#zine tips

[lixprocesslog]

Zine tips: zine workshop rokko GF

[artisticdivasworld]

Zines: A Creative Outlet for Everyone

Have you ever felt that itch to create something that’s entirely your own, something that captures your thoughts, passions, and creativity? If so, you’re going to love the world of zines. These little self-published gems are the perfect way to express yourself without any of the usual constraints.  So, what exactly are zines? Well, the name is short for magazines or fanzines, but they’re a whole…

[o-kenki]

im begging you zine organisers/creators, if you ask anyone to submit anything via a form (like a google form) enable the option to send them a copy of their response! ; _ ;

so they can see if they forgot to copy paste what they wrote (pitch, answers, etc...) the file they sent you and all that...

i vividly recommand to always record/copy paste in a txt file, everything you send via a form, but it's so nice to be able to also have a copy. I think you can enable sending a copy without it being modifiable/editable after (not 100% sure on this one, but you can always keep a trace of what the person said and modified)

please i am begging you, i am holding you hands and begging you. sometimes people will apply very early in the heat of the moment and forget to record their own responses and lost their pitches or send the wrong file/e-mail/link and will not notice! ; _ ;

Please, especially for application because it send the email back to the email they submitted to they'll know right away if they typo'ed their email or something!

im on my knees, please enable sending a copy of the responses when you ask people to fill a form!!!!

im beggin you to make you zine more accessible, some people will apply and learn the process for the first time, make it easy for them so they are not afraid to apply and try and it's not a fight to find the infos and keep trace of them, please i'm holding you in my arms, some of us are very stupid please

[celestriakle]

Hi! I found your at from a zine modding advice compilation doc. I am planning to make a zine, but I have no experience modding. I was wondering if I could get your advice on how to make realistic/fulfillable plans as a newbie?

Hi there! I'm in a zine mod advice doc? 0: I had no idea, could you send me a link? I'm curious!

So, I ran my zine solo and it was my first time running any sort of project like this. It was saddlestitched 30-40 pages (I don't remember exactly; this was several years ago) and we did merch: an enamel pin, a sticker sheet, a die-cut sticker, and two holographic prints. In the end, we made enough money to cover our costs and pay out $6 (approximately) to each contributor, but did not raise enough money to offer complimentary copies of the physical zine/merch. I was aiming to have enough for complimentary copies, which is why I'd call the project a semi-success.

This got long! But here's pretty much all the advice I got:

Know your audience. Is it a fandom zine? How big is the fandom? Original content zines will struggle more to gain interest. How big is YOUR platform, specifically? As lead, the onus is on you to get the word out at the start to attract contributors and potential buyers. Try to gauge how many copies you might sell from this. Lean conservative on your estimate and base your plan on that. (This is where interest checks come in!)

Pick your vendors. Familiarize yourself with the terminology they use. Compare and contrast prices and services using the sales estimate you devised in the last step. How long does shipping take? What is the policy if products come out defective? There are always going to be some defective products when producing en masse. Check reviews. Have you bought zines yourself? Contact the creators of zines you like and ask them which vendors they're using for their assorted products. (I had a great experience with mixam.) Don't forget to look into acquiring packaging and shipping costs (domestic and international)!

Decide how you're going to sell the zine. Kickstarter's great if you're using a vendor that has a set MOQ (minimum order quantity) or if you want to guarantee to be able to provide a certain level of compensation for your contributors, but it also takes a fee and means that, if you don't get enough orders, you have to start the campaign all over again. Bigcartel has more flexibility in terms of sales windows and such, but it's difficult to customize like kickstarter. Also, if you're using bigcartel and don't sell enough, you're on the hook for either refunding or fulfilling all the preorders you do get. You'll also need a stripe and paypal business account.

Make a budget. So you have an estimate of how many you think you'll sell. You know how much your vendors cost. You've accounted for your incidentals (kickstarter fee, packaging, gas to get to the post office, etc). Refer to other zines for what typical prices for your products are and set your prices based on that. (Analyzing what other zines are doing is generally a good idea.) What's the absolute minimum number of sales you need to cover costs? (Fewer orders usually increases production cost.) How many sales do you need to make to compensate your contributors? What will you do if there's excess money? What if it's not enough to split it among your contributors evenly? ($40 is a lot for one person, but it's basically nothing split 30 ways.) Are you going to make stretch goals?

