hey ash....its eyelex (holli).  i can't remember if i told you or not, but i
want you to 'distro' my zine.  <br>i'll e-mail ya later.

Hello everyone. I hope everyone likes the new pic
I got for the club, the other one was getting kind
of tired since it didn't work n' stuff..So I figured
I'd change it..kewl? Anyway, my 'zine distro is on
its way to a full fledged home business, this is so
kewl! I'm going to have a lot of wonderful fun while
helping out the scene, doesn't get much better then that,
would you say?<br>My 'zines are coming along though I
am failing math and I'm starting to really dislike
school, all I want to do is go off into some little
corner of my mind and write, I don't want (or need) this
math bullshit. ERRRG. Anyway, the 'zine'll get out
when it gets out, I always put deadlines out there and
it seems they're only creating an invisible
deadline..So it'll get out when it gets out, got it?!
Good.<br>Well I'm going to go and check on my other clubs,
email, etc. Then work on my 'zine some more, see u
l8er.<br>Ashley.<br>"A" is for "Anarchy".<br>"A" is for
"Ashley".<br>Coincidence? I think not.

We get a lot of zines in our office and we read
them all. Zines are an instrumental outlet for punk
and ska music and we depend on them to spread the
word for our bands. This article on how to start your
own zine caught our eyes and we wanted to feature it
here on our web site. <br><br>Taking The Plunge - A
Guide to Starting a Zine <br>I have run articles on
starting a zine in other zines a couple times, but they
were a long time ago. None of the articles were at all
complete, and they were written a long time ago, I have
learned a lot since the time I wrote them. Thus, I have
decided to run a more comprehensive (though there could
never be a fully comprehensive guide to starting a
zine) article on getting a zine off the ground. It is
not something that will give you all of the tools you
need, but it will hopefully give people that are
thinking about starting zines somewhere to start. It will
also (hopefully) scare away people that want to start
zines for the money, the glory, or the free records.
<br><br>Disclaimer: This article is by no means impartial, or a
completely open minded portrait of starting a zine. This is
a collection of things I've learned through my
roughly 2 and a half years of doing MBD. If you don't
like MBD, then you probably won't be interested. But
then again, if you don't like MBD.... why are you
wasting your time reading it right now? This will also
tell the tale of my years with the zine. From the
thinking-up-a-name dilemma, to the jump to newsprint and a more
"professional" layout. <br><br>What it takes...<br>Doing a zine,
whether it be your typical fanzine, or a personal zine
that prints 50 copies takes a lot. The most important
things you will need to start a zine are ambition,
creativity, initiative, and hopefully some writing ability.
If you are not ambitious enough to spend hours and
hours just getting the first issue out, you will
certainly never be successful. That one seems a little self
explanatory. One thing that is very key in starting a zine is
initiative. If you lack the ability to take the initiative to
do things like finding contributors, getting
advertisers, finding a place to print, etc., you can never
make it as a zinester. I have a lot of people write
me, and ask me things like "I'm starting a zine. I
live in Pig's Knuckle Arkansas... where can I get it
printed?" I live in Colorado... just because I obviously
know where to print MBD, doesn't mean that I know
where you can print your zine. This happens to me more
than you might think. If you lack the initiative to
open up your yellow pages, and start calling printing
houses to get an idea of where you can print your zine,
you certainly won't have the initiative to get
yourself through all the battles that lie ahead.

