Zine Scene: The Do It Yourself Guide to Zines [Paperback]

Francesca Lia Block (Author), Hillary Carlip (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998

For amateurs and the accomplished, even devout aficionados, "Zine Scene" offers an insider's account of the blood, sweat, and determination it takes to envision, create, and maintain a do-it-yourself publication.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Are you hip to the zine scene? Whether your answer is "absolutely!" "sort of," or "what's a zine?" everyone can learn from and be inspired by the funky, funny, fertile ideas set forth in Zine Scene. Written by Francesca Lia Block, author of the Weetzie Bat books (collected in Dangerous Angels), and Hillary Carlip, author of Girl Power: Young Women Speak Out, Zine Scene is both a tribute and a how-to guide to zines. Zines (as in magazines), are a righteous, radical form of creative self-expression. There are no hard-and-fast standards for zines, but they may contain one or more of the following: newsletters, journals, comic strips, artwork, photography, collage, poetry, and/or scrapbooks. The sky's the limit when it comes to production and length--from three pages of glossy paper to 30 pages of grainy photocopies. Block and Carlip teach by example, providing a plethora of reprints and excerpts from the tremendously diverse sea of zines. The range of zine creators, or "zinesters," is evident in the strong personalities that leap off the pages: the 21-year-old author of "Velvet Grass," who teaches her readers how to make arts and crafts (like duct tape shoes); "Flaming Jewboy," a 26-year-old drag queen whose manifesto includes "Thou Shalt Wear Heels"; the 17-year-old creator of "Private Catholic," who vents her feelings about private school; and 16-year-old Seth, master of several zines in which he discusses whatever he feels like--including his obsession with chicken fingers.

In addition to cheering on writing and art as a means of speaking out, Zine Scene also offers nitty-gritty details about copyrights, design, and distribution. But the emphatic, lasting message of this punky paean to self-publishing--and indeed the battle cry of zinesters themselves--is to be yourself, whatever that may be, with self-confidence, sass, and style. --Brangien Davis

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Girl Pr; illustrated edition edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965975436
• ISBN-13: 978-0965975438
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #777,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous! Inspiring!, May 2, 2000

By 

Aisling D'Art "artist and author" (Portsmouth, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zine Scene: The Do It Yourself Guide to Zines (Paperback)

I've published newsletters/zines for over 20 years, and this book open my eyes to so many new approaches. It's brilliant, inspiring, and liberating with so many "why not?" ideas. Whether you're a beginner with only the vaguest idea that maybe you'd like a zine, or a seasoned pro who wants to recover a fresh & innovative view of publishing/writing/zines/newsletters... well, this book is a MUST-read. Something for everyone, from fan to writer to publisher. There's not another book like this one!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars it rocked my little world, November 14, 1999

By 

melissa (hartford, connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zine Scene: The Do It Yourself Guide to Zines (Paperback)

this had to be one of the best books that i have read so far on 'zines. it includes great little snippets to inspire those of us who have been working with 'zines for years to even those who are just beginning. great how-to photos on what kind of format to put your 'zine in and a great variety of self-published articles and essays. it was just good fun to read!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on zines out there, sereoiusly, February 7, 2003

By 

Moko-chan (USA (japan, i wish!)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zine Scene: The Do It Yourself Guide to Zines (Paperback)

This is my fave' book on zines ever!!! I absolutely adore this book. It's done in a format like a zine so it's not just a bunch of boring tips, it's got Photos and photocoyped picture it is the greatest. It also keeps the reader in mind, its not telling you to go out and spend $50.00 on some zine making device, it comes in mind that most zine makers are dirt poor, liek me. (sorry i'm not trying to be sterotypical)I had been plannign to write my own zine for a while but this really got me inspired. It also has a bunch of snippets from real zines that people write. That was probably my favorite part...