Call for Submissions: In Praise Zine

Fandom zine now accepting submissions!

What is fandom?

There are many different ideas about what fandom ‘is’, but according to my own experience, fandom is a group or community of fans who engage in discourse about a subject of common interest. The fan experience is what comprises a fandom, and what drives fan work and celebration.

What are you looking for?

Articles on any subject related to fandom, including fandom meta discussions. (e.g. the ‘right’ way to tag on AO3, your opinion on how creators and fans interact, an analysis of racism in a certain fandom)

Narrative Stories! I want to know how fandom has impacted you, personally. Did you meet your SO through fandom? Your best friend? Did you meet a creator at a con that changed your life? Why do you write fanfiction?

Interviews, reviews, and critiques. Have you spoken with an author about fandom? Or a fanfiction author about fandom? Do you have something to say about the way that a piece of media has treated its fans? Maybe you’ve reviewed all the cons in your area and have an opinion on the best ones?

Art and Comics: While we are not accepting fanart, we are accepting and encouraging fandom artists to write comics about the fan experience, fanfiction, fanart, talking to your fandom friends vs. non-fandom friends, how reviews make you feel, how characters make you feel, etc.

I want to contribute! What do I do?

You can contact In Praise through ask, or through email, inpraise.zine@gmail.com. Submissions will only be accepted through email. If you have a question or a pitch, you can contact me to chat about it. We’re looking for about 20-30 submissions, but if we receive more we will consider two volumes or a very large book. I cannot offer any payment, but all participants will receive a free digital copy of the zine. If this changes either through the success of a kickstarter or the patronage of a larger organization, we will let you know!

Specifics:

All written pieces should be 200-2000 words long. If you are submitting a larger piece, with references or a deep critical analysis, I will consider pieces up to 4500 words. If this is the case, I would recommend you send a pitch or abstract before spending a significant amount of time on the piece.

The zine will be published in trade size, 6”x9”, so please make sure any art submissions include a .125” bleed around the edges. You can submit up to five pages of comics. This will be a color run, but please use minimal or spot color.

You will be able to determine how you will be credited, by username, full name, alias, etc.

Will this zine be available to purchase?

Yes! We plan on creating a kickstarter to back the publication and gauge interest in additional installments. There will be both digital and physical copies available to purchase.

When’s the deadline?

The deadline for submissions is July 31st!

Calling Zine Makers, Libraries, Distros, And the Like

I’m at the very beginning stages of working on a new zine project. As part of this, I would like to include A5/A6 spaces (maybe even A7, if that works for you) that feature things like:

*Zines that have a rolling call for submissions (even if your zine changes theme/topic from issue to issue, an overarching ‘flier’ for the whole series would be awesome)
*Zine distros – whether you want to say ‘check out my distro’, are looking for zines to sell in your distro, or both!
*Zine libraries – again, whether it’s a ‘check us out’, ‘looking for zine donations’, or both, I’d love to see it
*Zine people who want to be included in an ‘open to trades’ section. I’m thinking name, preferred contact (or your mailing addy, if that’s the way you roll), and a few likes/dislikes.

The key thing here is that things be ‘undated’ (hence sharing a zine series rather than one specific call for submissions) so things aren’t out of date before I get the chance to create the thing.

Ideally, I’d like things to be images with text on them because of the limited space involved (with the exception of the trades section, which will be text only). But I want to be flexible, too. This project is really in its early days, so I’m still figuring a lot out.

If you want to get involved straight away (please do!) then you can shoot me an email (theauthor at inkyblots.com)

Call for Submissions: Blunt Talk Zine

In honor of the annual 420 holiday, I’m launching my next project. Blunt Talk. Blunt Talk is a zine dedicated to providing information about recreational and medical marijuana. Please consider participating and sharing! Happy Holidays!

Requirements & Info: All writing must be 1000 words or less, all imagery must be 300dpi, all submissions must be sent in by midnight on May 31st.