The other thing that is more or less essential to
starting a zine that people will actually want to read, is
at least some writing talent. This is the thing that
seems to be overlooked the most. How does this happen?
I'll tell you how. People think that the fact that
they say something is "punk", that excuses them from
having to produce something that is actually good. Now
MBD is by now means punk, and I have seen a lot of
zines that label themselves punk that are very well
written. But there are also a huge number of zines out
there that throw together half page long articles on
how they hate jocks, and about how their parents
don't like their blue hair, and they call it a zine.
The easiest way to test yourself on whether or not
something is worthy of being printed is to read it, and ask
yourself if it is something that YOU would want to read in
a zine. If it's not, you should absolutely not be
printing it. Why would you want to put something in your
zine that YOU wouldn't even want to read? It seems
painfully elementary, but it happens all the time.
<br><br>Getting started...<br>If you think you're ready to get
started on your zine, you have a lot of decisions to make
before you start on the production of issue #1. First
things first, your zine needs a name. The name is
absolutely up to you. I do have a few pointers though.
First, try to remember that you don't want your zine
name to blend in with all the other zine names out
there. For example, any zine with the word "ska"
combined with another word is always a bad idea. That one
was a bad idea even when it was original. Also, keep
in mind that you will, at some point probably be
calling printing places to get price quotes, and they
will want your zine name. If you choose to run ads,
you will also be calling advertisers, and they will
also want your zine name. So, choose something
memorable, but don't choose something like "GoFuckYourself
Quarterly", because chances are it'll be hard for Jim at
Kinko's to take you, or your zine at all seriously. This
is a problem I have run into a little bit with
Midget Breakdancing Digest. Though it hasn't really hurt
me much, I did get a few laughs from some printers,
as well as one guy that hung up on me, thinking it
was a prank call. If I had it to do all over again,
I'd probably choose another name... but I don't.

The next decision is what your zine will
basically end up being. A typical fanzine, a personal zine,
an all polka review zine? This will decide your next
steps. If you plan on doing a personal zine, and paying
for your printing out of pocket, or scamming the
copies, you can ignore all my tips on getting
advertisers. You can skip straight to the sections about
production, and content. However, if you would like to run
ads to help pay for printing, you will have some
money (in the long run) to help you cover expenses, but
it will also open the door to a lot more headaches.
A name is important, so is the writing talent, and
everything else. But if you have no idea what you want your
final product to be, you're not going to get anywhere.
<br><br>MBD first started as a wild idea. I wanted to write
in local zines, but the ones around Colorado at the
time (Creative Insanity, Suburban Home, This Is Trash)
were all coming out very rarely, or were rapidly
dying. I wished there was at least one person doing a
consistent zine in Colorado, so I thought I'd give it a
shot. Over two and a half years later I'm still doing
just that, giving it a shot. After coming up with the
name (it's a long, fairly boring story) I began trying
to get my hands on some advertising. I had a lot of
help from Virgil (Suburban Home), he had some great
advice that I will pass on to you. If you want to get
ads for your first issue, no record label is going to
slap down $50 for an ad in your zine, you know, the
one they've never heard of, that has never even put
out an issue. So, a good thing to do is either charge
next to nothing for your ads, or trade ads for
records. This will not only get your at least a little
money, or a few more records, but it will more
importantly help you to create a relationship with the people
at the labels that will later help you to pay for at
least a portion of your zine. Don't underestimate the
value of getting a relationship started with labels. If
they have advertised with you in your first issue
(even if they didn't pay anything for the ad) they will
recognize your zine's name when it appears in their
mailbox. <br><br>Then, after all of this the key is to be
smart, honest, and persistent with the labels. Don't
send them the zine, and expect them all to send ads to
you right away. Send the zine with a rate sheet, then
contact the ones you haven't heard from a couple weeks
before your deadline. It is also important to be smart
and honest with them. If you ran a label, and some
kid came to you and said "Dude, like send an ad for
my zine, it's only $30, and I'm gonna do, like, I
dunno, 10,000 copies. It'll be great dude, trust me"
would you write them a check? Be up front with the
labels. If you just started out, tell them. Keep in mind
that these people are (for the most part)
professionals. The "I'm a punk and I don't give a fuck" attitude
is fine for the schoolyard, but if you want
businesses to invest their advertising money in you, that
approach is sure to fail.