Make a timeline. Interest check, contributor apps, concept submissions (you'll want to know what people are doing before they start working), periodic WIP checks to make sure everyone's on task (there will always be a few people who need to drop out), preorder period, manufacture time, shipping timeline. People will want to know what to expect, especially contributors. Ensure the contributors have plenty of time to work, since, chances are, they're effectively donating their time and effort. Keep in mind major holidays and school schedules; people will need more time if those are happening. Give yourself plenty of pillow space for unforseen issues, so you can stick to this timeline as much as possible throughout the process.

Have the full plan written out for your contributors before they arrive. Be clear and concise. Timeline, expectations in terms of content and behavior, instructions, how you're going to fulfill the zine, expected compensation. Not everyone knows how to prepare an image for print, so include that in your instructions. You're gonna want a discord for this. I also used google forms to manage check-ins and other such things.

Be involved, and COMMUNICATE. Talk to your contributors outside of check-ins. You're their hypeman! Hype them up! Make sure your passion's there for all to see! Nothing, and I mean nothing, kills a project faster than a disinterested/aloof leader. You'll also want to communicate any issues to contributors and buyers asap. It's not embarrassing; people will be patient (mostly) as long as they have communication. Silence is upsetting.

Consider marketing. I've written this as if you're going solo, but these next few bullets is why people usually run zines as a team. Once the contributor team is assembled, that's when you need to hit the bricks. There's a lot of waiting time and you need to gain a potential audience and keep them interested. Marketing is a weak point of mine, so I don't have much advice, but it's critical for the success of a zine. Contributors can advertise a little, but the bulk of that's on you. You'll want an account dedicated to the zine, I can say that much.

Is graphic design your passion? Even if a contributor is designing the cover, what will be on the inner page? The back cover? Do you have any writers contributing fic? That will need formatting. (Do you know how many words fit on a page? It's different depending on the size of the book.) You'll need to make some sort of credits page, or will you put credit information on the same page as each contribution? Quality graphic design can make or break marketing attempts.

Double check your contributors' work. There are going to make mistakes. Most people aren't used to preparing things for print. Having room for bleed (edges of an image that may be cut off during the printing process, or hidden when bound into a book) was a particular issue in my zine. Even if all this is written in your instructions, you'll get files with not enough bleed room, or in RBG (files must be in CMYK for print), or in too low a resolution (300 dpi minimum). Any issues need to be caught, corrected, and all the files compiled for submission to the printer.

Don't forget postage. I mentioned this briefly earlier, but don't forget to account for packaging and shipping in your budget and time. Things like pins can make a slim package too thick and change the postage class. You'll need room in your house to hold the product. You'll want to pack things to ensure nothing's dented or bent. I highly recommend against having a shipping mod, unless it's someone you know and trust very much. I've seen too many projects fall apart because a shipping mod ghosted or stole all the materials or similar issues.

Have a backup plan. What will you do if you only get five people wanting to be contributors? What if you don't sell enough to cover your costs? What if you get bad product? What if you don't hit the MOQ of your chosen vendor, or if they announce a spontaneous price change before you get your order in? Have answers!

Be confident. If you're not used to leadership, it can be weird to have everyone looking to you, but if you've prepared, then there's no reason to be nervous. The people you work with will respond to your energy, so put out those good vibes.

I enjoyed making my zine very much, but also, it was still very much work! I discovered I hate marketing and graphic design, and love the technical bits of arranging the vendors and budgeting and handling the materials. I probably wouldn't go solo again, but I'm glad I did it at least once because it taught me the ins and outs of every aspect. A lot of people, for their first zine, do digital only because, needless to say, physical product is complicated!

If you made it this far, congratulations. xD It felt nice laying out everything I learned; I hope it's just as useful for you to read.

Feel free to ask if you have any further questions!

[antigravity-zine]

Guide to Applying for Zines and Building your Portfolio - Antigravity Zine edition

Hello everyone! As applications are opening next week, the Antigravity Mod Team decided to write a post about how to build your portfolio and apply to zines, so you guys are ready to apply for ours. We’ve all wondered at some point what we should do to make our application stand out, so here we’re going to explain some tricks and rules you should follow, should you want to apply.

