service printer. Basically you send your file to a printer who fully prints and assembles. Working with full-service printers would require a guide unto itself, and it's something I've never done, so I can't be much help there! If I come across any great guides on working with full service printers for zines, I'll link 'em (or if you do, email me and I'll include it). If doing all the printing and assembly yourself makes zinemaking prohibitive for you in any way (including accessibility needs), then it might be worth exploring sending it out. That said, the spirit of zines is in DIY, so don't be afraid to do it yourself. Take your time with it, or bring in a friend to help you if you want--zine folding parties are really fun!

So if you're printing it yourself, here are a few options to consider:

And of course, there are copy scams--copying your zine for free when you're not supposed to! If you can swing it, it's super punk and makes zinemaking a lot more accessible. Consider printing at your school, your work, your mom's, or anywhere else. You can do this in small batches to reduce the chance of getting caught, and you can name your zine file something inconspicuous like "final_version_srsly_final.pdf" so it will look legit in the print logs. Back in the day the local punks often knew someone who worked at a big box copy shop who would look the other way for a zinester. Be sure to give them a copy in thanks!



Speaking of, you may be wondering--how many zines should you print at once? Well, how much money do you have? If it’s easy enough for you to get to a printer, you can print them a few at a time on-demand. But it’s also rad to print a bunch at once and have them ready to sell or give out. Really, it will depend on the way in which you plan to share them, so for now just trust your gut. If you have a scan of it, you can print more pretty easily!

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assembly

I feel a little silly having a whole section for assembly because there's not much for me to say--compared to everything else, assembly is pretty intuitive! You'll pretty quickly find a routine that works for you and your zine. If there's one piece of advice I have, it's to crease your folds well, as it will make them lie flatter and easier to stack and mail. I use the back of a pair of scissors, or if you're rich, you can use a bone folder. That's about it! Once you have them assembled, it's onto sharing them with the world!

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DISTRIBUTION

ways to share

As a newbie, figuring out how and where to get your zine into the world can often be the hardest part of breaking into zines. This section will include ideas for selling your zine to recoup some of your print costs (or make something of a profit, though if you're in zines for the money you're in the wrong business baby), as well as ideas for putting your zine out there for free.

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in-person

Zine Fests
Zine Fests are exactly what they sound like--festivals for zines. They're basically like a comic-con/art market specifically for zinesters, where zinesters will have a table with zines for sale and/or trade and/or free. Applying for your own table takes some foresight and effort, but they're free to attend! Bring your own zines and offer to trade with other zinesters or attendees. (Also, be respectful if a zinester says no thanks, cause a lot of zinesters have to recoup their bulk print costs with money).

Signing up to table at a zine fest usually requires an application a few months in advance. Each fest has its own application requirements, but they'll probably at least want some pictures of your zines. If any zine fest charges more than like $20 for a table (which should really be purely a way of crowdfunding the space rental), run away. If it charges you to apply period, run away faster.

Unfortunately, many zine fests will prioritize zinesters with multiple zines for tables, which from a space perspective makes sense (trying to pack as many zines in the space as possible). But don't let that dissuade you from applying; many zine fests also like and prioritize newbies! You could also apply to share a table with a friend.

Finding local zine fests can be a little tricky, to be honest. Many zine fests are transient much like the zines themselves. If your area has any arts newspapers, keep an eye on their events pages. Follow local zinesters online. you'll probably be best off just searching periodically for "your city/region+zine fest+current/upcoming year". You can also keep an eye on the Singular Papers blog; I don't know much about them as an org but they do have pretty good lists of zine and small press fests. But always keep an eye out for new things cropping up! When you love zines, trust that they will find you.

Other Arts Fests, Shows & Markets
Rep zines at other types of art fests! Check your area for arts markets, flea markets, popups, etc. The less bougie the better. Be aware that many of these will charge money for you to have a table, and it will likely be hard for you to make your money back with zines alone. There are ways you can try to reduce this cost--see if you can go in with another artist, ask the hosts about grants or fee waivers (especially for low income and/or non-commercial artists), or see if there are discounts for bringing your own table/chair.

Another classic zine-slinging locale are music shows! Local punk houses and shows tend to be zine-friendly. Try to ask the host in advance if it's cool for you to sell/share zines there, it's just good manners. (P.S.: Performers and hosts get free copies, of course.)

Non-Zine Events
You can seek a table at Pride events, farmer's markets, flea markers, local events/holidays, or pretty much any event that has tables and local sellers. I've tabled at various Pride events and they're always a blast! You might not be quite as likely to meet other zinesters, but people absolutely are curious about zines. Just be ready with a go-to answer for the inevitable "what are z-eye-ns" questions.

This is me tabling with zines at a local Pride fest!