Getting it produced...<br>Now, after your content
is coming together, your ads are coming in, and
you're all ready to put together your first issue it's
time to take the next step. How are you going actually
produce this thing? There are as many different methods
for production as there are zines. >From the
method that takes the least equipment, and prior
know-how: the hand written, cut and pasted method, to the
full computer layout, and everything in between. If
you aren't computer literate, and have no desire to
be, you do have the option of never using computers.
You can either write out all the text, or use a
typewriter. Then use a pair of scissors and a glue stick for
the rest. This can be very good, and have a charm to
it if (and only if) it is done well. A good example
of a very attractive, well laid out zine that uses
no (or very little) computer assistance is Cometbus.
This is partly due to Aaron's very easy to read
handwriting, and layout talent. Keep in mind that if you don't
want to use a computer, and your handwriting is sloppy
(like mine) you should either reconsider, or head to
some garage sales to get your hands on a typewriter.
Then, there is also the option of using a computer, a
printer, and other options like a scanner to do all your
layout on the computer. This requires a little equipment
(or you can go to most public libraries to scan and
print if need be), but it is also easier to make it all
readable, and attractive with the help of a computer.
Currently, MBD is 90% computer generated. All the text you
see, and most of the graphics were manipulated, and
printed in my bedroom. I have had to get my hands on a
computer, a printer and a scanner to make this happen, but
I think it's paying off. The only stuff I generally
cut and paste now that I have all the necessary
hardware are the ads. There is no reason to scan in, then
reprint ads unless you need to resize them. If you're not
sure on what method to use, open up the zines you
think look the best, and make some observations. If you
really like what you see in a zine, or a few zines, and
you're not sure how it was accomplished, write the zine.
Chances are that almost any zine editor would be happy to
share how they made something happen with you. People
who have developed techniques for doing something
love to share it! <br><br>Then, when it's all ready,
you are ready to print your first issue. Which can be
very easy to do if you will let the employees at
wherever you're printing help you. Ask questions, whether
it's Kinko's or a full on web printing house, they are
almost always happy to answer your questions, no matter
how basic they are. And, keep in mind that if they
tell you something that will cost you extra will make
your product look better, proceed with caution. I had
problems with my first few issues with this. I didn't
bother to ask more questions about what I would be
paying for, and I know I paid for a lot of extra shit I
didn't need because of it. If the printing place tells
you they'd recommend you doing something that will
cost you more, ask them what it will look like if you
DON'T pay for it. Chances are you'll find that it's
probably not an essential service. Once again, the smart
and honest approach will work best.

How to print it...<br>Most zines will start off
as photocopied zines. This is because you can't
really do a small run on a real press. Unless you are
doing at least 1,000 copies, it's probably cheaper to
find a place that will run it on a high speed copier.
DON'T go to Kinko's unless you have absolutely no other
option. Kinko's is certainly convenient, but it's also
not cheap. There is probably not a more expensive way
to do a copied zine than at Kinko's. Just open up
your yellow pages, and call around for prices. Kinko's
$.08 per sheet rate adds up real, real fast.
<br><br>If you do want to really go after it with your first
issue, and print it on newsprint, or something similar,
you will have to do at least 1,000 copies to make it
economical. If you are going to print a lot, web, or plate
printing as it's called is going to be quite a bit cheaper
per copy than photocopying. I am currently paying
about 20% of what I was per copy now, than when I was
doing the high speed photocopying. But, I also print
3,000 copies. And keep in mind that more copies cost
less per copy, but if you can't get all of those
copies out, they're of no use to you at all.
<br><br>Getting it out there...<br>So now you've gotten the issue
together, and gotten it all printed up. You have a big pile
of your creation under your bed or filling up your
closet. So how do you get all of these things out to
interested people? If you printed, say, 100 copies of your
first issue (like I did) it won't be terribly
difficult. Just passing them out to friends, and people you
know will probably take care of a good chunk of it.
Then, you can always take them to stores, shows, and
send them off to people (either single copies, or
larger quantities for those people to pass out). The
more you can get out without mailing any, the better.
Bulk numbers of zines, even 15 or 20 copies gets
pretty heavy very quickly. <br><br>If you printed a
larger quantity of that first issue, you have some
planning to do. You can contact other zines, and offer to
trade distribution with them. You can also contact
record labels, and mailorders, and ask them to send the
copies out with their orders. This is all assuming you
chose to give away your zine (at least the first issue
anyway). If you chose to sell it, you have a whole other
set of problems on your hands. You'll need to find
distributors for your zine that are willing you pay you for
the copies, then sell them themselves. I won't talk
much about selling zines, and concentrate more on
doing a free zine since I've never done it myself, and
I don't know a whole lot about it. Once you've
found distributors (for a free, or charging zine) do
your best to hang on to those distributors as you find
new ones. Chances are that your circulation will be
increasing as time goes on, and you need that consistent
distro.