All creators are welcome to be published anonymously if they feel more comfortable. All material is subject to editing and or refusal. All accepted creators will be emailed a PDF of the final zine.

Proceeds from this zine will be directly donated to IMPACT for medical marijuana research. You can donate to IMPACT or read more here: http://www.impactcannabis.org/

Call for Bay Area Zine Reviewers – Review for Maximum Rocknroll

Maximum Rocknroll is looking for zine reviewers!

Since 1982 we’ve been bringing you monthly coverage of punk happening around the world. Our review section is one of the most highly read parts of the magazine and every month dozens of MRR shitworkers listen to music on all formats, plow through books and zines and write down their opinions on all that comes through our PO Box.

Currently we are looking for a couple of people to review zines. You must live in the Bay Area and be able to come by the compound in SF every month to pick up your zines, review them in our designated format, and email off your review in a timely manner (a span of about two weeks). We get zines on a myriad of subjects every month all falling under the punk umbrella. QTPOC to the front; and bonus if you can read a language other than English (most non English submissions are in Finnish, German, Italian, Japanese. Spanish, French and Swedish). We are a not-for-profit volunteer run organization and we cannot compensate you, but you will be able to keep all the zines you review.

If you are interested please email me at ari@maximumrocknroll.com
For more info on the mag and what we do: maximumrocknroll.com

The Freedom APA

Freedom APA is an alternative press association with one expectation: participate where, when and how you are able.

Annual Membership: Participation by sending items for the mailing a minimum of once per membership year PLUS $15 for US membership; $25 for rest of world. Items for the mailing bundle may include mail art, printed journals, chapbooks, zines, cds, dvds, cassettes, envelopes, postcards, bookmarks, recipes, stamps, letters, or whatever you choose to create.

Four bundles are mailed per year. The next mailing is scheduled for June 2017. If you send materials for the June bundle, 22 items are needed.

Membership dues may be sent via Paypal: singinggrove@conknet.com

Checks may be made payable to: Frederick Moe 36 West Main Street Warner NH 03278.

$6 postpaid for a sample bundle if you’re curious to check it out before jumping in.

Freedom APA is intended to be fun & embrace the spirit of personal journalism, zine making, letter writing, graphic arts, mail art, DIY printing, poetry, homemade music, creative projects, podcasting & more. Freedom APA is not an organization nor will Freedom APA have officers or by-laws. We have however add volunteer “staff” as Freedom APA grows.

With your support, this will be an enjoyable mailing circle project full of creativity. Freedom APA is a postal activity.

Please share with your friends!

Zine Review: Getting Over It

Getting Over It… When Other People Are Total Assholes or You’re Just Tired of Your Own Bullshit
Dr Faith G Harper
theintimacydr@gmail.com
microcosmpublishing.com

Getting Over Is a zine about ways to get past the things that are holding you back – whether it’s from other people or from within yourself.

When I picked this up, I did so for the ‘or you’re just tired of your own bullshit’ portion of things, but I like that there is an acknowledgement of both internal and external things we have to get past in our lives.

The zine starts off with the difference between an emotion and a mood. I think this is an important distinction to make for general knowledge but especially for identifying the problems that this zine can possibly help with.

It’s been a while since I’ve read one of Dr Harper’s zines, so I’d forgotten the occasional swearing and the ‘no bubble wrap here’ approach to things. The advice is the right mix of steel and understanding for me, but if you prefer a softer approach (nothing wrong with that), this zine might be a bit full on for you.

There were a few things that were difficult to read, but it’s not always easy admitting how much power we really have in our lives. Much easier to focus on what is out of our hands.

Did I find this zine helpful? Yes. The very first ‘tip’ – What story are you telling yourself about the situation? – was the most helpful in an ‘it’s not about you’ way.

