Hello, Ed here. I am posting this article while Nyx is on the mend from a recent medical thing.
There are no rules in the zineiverse! We know that. I publish a perzine titled QRK5. It’s a mix of text and images and an outlet for some of my art projects. I like the quarter-page format and to date, I have used Xerox to duplicate my master copy (either digital or analog.) I generally like my zines to ‘sell’ for under 5 US dollars with free shipping.
This is the price point I am comfortable with. I know some artzines sell for much higher and while I do publish some of my paintings and photographs in my zine, I don’t consider them works of art as such. Also, I am not in the zine game to make a profit. Is anyone making money selling zines? I would like to break even if I can. If I am honest, however, I wind up trading and giving away more zines than I sell. I’d rather trade with other zinesters and I want QRK5 to be seen by as many folks as possible.
Recently, I became aware of The Newspaper Club in the UK. They print on newsprint in a variety of sizes. I was impressed by their sample pack, and I am ready to publish with them. Alas, here is my problem. Even the most modest version of my zine would cost more than the acceptable cover price of my normal work. Also, I am sure the postage would be higher for me to send them out. I find that I am torn between wanting to keep my zine affordable to anyone and wanting to experiment with a new format.
Part of the fun for me is creating the zine. I enjoy making all the decisions about the layout. I like thinking about how things will look on the page or how I will get the text to fit in the space available. The newspaper format may prove an interesting challenge worth the extra cost.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I suppose I could print fewer copies to save money and see how the issue is received.
Ed Tillman is a transplanted southerner living in Los Angeles. He has served as the cameraman for many low-budget horror movies. These days, he draws, paints, makes photos and publishes QRK5. More at edtillman.net. Zines for sale at behind-the-zines.com.