If you are doing advertising, don't forget to
send copies to your advertisers, and other potential
advertisers. How many you do is up to you. For instance, this
issue I will send copies to my 20 or so advertisers, as
well as probably 100+ labels that didn't advertise
this time. These numbers are probably very high for a
new zinester. This is also because I have the luxury
of a Bulk Rate mail permit, which means I can mail
out large quantities for a low rate. Also, to help
get your name out there and drum up some orders for
the zine, send your zine to other zines that review
zines. I get more orders off of the reviews of MBD in
other zines than by any other method. Kids reading zine
reviews want to read new zines, so it's the perfect place
for them to find out about your zine. And, there is
also the option of trading ads with other zines. They
run an ad for you zine, you run an ad for theirs.
Trading ads is a simple, and effective way to promote
your zine, and help out another zine. The only thing
to keep in mind is that if you trade ads with a zine
that's much bigger than your zine, with a considerably
bigger circulation, don't expect to trade the same size
ad. For instance, run a half page ad for them, and
they'll run a quarter page ad for you.
<br><br>Next...<br>So now you've gotten your first issue out.
Congratulations. You've sent out copies, and passed them out
locally. The next step? Start it all over again, and soon
you'll be hard at work on issue 2.

This was obviously far from comprehensive, but
hopefully it will give you some idea of what it's all
about. If you have more questions, feel free to contact
almost any zinester. They'll probably be willing to help
you out. You can always contact me if you like MBD,
and need some pointers on getting a zine going, or
improving your currently running zine. I would encourage
anyone who wants to start a zine to do so. Although, if
you're hoping to get a lot of money and free records you
won't. Half the free records you'll end up getting you
probably won't like anyway. There are much cheaper methods
of getting a lot of records than starting a zine
(for instance, buying them...). <br><br>Also, keep in
mind that starting a zine, is, by nature a business
venture. You can say "It's not a business because I'm not
going to do it to make money". Well, I don't do MBD to
make money (and I have yet to even come close), but
zines that bring in money for ads, or for copies are in
fact businesses. The only exception would be zines
that don't sell copies, or bring in any money for ads.
If you're selling ads or copies, you are a business.
So be prepared for that. You don't have to choose to
run a successful business but you should be prepared
for what will come with the territory of running a
business. <br><br> Good Luck!<br> -Golden Boy <br><br>This
article originally appeared in Midget Breakdancing Digest
#11. To get a copy of the latest MBD, send $1
to:<br>MBD<br>PO Box 271<br>Hygiene, CO<br>80533-0271<br>or,
please don't hesitate to e-mail Golden Boy
at:<br>midgetbd@...

Thanks for all the tips on starting a 'zine. I've
contributed to a few before, but for the first time ever I'm
now editing an indie music zine I took over from
someone else, so it was good to get some
advice.<br><br>But what I really want to know is this: how do I go
about getting interview with bands?<br><br>There are a
few bands I'd like to interview for the zine coming
to town in the next month or so, but I have
literally *no* idea how to go about it. I don't know how to
arrange an interview, where it should happen, whether it
should be before or after the gig, what I'd need to take
or prepare beforehand (well, obviously a dictaphone
or similar and some questions, but apart from that)
or anything.<br><br>If anyone can help me out with
this, I'd be really grateful. Sorry to ask such a dumb
question, but as you can see I'm pretty much a newcomer,
and the person I'm taking it over from was in much
the same boat as well, so I have nobody else to
ask.<br><br>Thanks...

