7 Rules Of Zine Freedom As Decreed By Me, Jessica

Zines are the most democratic form of independent literature out there. They’re not just comics. They're not just magazines. The difference between zines and magazines? I would draw a hard line in the sand with the fact that magazines have ads for corporate brands.

They're not just chapbooks either (a chapbook is a small collection of poetry that often centers on a specific theme. It's generally saddle-stitched and is published by a literary publisher).

They’re not even always written, for that matter! They can be all these things and more.

Here are some ground markers as to what zines are or can be. You’ll notice that when I say ‘rules’ I mean ‘there aren’t any rules, really,’ :

1. Typically zines are easy to reproduce. I have zines that come in beautiful origami forms though, for example, so they can be as fancy as you want.

2. Some people argue that if a zine isn’t hastily photocopied in black and white, it’s not a zine. Come on. Don’t be a weirdo low-fi gatekeeper. Give colour some love. Yes, colour printing is more expensive, but it’s so prettyyyyyyyyyyy. Plus you can colour copy on the sly if you’re smart! That doesn’t mean your zine isn’t a zine.

3. Zines can be printed or digital. Some people, again, they’d say that digital zines aren’t real zines. Ugh.

4. A zine can be written or illustrated by one person or many people.

5. Zines can be about anything you want.

6. There’s completely zero restrictions on how long (or short) your content should be.

7. I personally feel that it’s very important that the political side of zine culture isn’t lost, because I feel sometimes zines are presented to people without that aspect of it at all, and it’s that emphasis on agency that I think is crucial.

Thanks for reading! If you’re not sure what the hell I’m even talking about, check out my explainer page helpfully titled WHAT THE HELL IS A ZINE.

Want to look at my zines? Well, thanks! Check out Fake Breakdown Crafts.