I’ve already written some examples of how to apply here, and here (I love rambling about zines), but I figured I could put them together for you all! And remember, most of these guidelines are suggestions, though, so don’t be afraid if you skipped some!

Now, let’s focus on applications!

Before applying

Read the FAQ and guidelines carefully

The FAQ is the heart of the zine. It usually displays the theme of the zine, the number of participants they’re going to accept and, in case you’re a writer, the maximum word count. This will give you an overall view of what apps will be looking for.

In our case, the Antigravity Zine focuses on Uraraka Ochako. The zine will be divided in past, present, and future, and artists and writers will be distributed in each category depending on what they wish to work in.

Compare the zine’s schedule with yours

Make sure that, in case you’re selected to be part of the team, that you’ll be able to keep up with the schedule. It’s okay if you suddenly get busy in the middle of the event (life happens), but for the mod’s sake, please be mindful of your own availability.

Applying

Answer all the questions as clearly as possible

Zines usually have some general questions on the first page of applications; these questions are important in order to get in touch with you guys. Then, there will be questions related to your application, and the answer to those will be what will help mods decide who to choose.

Make sure you read all questions (and possible explanations underneath) carefully before submitting your app. Don’t worry if you have to take a while (even days) to write a proper answer, or if you need to ask the mod team about clarifications for some questions – Mods will gladly answer any doubt you might have.

Portfolio

Now it comes one of the most difficult parts of the zine: selecting your samples and building up your portfolio.

Portfolios are vastly different between artist and writer applicants. Ideally, a portfolio would be built up for each application, but we’re not going to ask this for you, not at all! However, there are some certain rules that will make your portfolio look good.

Artists

An artist’s portfolio should be a google drive folder or a similar webpage that has at least 7+ works that demonstrate the full range of your skills. Drop as many different styles as you want, but make sure your pieces are all finished. A portfolio full of sketches isn’t professional, and it won’t show your capabilities at all.

Some additional tips that your portfolio should follow:

–  Some of your pieces should have backgrounds. Zines usually ask for full pieces with backgrounds, so you should show the mods that you’re capable of drawing them.

–  Most of the works should be fully coloured.

–  Include different subjects and styles, and different poses

–  In case you’re applying to be a Merch Artist, include 1+ works with merch designs.

Of course, you can use your art tag as a portfolio, but remember that you won’t be showing your best work like this, and the mods will have to dig within the tag to catch a glimpse of your work (which frankly takes a lot of time and sometimes it’s fruitless).

So our recommendation is that you take some time building up a good portfolio!

Writers

In case of writers apps for zines, portfolio rules are a bit laxer. Usually, an AO3 link or similar is fine, but if you really want to show only your best works, there are some considerations you can follow:

–   5+ works showing what you consider Zine-quality skills. These can include the samples you’re using to apply.

–   The pieces you include should have a defined start and end, and a good development in-between. Excerpts are allowed as they follow these rules and you leave a link to the complete piece.

–   Include a variety of subjects and genres, and a variety of writing styles (f. e., a more lyrical tone for drama, a more comical tone for rom-coms). Make sure you include a variety of types of narration (dialogue-heavy scenes vs. scenery building, action scenes, etc.)

–  Make sure that all the pieces have been edited for grammar and spelling.

Samples

Zines normally ask for an X number of samples following certain rules. These will help the mods judge the style you’re applying with to the zine, and if you’re able to meet all requirements/rules of the zine pieces. Make sure you read the requirements and follow them; Mods will be less willing to give you a high score if your sample word count goes 1k over the word count, you know?

In Antigravity Zine, we will be asking for three samples from artist and writers. For artists, it is suggested that at least one piece has a background. For writers, we ask that no piece goes over 2.5k (excerpts are allowed). For merch artists, we recommend that at least one piece is a merch design.

A very important note! To all artists who also apply as a merch artist, please don’t apply with the same samples you used for your artist application. It shows a lack of care and it might hinder the mods’ opinion on you.

As for general requirements, we ask that at least one piece is set in the BNHA universe. A piece showing Ochako is preferrable, but it’s not obligatory.