Hello. So you're looking for advice about
interviewing bands huh? Yeah, I've interviewed a couple bands
for my 'zine and if you want to get things done first
you NEED to act like a professional. No I don't mean
those stuffy suit guys who sit in their leather swivel
chairs and bullshit all day. I mean, no drooling about
the band, no need for sucking up or anything like
that, if you enjoy the band's music then tell them so,
just not in a googly-eyed manner. Ok, next thing: The
best time I'd say to interview the band is BEFORE a
gig, after a gig they'll probably worn out and won't
be in the mood to talk. Catch em' while they're
rehearsing or something...'Tis better to call and arrange
something then to just "wing it", TRUST ME ON THIS ONE. The
band may get pissed off if they don't know in advance,
it's better safe then sorry.<br>ALSO: You'll want to
figure out some questions beforehand and write em'
out...If you can bringing a tape recorder to the interview
would be ideal, BUT make sure they know you're
recording them talking for your use only (to get accurate
quotes, etc.)<br>Ask them what their influences are, what
they like about the music industry/what they don't
like, how they feel about their music, things like
that. No "What's your favorite color"? Bullshit....know
what I mean? <br>Hmmm..well, hopefully this'll get you
started..Oh yeah, it's better if you meet them somewhere that
distractions will be at a minimum so perhaps backstage or at a
quite coffee shop or something...If you're going to buy
drinks then don't assume anything...ask em' what they
like. If you take em' to a coffee shop then THOU SHALT
PAY FOR THE DRINKS. It's only courtesy.<br>Good
luck!<br>LovePeACeVEgETaRiANisM,<br>Ashley.<br>"A" is for "ANarchy".<br>"A" is
for
"Ashley".<br>Coincidence? I think not.<br><br>aka gothgrrl.

ash!! i love the picture!!! it makes me happy.....

Thanks for the help, it's much appreciated. It's
weird that there are quite a few sites of zine-writing
tips out there but none of the ones I found deal with
things like this...<br><br>Another stupid question:
should I try to contact the band or their record label
about it, or should I arrange it with the venue, or
both? I guess both is the best bet, but I'm thinking a
lot of mail sent to bands care of their record labels
probably gets thrown out without being read, and I don't
know what my chances of getting through to someone
relevant on the phone would be.<br><br>Anyway, thanks for
the information, now I can feel slightly less
clueless when I try to get an interview.

yuck i'm up to my eye balls or something in my
work and tryin to piece stuff together for my first
issue i still haven't named it i feel artistically
drained so it's takin so long to pull this together...
it's a grrrl zine about anything and everything i'm
having some interviews with a couple locals if anything
wants to submit something it would be appreciated i
really need some help i have almost half finished and
still no title ughhhhhh i'm frustrated ne way if anyone
does wanna help me even a tiny part even to calm me
down post or write me some e-mail at
smurfwhore@... <br>kisses<br>princess leanne

Hiya!!!<br>  Remember me???i hope u got my package...please drop me a line so
i'll know you're Ok.Talk later,bye.<br>Amaury

howzit?? AnyONE out there? Poems. Why? Crazy.
<br><br>I just read this crAzy story bout this person who
like stared a yellow paper until it drove her batty. I
was like whoa, lady you got to get a new hobbie. then
the roof started to move. It was f---ed I mean...
whatza? Huh? God is Dog spelled backwards sames with Live
is eviL to live is to be evil. Crazy, crazy shat
man. Well....<br>the Devil liveD he he he he he he
he<br><br>Think Im crazy? Not quite. Just excrutiatingly
bored.<br><br>Jenn

How do I get a new zine advertised or find people who would like to get it?  And
any tips on mailing and such would be helpful, too. Thanks in advance.

Lord_of_the locusts,<br>Looking for advice huh?
That's totally kewl, I am so glad I had forums like this
when I started writing 'zines myself, it was very
comforting, it gave me a sense of community and all of that
other stuff...ANyway, a good place to go, join, discuss
at and SELF PROMOTE is alt.zines...<br>Go to
www.deja.com and under quick search or whatever type in
alt.zines and it'll take you to a message board type thing.
All sorts of 'zine people post on here AND read it,
so it's a good place to self-promote, etc. And most
people have to put their two sense in, therefore helping
you along your way to a successful 'zinester, know
what I mean?<br>Umm..Yes, this should help with self
promotion a lot.<br>I have more to say on your post but
it's 1:44 a.m. and I'm a wuss so I need
sleep..<br>More to follow tomorrow.<br>-Ashley.<br>Aka gothgrrl.