I can see this zine pissing some people off. I felt my anger rise in reaction before I caught myself and realised that I was reacting defensively to what I was thinking rather than to what I was actually reading. If you think this zine will be of use to you, I think it will.

PS. So many things for not saying that blasted phrase I hate so much: “Someone else has it worse”

Zine Review: Keith Conlon’s Unauthorised Guide to North Adelaide Establishments

Keith Conlon’s Unauthorised Guide to North Adelaide Establishments
Rebecca Sheedy
Facebook.com/mildscribbling
IG: @rebeccasheeeedy @mildscribbling

Keith Conlon’s Unauthorised Guide to North Adelaide Establishments is an illustrated review zine highlighting the pros and cons of some of North Adelaide’s eating establishments.

I must admit to a bit of fangirl glee when I saw this zine because not only do I love Rebecca Sheedy’s art but because (knock on wood) I’ll be moving not too far from Adealide later this year and am quite eager to collect recommendations.

I’ve already mentioned a few times how much I love Rebecca’s art style, so let’s just say when I love something, I really love something.

This zine is everything I want in a review – it lists the good, the neutral, and the bad concisely, and it’s illustrated. (I would absolutely love to see more illustrated review zines. It adds a whole new level to the whole thing.) Rebecca’s use of detail suits this so well – even down to the pro/neutral/con circles being coloured in with green/orange/red.

I literally (and yes, I know how to use that word properly) laughed out loud when I realised that the overall ‘out of five’ rating for each establishment was made up of Keith Conlon heads. I found myself hoping that Keith had or would soon come across this zine and be as delighted with it as I am.

I am also now tempted to rate things ‘out of five zine ninjas’.

The thing I wasn’t expecting and thus appreciated all the more was the humour in the review of the Royal Oak Hotel. I really don’t want to spoil it, though, so I’ll merely say thanks for the smile.

Alas, baked goods are my siren’s call, so I will be trying Bakery on O’Connell when I’m in the area.

If you’re dismissing this zine because you’re not and will likely never be in Adelaide, then definitely check out Rebecca’s other zines.

Zine Awards, Entry Fees, & Broken Pencil – Part Two: Money Changes Everything

In part one, Zine Awards, Entry Fees, & Broken Pencil – Part One: The Meaning of Competition, I wrote about the Broken Pencil Zine Awards and how I think using the word ‘awards’ rather than the more appropriate (in my opinion) ‘competition’ could be influencing some people’s reactions and mood when it comes to this event. In this post, I talk about the big, rather expensive, elephant in the room.

This is where I get passionate.

Part of the reason these posts took longer (and ended up being longer) than I anticipated is because I became curious about the costs involved to enter. Especially after reading that, if you’re sending physical zines, then four copies of each entry is required.

This in and of itself isn’t surprising, but it did automatically increase costs of production and postage (if the creator chooses to post them). So I spent a long morning navigating exchange rates and postage calculators for Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia.

Let’s get right to the numbers. I created this table so it’s easier to see:

Things to note about this table:

*I am basing all calculations on 1 zine = 50 grams / the required 4 copies of each zine = 200 grams. The size of your zines could influence the postage costs I’ve included in my calculations.
*Yes, I remembered to convert grams to ounces for US post.
*With the UK and Australia post costs, I didn’t go absolute cheapest route possible because that’s sea mail and can take months to arrive. However, I only went one better with basic airmail.

The first thing you may notice about the table is that there are different costs based on whether you are a Broken Pencil Member or not. Base membership (there are two levels – see the options here) costs $29.99 CAD ($29.68 AUD, 21.99 USD, $17.04 GBP). So while it’s a nice reward for current members, it’s not incentive to join for the sake of a discounted entry fee and free entries for second and third zines.

PLEASE NOTE: This is not commenting whatsoever on the perks of membership itself.

Obviously, the $20 entry fee is what has made some people upset. As far as competitions go, entry fees aren’t exactly uncommon. Even the person who asked me to write these posts said they could understand a small charge. It’s the amount that is the problem.