Little Free Libraries
These little boxes of free books are great places to leave your zine! I've found a handful of zines this way and I always try to return the favor with a few copies. You'd be surprised what kind of connections you can make, especially if you leave a contact method on your zine--I've made friends from them finding my zine this way and reaching out!

Coffee Shops & Storefronts
Some coffee shops, record stores, comic stores, and bookstores will be willing to have your zine for sale on commission, either for a percentage of the sale or just as a kindness for the community. It never hurts to ask, just be nice and don't hold up a line or hassle minimum wage employees! My method which has worked well is to ask if they ever have stuff for sale by local artists/writers, then ask how you might submit something for consideration. This takes the pressure off and shows you're willing to let people read it to make sure you're not trying to hawk some racist shit or something.

Even more places will let you drop off copies for free. Look for pinboards, free tables, basically all the places people leave business cards. They WILL be taken and read, I guarantee it! What a fun way to share your zine and make someone's day! I even literally got a speaking job from someone finding a copy of my zine at a coffee shop--don't underestimate this method.

Busking
There is nothing stopping you from setting up a table or blanket on the street and hawking your zines that way! Well, except local ordinances, weather, and/or nosy/racist neighbors. I was super nervous to start selling/sharing zines on the street, but it's actually really fun and a great way to connect with your local community! If you feel safe doing so, I do recommend it. Your best bet is to pick a high-pedestrian-traffic neighborhood with lots of artists or tourists where you have seen other sellers/buskers. Busking has its own etiquette (don't blow up someone else's spot, for example); I started with this Busking 101 article and found it helpful.

Direct Outreach/Marketing
There's nothing stopping you from making flyers, stickers, or other marketing things to advertise your zine as you would a garage sale or a punk show! You could make it fancy with a QR code or whatever, or you can just include a zine email or social page for people to get in contact for a copy.

Literally Anywhere
Leave your zine anywhere people might find it! Leave it at a bus stop, pin it to a community board, stick it between pages of a library book, shove it into your crush's locker, whatever dude. The possibilities are endless, and you never know where it might lead. (P.S. This is why you want your zine to be cheap to produce--so you can have fun sharing it with the world without worrying too much about cost!)

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through the mail

Nowadays, sending things through the mail usually means coordinating online in some capacity, so some of these tips may also come in handy for considering how to distribute purely digitally as well.

Online Storefronts
There are plenty of options for sites on which to set up a storefront. I've experimented with quite a few of the "set up an online store for free" sites, and they all have their individual pros and cons. The biggest pros tend to be simplicity/speedy setup and buyer trust; the biggest cons that you rarely have complete control over your pages, sites will take commissions on top of payment processing fees, sitewide policies can and will negatively impact you, and the big sites where you're actually discoverable are always run by complete pricks.

After a few years of platform hopping, I made the choice to build my own website on Neocities and sell my zines via direct PayPal links. I'm 1000% satisfied with this decision because it is the most stable and gives me the most control, but it did require a lot of setup (though not as much as you might think). If you just want a free, quick-and-dirty site you can link to and people can purchase zines from, I recommend itch.io because it:

Other than that, BigCartel is fine, though they are only free for up to 5 items. I do NOT recommend Etsy, as you'll basically be forced to overprice the heck out of your zines to break even on their fees (among other problems).

Social Media
Social media isn't my jam, but there are zinesters communities on most of these sites if you search. I hate Meta, but there is a vibrant zine community on Instagram. Reddit has r/zines and other small press subs. Also don't skip on the slightly more indie/alternative networks like Mastodon and BlueSky.

There's also a ton of sites that act as hosts with accompanying forums or posting/social capabilities, such as Neocities (the platform I've used to create this website!), itch.io, ComicFury, etc. Not "social media" as such, but a great way to discover/be discovered and message other zinesters and artists!

Zine/Snail Mail Clubs
A lot of zinesters have their own mailing clubs--basically a subscription where people pay either up-front or once-per-package to receive a zine in their mailbox. I've seen a few of these on Patreon and Ko-Fi, some by individual zinesters and some that are run by a separate person who gets a zine from a different zinester for each mailout. Something to consider!

Organizations
Consider donating your zine to local organizations that might appreciate it. Depending on the subject matter of your zine, you could try reaching out to cultural/queer/youth centers, homeless shelters, creative spaces, activist projects, or cool nonprofits. It's kind to offer them the PDF with the option to reprint it themselves, but not a requirement.

You can also try donating to a books-to-prisons project; zines are sometimes not able to be accepted because prisons have really shitty rules, but the org you contact will have a good understanding of the system.

To Friends & Strangers
Finally, share your zine with friends, family, strangers--anyone who you want to read it. Keep copies of your zine in your backpack at all times to give away, and practice turning all conversation toward zines so you have an excuse to dig one out and give it to them.