Hey I'm new in this club but it was by far the
best zine club out there. Basically I've been writing
my own zine for just about 2 full years and well
enjoy getting zines from all over. anyhow that's about
it.<br><br>rids.

doesn't anybody post in here?<br><br>rids.

Hi,<br>  Can ye at least describe yr zine???<br>R ye into trading?<br>Amaury

Okay, I've been away for forever and a day, but I
really needed a break from the internet. It was starting
to envelope me and I hate being obligated to the
computer like that.<br><br>By the way, I love the picture.
Definately make ma smile. And laugh. Rainbow bright, what a
trip....<br><br>Anyway, for those of you who don't know, or forgot, I'm
Aiko and I do a little zine called Cobweb Junction and
if you're interested in trading or buying it you can
write to me at jitterbean@... or you can check
out my soon to be moved website (if the dam server
ever works) at
<a href=http://www.gurlpages.com/zines/jitterbean.
target=new>http://www.gurlpages.com/zines/jitterbean.</a><br><br>Now, enough
with the self-promotion, I have a real
question to ask here. Does anyone know anything about
distros? I'm totally clueless, so ANYTHING anyone could
tell me would be totally helpful. I'm going to have to
send some stuff to various zine review catalogues, but
I'm such a damn procratinator! Ugh. I don't know how
I'll ever finish issue #4 (which I am, by the way,
quite far on! But not far enough...) Anyway, if
anyone's interested in trading/buying/distributing, please
e-mail me!<br><br>Okay, nice to see you all. By
now.<br><br>Aiko

it's a punk/hardcore zine. Similar in stylings to
A Glam Rockers Diary but not a cheap copy of. I had
written my zine for a year before I even knew that AGRD
existed. It's a simple one page double sided small font
zine with the occassional ad but never a paid ad. Only
50-60 copies a print but covers NA and Australia (at
least that's where I get letters from now about them
having it....) So yeah trading would be cool with me if
it's cool with you.<br><br>rid.s

I run a music distro and know of a grrl in Calgary that runs a zine distro. I'll
check with her and see if she's still got it going or not...<br><br>rids.

Hey, that's be great! Thanks so much.<br><br>I'm
so excited, I've been blowing off homework and
working on issue #4 and I'm liking where it's going. I
only have four or five more pages that need to be
done-- and it's going to be long, too, 24 pages! It's
very exciting. But enough of that. I have to go do my
english homework... ugh. Anyway, hope you all are having
a nice day. Bye!<br><br>Aiko

24 eh. What size of page? How many do you print
at a time?? Must be a tad pricey eh. I know that I
dropped mine to just the one sheet for the cut rate
mailings. Going thick cost too much. <br><br>rids.

My zine is digest size, so that's 5-6 pages front
and back. I don't print too many at a time.. maybe 15
(which costs under $10 to print at office depot), and
then if I distribute more I just print those as
needed. Mailing is only 55 cents, which isn't too bad.
Really, it only costs about $1.00 to produce and mail
each issue, which is what about I'd pay for other the
zines that I trade for, and if people actually pay me
then I almost break even. But I know doing a zine is
going to cost me something, so I try to accomodate for
that. (Also, putting out issues as rarely as I do means
that I don't pay too often.) I just print it when I
have money.<br><br>Aiko

Oh yeah...I do at least 50 copies at a time and
my usual run is 75. As for distro-ing them I send a
bunch to the states to various people that want 5
copies or so and send about 10 to Australia. Not too
many of them stick around here that's for sure. So I
asked the girl if she's still doing the zine distro
thing and she is. It's madonnasucks@... (I
think this one....) or madonnasucksdistro@...
to get ahold of Kirsty. Well time to get back to
work...<br><br>rids.

After a brief hiatus, the webzine Too Many Colors
has returned with a new site design and a brand new
story.<br><br>Too Many Colors, the e-zine for the discerning
cretin, is a collection of musings by me and whoever I
can get to write for it.<br><br>Check it out at
<a href=http://www.toomanycolors.com target=new>http://www.toomanycolors.com</a>

Aiko!<br><br>Well email me sometime soon here and I'll give ya my home addy. I'd
love to read what you do. <br><br>rids