Make sure your work is easily accessible

Make sure the mods will have no issues viewing your samples when they start reviewing them. Your samples shouldn’t:

–   Be restricted only to your followers (in case you’re linking posted works). Make sure you check your account’s privacy settings before submitting.

–   In case you’re using a google drive link, make sure the link allows people to view the piece. In case you don’t know how to get a link to share, there are really easy guidelines out there.

–   Make sure the link is still active until the end of the applications period. Please, don’t move your works to the trash before apps results are sent, at least.

–   Make sure you’re sending the correct link. Don’t link works you didn’t mean to link.

(Sadly, we have encountered all these in other applications)

Remember: Mods can’t give you a score if they can’t see your work.

Does your application fit the theme?

Now, this is not a requirement (at least not for this zine), but it is always good to select samples that are relatively related to the zine’s theme.

Think of it as a job application; you wouldn’t apply to a work related to philology with a physics doctorate, would you? Well, the same goes with zines. Use optimistic pieces to apply to optimistic zines (rom-coms, family zines, platonic relationships, etc), and dramatic pieces to apply to more angst-themed ones (tragedy, drama, horror, etc.).

Keep it SFW if it’s a SFW zine, and add NSFW pieces for your NSFW zines.

As for Antigravity zine, we don’t have strict themes required for samples, and the mod team has decided that NSFW won’t be allowed, as some mods of the team aren’t comfortable with those.

Pitches

The weight of pitches in zines is different in each case. Some ask for 1/several pitches that determine what you’re going to create for the zine, while in other cases, the pitches are only orientative and let the mods see your ideas. In case you’re applying to a zine that follows the first case, you will need to sit down and think of your idea carefully, as it’ll affect your application.

In Antigravity zine’s case, pitches will be orientative, and will not affect your chances to get into the zine.

After applying

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with the mod team if you need to change your app

Sometimes we are too eager to apply and make mistakes, or we finish a piece after applying that we consider it’s better than the ones we used to apply.

In this case, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the mod team and ask if you can change your application. More times than not, the mod team will be happy to change whatever needs to be changed, and they will evaluate the new pieces accordingly.

Remember, though, that you need to ask for changes before the applications period ends!

Don’t be discouraged if you get rejected

More times than not, zines get too many applications and have very limited contributors spots, more so if that zine is physical. Mods see themselves in a situation where they have to choose between several really good applications and discuss for hours to see who they accept and who they reject.

Usually, they are forced to choose between people who have the exact same score.

Being rejected doesn’t mean you’re bad; sometimes, someone else’s application fits the theme better, they explained themselves better, or they were just very lucky and were chosen over you. So, please, don’t let a rejection email let you down and keep trying!

Most of the people who have participated in a zine sometime have been rejected heaps of time before. I have been rejected dozens of times before (at this point it’s part of the zine experience). However, if you keep working hard and learn from your mistakes, it’s only a matter of time until you get into one yourself.

You won’t get in if you don’t try.

–

And this is more or less what you should know before applying to zines! If you guys have any questions, please don’t hesitate to hit our ask box, and we will get back to you shortly!

And remember, applications open on June 1st!

Lots of love,

Mod Lie & The Antigravity Mod Team

Schedule    |    FAQ    |     Ask    |    Twitter

[bnha-kokoro-zine]

Tips for first-timers in Zines

Hello! I hope you don’t mind if I show your question like this @angel-of-darkness-217 ; this is something I would’ve loved to know when I started applying to zines myself, and that I’m sure it will help more people who are thinking of applying to this one.

There are many different types of zines out there; free, for charity, for profit, only for artists, focused on writers, focused on merch (like tarot projects), and with all kinds of contributors working in them. Every zine is unique, so their applications may vary, but there are a few essential things you always need to take into consideration if you want to be a contributor to one of them.

I will divide this answer into the different stages of a zine for a better organization.

Getting interested in a zine

When you first bump into a zine, all zines look like shiny little jewels you want to get your hands on asap. However, a lot of zines sadly fail through in their earliest stages, so you need to take into consideration a couple of things before thinking of applying:

Who’s the mod team? Try to find a list/post with some information about the mods of that project. See if they have prior experience in modding a project like this one. If they have experience, there are more chances that the project will follow through until the end. Be careful, though! Zines with heavily experienced mods can also fail for multiple reasons, and people without experience can also produce a really good product. It all depends on the next points.