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distros, publishers, and libraries

Zine Distros
Distros, short for "distributors", are basically zine stores. The distro will purchase copies of your zine to have available for sale in a physical storefront, online store, and/or events they attend. Distros provide a really great service to the zine world, sharing zines with a wider audience, gathering zines for easier access, facilitating findability and shipping, and providing a way for zinesters to get their work out there without managing a store. They're run by very passionate people who typically just want to celebrate and highlight zines, usually at very low, if any, profitability. Distros rule!

How distros operate highly depends, but it typically falls into one of two categories: consignment or up-front purchase. For consignment, you basically send copies of your work and receive pay if/when it sells. For up-front purchase, the distro will pay you up-front for a certain number of copies at a wholesale price, then sell it on their end for (typically) the cover price. Your cut will depend on the distro and the amount they're purchasing, but the usual is somewhere around 50% of the cover price.

Submitting to a distro: If the distro accepts submissions, it will have some instructions on the guidelines for doing so. But here is some general advice:

Finding distros: Much like zines, distros are always popping up and down. As of the time of writing, the most complete list I've been able to find is the nonmachineable distro guide, but even this is only up-to-date as of 2022. So your best bet is to just keep your eye out, do some searching (use "distro" and/or "publisher" as keywords), and ask some other zinesters.

Zine Publishers
While some places only distribute zines, others will offer full or partial "publishing" services. They may just handle the printing, meaning you'd send them your work as a PDF or other file format, they'll print, assemble, and distribute. Or they may have more involved offerings where they help edit and arrange your work on the pages themselves. The pricing for these services will vary wildly, but in general you will end up getting a percentage of the profit, rather than you paying them up-front to print it.

This can be convenient if you don't have access to printing services, if shipping costs to a distro/publisher are prohibitive to you, or if you want the publisher to be able to print copies as-needed without your input every time.

Sometimes the terms "distro"/"publisher" or "distribute"/"publish" are used interchangeably, so always take a close look at the org's submission and/or about pages to get a clear understanding of what exactly they do!

Zine Libraries
As a librarian myself, there's no way I couldn't mention zine libraries in this guide! Zine libraries are simply collections of zines available to read for free. They may be individuals sharing their own collections or entire organizations with dedicated staff, available in digital and/or in-person spaces. The mission of zine libraries is usually a mix of archival preservation and facilitating access. It's thanks to zine librarians and archivists (whether professional or D.I.Y.) that we still have access to zines from pre-internet days! Donating your zine to a library allows it to be shared and preserved as a representation of the ever-evolving zine culture.

There are lots of zine libraries, large and small, that you could consider donating to. In general, zine libraries can't pay for copies (all their money is spent on rent and server space), but some libraries/librarians with budgets may find you at fests or online and ask to purchase your zine to add to their collection--it's generally best to let them approach you for that if you aren't able to donate a free copy. And lastly, some libraries have a dedicated focus, such as zines on a certain topic or from the local area, so be sure your zine fits their submission policies before you send it in.

The most up-to-date list of zine libraries I know of is the Zine Libraries page maintained by Barnard College, but like any list it will never be complete, so be sure to keep exploring for more! (You can also find an incomplete list of my favorite digital zine libraries on my Free Zines page).

P.S.: If you are a zine librarian or interested in zine librarianship, be sure to check out the Code of Ethics. And feel free to reach out to me anytime to get some tips on organizing your venture and to talk about the nitty-gritty! twentytwozines@posteo.net

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RESOURCES

additional resources

Twenty Two Zines the website was basically created to gather zine resources, so rather than repeat myself, I'll just explain some of the other pages on this site! Also, this entire guide will soon be available in video version on my YouTube channel--keep an eye out!

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zine activities

There are a few zine-related activities/events throughout the year. Some are scheduled during specific times of the year, but there's nothing stopping you from doing the prompts anytime!


International Zine Month prompts from 2025

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so long

Well, that's about it! I want to say thank you so much for sticking with me through this guide! This guide (this whole site, really) project has been a labor of love for the zine community and I sincerely hope it's been helpful for you. I care a lot about making information of all kinds free, accessible, approachable, and low-barrier. Like everything on this site, this guide is officially granted copyleft, and I not only allow but encourage you to use, reuse, and distribute it however you like.

If you have specific questions about zines, are embarking on a zine project personally or in your classroom/institution, or otherwise want zine-related advice to the best of my ability, I am happy to have a brainstorm/consult/support session with you (no charge!). And if you've made a zine, whether utilizing this guide or not, I want to read it! Email me anytime at twentytwozines@posteo.net -- you can also check out my submission page if you want to submit it to my zine distro.

Thank you for keeping the spirit of small press alive in your hearts and your pages.

--Wesley

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2025
copyleft