What is a zine?

A zine is a self-published book, or mini magazine, usually A4 or A5 in size and reproduced via a photocopier. Growing from music-focused fanzines in 1970s America, zines and zinemaking have now become an international underground movement that speaks the minds of individuals and subcultures around the world.

Zines can be of mainstream or marginal interest with incredibly diverse topics: fiction, politics, art, design, diaries, social themes or a personal obsession. They can come in almost any format: comics, collage, handwritten, computer designed, photography, drawings, even as cassettes, CDs, DVDs or in Braille! Zines usually have a hand-made feel and a strong ideological background. Their style is often raw, cheeky, uncensored and confrontational. They can question well-known opinions and sometimes communicate radical unorthodox messages.

The appeal of zines lies in their direct means of personal expression. Zines are created by individuals, not mass-produced by machines. They are a completely independent product that goes directly from maker to reader, bypassing conventional corporate organisations and censorship. ‘Zinesters’ (zine-makers) are united by an interest in independent media and publishing, alternative means of communication, and the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) philosophy. Zines can be made by anyone: high school students, retired people, kids, young adults, the unemployed, families. A single edition of a zine usually has between 20 and 100 copies. Once a zine is made it can be shared with friends, sent overseas, swapped, given to a zine-distributor, sold at a zine fair or even stocked in a zine store.