Check their FAQ and guidelines. A properly structured FAQ including details of the project shows very well the organization of the team. A good FAQ makes a good project. I’d also advise you to read through the FAQ to make sure you’re really interested in the project.

Is the mod team communicative? Do they answer questions regularly? Are they clear in their answers? Are they polite? Do you think you’ll be comfortable working with them? Have they answered all the questions you’ve left in their ask box? (check if it has been answered before or that you’ve left them enough time, though) If you have answered with “No” to one or several of these questions, I’d rethink my wishes to apply to that project.

Remember, if a project doesn’t follow one or two of these points it doesn’t necessarily mean the project itself is bad. However, this is what you ideally need to find in a project like this.

Applications

Now it comes one of the most nerve-wracking parts of a zine: applications. You really want to get into this project, and you want your application to knock the mods off their feet. Applications may feel daunting, but they’re pretty straight-forward once you get the hang of them!

Follow the guidelines carefully. Mods usually leave some rules for applications, like the number of samples, the maximum word count, the theme, etc. Make sure you follow all these rules, or else you risk your app being disqualified.

Make sure your work is easily accessible. Make sure the mods will have no issues viewing your samples (for example, that the links you’re posting aren’t restricted only to your followers, that the link is still active until the end of the applications period, or that you’re sending the correct link). Mods can’t give you a score if they can’t see your work. 

Answer all the questions as clearly as possible. Make sure to read them all carefully before submitting your app. Don’t worry if you have to take a while to write a proper answer, or if you need to ask the mod team about clarifications for some questions -- Mods will gladly answer any doubt you have. 

Make sure your application fits the theme. Normally, it doesn’t matter much if your samples stray a bit from the theme of a zine, but some zines ask specifically for samples that fit a certain, general theme, like nature, love, fairy tales, etc. For zines like that (and essentially all zines if you want to get more attention from the mods), it is nice to make a bigger effort to find samples that fit the theme. A very important note! To all artists who also apply as a merch artist, please don’t apply with the same samples you used for your artist application. It shows a lack of care and it might hinder the mods’ opinion on you. Including actual designs for merch in your samples and/or portfolio helps a lot.

Offer pitches if they ask for them. Sometimes it’s not obligatory, but well-explained pitches really show how interested you’re in the zine. It will leave a good impression on the mods! Again, don’t worry if you need to take some days to think about them, and get feedback if you need it. Just make sure you submit it before apps close.

Have a good portfolio. Our dear Mod Dev has written this post about what makes a good portfolio. It’s a very interesting read, so I recommend you read it, guys!

Again, if you don’t follow one or two of these rules it won’t affect your application much. Mods are pretty flexible, and they can adapt to most situations without hindering their opinion on the application. However, it will look really good if you do follow them.

And remember the most important rule of them all:

Don’t be discouraged if you get rejected. Sometimes zines get too many applications and have very limited contributors spots. Mods see themselves in a situation where they have to choose between several really good applications and discuss for hours to see who they accept and who they reject. 

Being rejected doesn’t mean you’re bad; sometimes, someone else’s application fits the theme better, they explained themselves better, or they were just very lucky and were chosen over you. So, please, don’t let a rejection email let you down and keep trying! 

Most of the people who have participated in a zine sometime have been rejected heaps of time before. I have been rejected dozens of times before (at this point it’s part of the zine experience*). However, if you keep trying and learn from your mistakes, it’s only a matter of time until you get into one yourself.

You won’t get in if you don’t try.

*And please, remember not to bring someone else down if they have been accepted in the zine you wanted to get in, and never, never say they got accepted because of their popularity. Most mods score blindly or know they can’t be influenced by someone’s popularity, and that someone has already been rejected dozens of times before, just like you.

They have tried just as hard as you, and they were lucky enough to get in, so make sure to congratulate them.

Creation process

You’ve finally gotten into a zine, cool! However, there are still a few things you need to take into consideration while working in a zine.