Speaking from my experiences as an author, $20 is an expensive entry fee. There would have to be a fairly big prize on the line and, even then, I know authors who couldn’t enter and other authors who simply wouldn’t on a matter of principle because of such a high fee.

Entry fees can be tough to decide on. How much is too much? Would $10 (50% off the current entry fee for non-members) be okay? Or is it only easier to swallow at $5? If you’re using the fees to cover the prize – will enough people enter to cover?

Along those lines, I think we need to remember that Broken Pencil is a business. So many of us don’t charge for/don’t think about the time and materials we put into these creations we love making, so it’s easy to assume that Broken Pencil – a magazine dedicated to zine culture – would do things the same way. But a business is a business, and we need to remember to consider possible background costs that prompt the entry fee being what it is. There is the prize money but also the possibilities that they are paying for advertisements as well as paying people for their time.

(An explanation of these costs, if they are there, by Broken Pencil could be a good way to explain what is, from the outside view, simply an expensive entry fee.)

However, by that same token, we then need Broken Pencil to also acknowledge the time and materials cost of creating the zines (no matter whether they are digital or physical entries) – something that is too complex and varied to add into the table above but is an important consideration.

The entry fee isn’t the one and only stopping point for some people (though fair enough to comment on its own). The more I looked into the costs involved from the zine maker’s perspective, the more I came to see that the combination of stopping points is the bigger issue.

Looking past that, the next difficulty comes in the form of postage costs. As much as many of us would like to do something to change them, they’re absolutely and completely non-negotiable.

Broken Pencil has, however, given the option of sending in digital versions of your zine. Here’s a table to show the costs:

Looking at this table compared to the first, going digital turns the cost of a single zine entry for a non-member from $22.95 CAD ($27.76 AUD, $18.42 USD, £16.12 GBP) to $20 CAD ($19.76 AUD, $14.76 USD, £11.37 GBP). Not a massive savings, but a savings nonetheless.

Not needing to pay for postage could make all the difference to zine makers who were stopped by the postage costs rather than the entry fee. (There’s also the possible added bonus of showing off your zines in colour without needing to deal with the cost of printing with colour ink.)

Yet, while helpful, the digital option doesn’t fully cover the problems that arise with the costs involved in entering. In fact, it creates one.

So much of who I am and the pride I take in what I create comes in the form of the physical. The paper I choose, how I bind all my zines with green thread, and all the additions that go into the zines after they are printed.

With digital entries, zine makers who create zines that aren’t easily scanned, aren’t practical for scanning, and/or lose something when being converted to digital are excluded. Yes, there are plenty of zine makers who could ‘take the hit’ of losing ‘texture’ in the hopes that the ‘flavour’ will carry the zine.

But what if you’re the zinemaker who folds his zines into origami creations? The zinemaker who uses traditional Japanese binding for her Japan-themed zine? Or the zinemaker who enjoys putting mini-zines and other tiny treasures within their zines? About that poster-sized zine…

I hope you have enough money for postage.

Broken Pencil is a big voice in a world where we could use more voices introducing people to the amazing, wonderful creations that are zines. This is an exciting event for them and, if you are able to enter, then there’s the potential to win a great prize.

In this event, however, I think there are more ways people are excluded than they are included. The entry fees are expensive – even moreso for non-members. The postage involved in most scenarios gets expensive in a hurry. The digital option without the postage costs just isn’t possible for some zine makers.

Again, I’m not against competitions (so long as they are being clear about what they are), and you can’t please all of the people all of the time. But when so many excluding factors pop up, I think some (more?) considerations need to be made for the people you hope will enter.

Zine makers aren’t exactly known for being rich – to the point of laughing when people ask how to make a profit from making zines. So many don’t have the ability or can’t risk investing in chance. And increasing those chances simply leads to more expense.