Follow the zine guidelines. Be it dimensions, standardizations, limited word counts, etc., make sure you follow them. Every contributor has a limited space assigned to them in a zine, so make sure you can stay within those limits and ask for help if you need it.

Be communicative, ask questions and be patient. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to your team -- mods are there to organize the project, and they will gladly answer any question you may have. But remember to be patient; modding a zine is a hard job, and sometimes the team needs to discuss the answer to your question before they can give you an answer. Don’t worry; your answer will come eventually. Feel free to remind them if they haven’t answered you in a while, though; they may have forgotten about it!

Follow check-ins down to a T and in time. Check-ins are there to help you go through your workload seamlessly while letting the mods see what you’re creating. It still shows the mods that you’re still very interested in the zine - they won’t know if they have to find someone else for your position if you don’t answer. Don’t be afraid to ask for an extension if you need it.

If you’re a writer, find a beta. Some zines offer betas for their writers, but some don’t. However, that doesn’t mean your work doesn’t need to be anything less than the best (after all, it gets to be in a zine!). Try to find a beta to spot any mistakes you could’ve missed before submitting the final piece.

If you follow all these points, I’m sure the mod team will love you forever. 

Preorders/Shipping

All the final pieces have been submitted and the zine has been assembled, so now preorders start. You obviously want this project you’ve worked so hard on to succeed, and you can actually help to make that happen if you follow these little tips:

Reblog the Preorders open post in all your social media. And if you have social media where the mods don’t have accounts for, post the link yourself! You want to attract as many buyers as possible, and that will only happen if we spread the word.

Make sure you post a preview of your work if the mods ask you to. Previews help hesitant people to finally decide to buy a zine. If you like the concept of a zine but you don’t know if you really want to pay $X for it (remember, zines are usually quite expensive), some cute art and snippets can convince even the most stubborn of buyers!

Ask for updates. See how things are doing and help promote preorders and events like giveaways if necessary. You can also ask for photographic proof when the physical zines get to the mods in charge of shipping; who doesn’t love to see shiny, beautiful products all of you have worked so hard for?

Sometimes, zines don’t make enough money to provide their contributors with a free copy of the zine. It’s really sad, but it happens. And if you’re sad, believe me when I say that the mods are absolutely devastated; they’ve made their biggest effort to lower the expenses as much as possible, but math sometimes just laughs at them in return. If it comes to this, be supportive and, if you want a copy of the zine, try to find alternatives; see if you can buy the zine at production cost, or if you can pitch in with the shipping/fees expenses.

And that’s about it! If you follow these points, I’m sure your experience in the zine scene will be very enjoyable! If you have any questions about them, feel free to ask. Our ask box is always open :D

Lots of love,

Mod Lie

[anemones-art]

Zine Tip #10

Mods, don't lie about having experience. It's better to just be upfront with people. Also don't claim that research and talking to other mods is the same thing as experience. Lastly, if you don't have experience, definitely don't claim that you know exactly how it works.

Thanks for coming to my Zine TED Talks

[bnhavillaindeku-zine]

Do you guys have any tips for anyone looking to make their own Zine? (Different subject, of course!)

Mmmmmm, yeah I think so, and probably isn’t the answer you’re gonna like too much:

Be a moderator for another zine first AND/OR research the hell out of zine making. 

Budget ALL expenses (including proof copies of things, PayPal taxes, are you going to have your contributors receive Base Pay or just the profits from the zine, etc)

Make a budget bracket first (ie PDF = x, then Zine = y, etc)

Know how to make an accounting spreadsheet

Set up ALL your forms and applications BEFORE you announce you’re open

Advertise Advertise Advertise

Guests vs Applied Contributor numbers

Discord and Emails are your best friends and worst enemies

Research Research Research

Delegate work and make sure all mods have assigned tasks to complete

If someone is being hostile to the work environment then tell them sayonara 

Honesty and encouragement are KEY INGREDIENTS TO SUCCESSFUL ZINES

HOPE FOR THE BEST BUT PREPARE FOR THE WORST

And that’s just a start. Otherwise, try running things like Big Bangs, Fan Weeks, and Fan Exchanges first to get an idea about how much work you’re gonna put into this zine, because zine making is about double to triple that amount of work with the added risk of monetarily going south.

Hope that helps! 

--- MOD HKS