“Then just don’t enter” I hear people saying. “Nobody is forcing you to enter.”

To that, I say:

There’s a lot of difference between choosing not to participate and being too poor to participate.

Yes, there are options that make it more affordable than other options, and credit to Broken Pencil for that. Send a PDF (if you have one/can make one/have a zine that lends itself to scanning). Enter (four copies of) one zine instead of (four copies each of) two or three. Use sea mail (NOW) and cross your fingers that it doesn’t get lost and arrives on time.

But that’s not the point.

Desperately trying to find the funds or immediately knowing you can’t enter an event at best takes a lot of fun out of it and, at worst, creates a class system within a community that strives against such limiting and often-negative constructs.

Zine Awards, Entry Fees, & Broken Pencil – Part One: The Meaning of Competition

Last month, Broken Pencil – a magazine (or mega-zine as they write on site) on zine culture and independent arts – announced its first ever Broken Pencil Zine Awards. Submissions are open until July 15th. Nominees will be announced by September 1st, and the winners will be awarded at Canzine 2017 in Toronto on Friday, October 20th.

With a prize pool of $1000 ($200 per category), plus $400 if your zine is chosen Zine of the Year, it has definitely gained some attention. However, with a $20 entry fee for non-members (for the first zine, $8 for the second, and $8 for the third), it’s also caused some not-so-great comments as well.

I’ve been asked to share my thoughts on the event. What I thought would fairly be cut and dry turned into a look at small business, zine culture, and competitions.

I first heard about the Broken Pencil Zine Awards when someone posted about not supporting the idea. They felt that (I’m paraphrasing) putting zines and zine makers in competition like that went against the spirit of zine making.

While I respect and understand that line of thinking on the matter, I don’t fully agree with it. (Speaking with the bias that I celebrated 100 zine reviews by putting up a zine awards event of my own.) I do think though, that line of sentiment brings up the first thing that niggled me when I read more about this event:

It’s a competition.

You may be thinking ‘of course it is’ at this point, but my point is that the word ‘competition’ isn’t anywhere to be seen, and I think it needs to be.

‘Competition’ is only one word, but in these sorts of situations when you have some people getting upset, then one word can make a huge difference..

The definition of competition is, “The activity or condition of striving to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others.”

By requiring an entry fee, it means the zine maker is making an investment (moreso than other types of entry conditions) and creates the ‘in it to win it’ environment. With phrases like ‘the most creative and cutting-edge zine creators’ and ‘best of the best’ (the latter found in an announcement post) you are creating a competition environment.

Yes, it’s a fine line, but it’s an important one. The words ‘competition’ and ‘award’ create certain expectations. Call it an ‘award competition’ if you like, but to me, awards are about appreciation through equal and open opportunity nomination. Whereas competitions are about a certain slice of a group entering into something with the intention of being better than someone else.

A fee for a competition feels different than a fee for an award (is there such a thing?). An award is like an acknowledgement for hard work, and people don’t usually expect to pay to be acknowledged.

I am heart and soul an editor, so while the wording may be important to me, it might not be important to others. The issue getting many people up in arms is the $20 entry fee for non-members.

More on the hard figures in my next post.

TL;DR I think it’s a competition, and the title should reflect as much to be clearer about expectations. The money stuff is in the next post.

Best Laid Plans + Copy & Destroy Zine Collectiv

I was planning on writing about my thoughts on the Broken Pencil Zine Awards call out and posting that today, but it turned out to be a much bigger project than I thought it would be. I started bright and early, but I’m not quite ready.

So instead, I’m putting up a call out from a zine collective close to my heart: the Brisbane-based Copy and Destroy!

We wanna give the space a lil revamp. Time to bring in some new content. Anti racism/queerphobia posters wanted, art prints, and zines, all printed here for you and the space. If you figure out a unique design, get some extra printing credits with Visible Ink.

Check out Copy and Destroy on Facebook!