How (and why) to make your own zine

They’re a great choice for children and young people – the topic’s up to you, and zines don’t demand fancy equipment or the sticking power to write a full-length novel.

Technically, zines have existed since people began to write, print and share information. The name sprang up in America in the 1930s, when sci-fi fans began to create fan magazines – ‘fanzines’ – featuring their own stories. ‘Fanzine’ became ‘zine’.

The zine explosion came later, fuelled by the do-it-yourself ethos of the 1970s British punk movement and access to photocopying. In 1991, underground feminist punk movement ‘riot grrrl’ emerged out of the United States, and thousands of young women began to produce personal and political zines. During the 1990s, e-zines became popular, and the ease of selling online meant the global zine scene had arrived.

Who’s making zines?

The self-published nature of zines is great for allowing marginalised voices to express themselves: today, the majority of creators are female, topics are often political, and representation is wide.

Nico Novatore, a student, artist and the creator of Bodies zine, says: ‘I wanted to make space for people to tell their own stories about their bodies. I started with an idea that was very loose, and I just met up with people and took photos of them. I used an instant camera, which matched the grungy, DIY style I was going for, and I sought out contributors who were trans, non-binary or women who’d been socialised into thinking their own worth was reflected in how attractive their bodies were.

‘I wanted to show that there’s more in common across how people feel about their bodies than there are differences. It’s important to give people the chance to tell their own stories – especially those who aren’t white, thin or able-bodied. Every body is beautiful.’

Zines provide a vehicle for personal ideas, beliefs and interests, and often explore a niche area where multiple themes overlap. Weird Walk zine explores hiking in the British landscape, folklore, natural history and paganism, among other topics. Alex Hornsby, co-creator with Owen Tromans and James Nicholls, explains, ‘About four years ago, Owen said we should walk the Ridgeway, a 100km ancient trackway described as Britain’s oldest road. I'd never done any hiking or anything like that before. It was the best thing I'd ever done. It completely cleared my head and gave me all this space to think. So we did another one, and another. And I thought, I guess we do hiking now.

‘That fed into other stuff I was interested in, like history, natural history and folklore. So we decided to make a zine. I’m a graphic designer for a record label, so I'm always doing projects on behalf of other people. I thought, ‘What would I do if I made something that didn't have to please anyone else?'’

Soofiya is an artist, designer, and lecturer at Ravensbourne University. While they specialise in race and gender, they’ve created zines on a wide variety of different topics. Rather than choosing a subject they’re interested in, they choose something ‘I don’t really understand, or am thinking about. Sometimes it’ll begin with writing, illustration or collage – whatever feels right. Some of my zines are really basic and illustration-led, while others are really heavy, text-based ones. Zines are a way to figure things out.’

To many creators and readers, zines present an alternative to commercial, mainstream media. Soofiya believes their accessibility is of utmost importance. They also point to the negative side of their recent increased popularity. ‘We’re seeing a resurgence of zines, and while that’s brilliant, it’s also symptomatic of eight years under austerity. We’re having to figure out new ways of making our voices heard.’

The beauty of zines is that they’re totally individual. It can be whatever you want it to be. When you go to an independent bookshop or comic book store, you’ll find them in a huge array of shapes and sizes, on topics from the mundane to the bizarre. You can also find a massive range of zines on websites where people sell handmade crafts, like Etsy, Folksy and eBay.

Working solo or coming together

 If you (or your young people) are inspired, one of the first things to decide is whether you want to make your zine by yourself or with other people. If you’ve got internet access, it’s easy to work together even if others are far away.

Soofiya has experience of getting others involved. ‘The first zine I ever made was collaborative,’ they explain. ‘I put a call-out on Twitter and spoke to lots of people I knew and people I didn’t, it was a really nice process. I didn’t really know how zines were done, so it made sense.

 ‘If I want to work on something big and bulky, I might not know everything on the topic, so then it also makes sense to gather content from other people. Or if there’s something I want to discuss or really figure out, then collaborative zines are good. For something more internal, where there’s more therapeutic value, I might just do it myself.’

Alex says you don’t have to start with a big group. ‘Loads of people have got in touch about Weird Walk to ask if they can write something or take some photos for it.’

Since the start of the year, we’ve all adapted and used technology to communicate and keep in touch. Working on a zine could be a great way to spend time with friends: find an interest you share, decide on your format, then get stuck in.

Skills for life

Because zines typically include writing, illustration and often photography, poetry or other content, they’re a great way to pick up or try new skills. If you’re in Scouts, there are badge links galore. Soofiya says, ‘Because of their cross-discipline nature, you end up learning lots of new things. You might learn how to some software, or learn more about a topic – they’re a tool of learning. Start small. Start for yourself.’

Alex believes most people can make a zine no matter their skillset. ‘It’s so accessible. You can make 50 zines for not very much money or time. First, you figure out how many pages you want it to be, then what you want to say, what cool fonts you like. Just have fun. For Weird Walk, I laid it all out with Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator – basic design software – but you could do it with a stapler and a photocopier. That's arguably more fun!’

For Alex, it’s also about starting as soon as possible. ‘If you feel motivated to do a zine, just go for it. It's so easy that even if you don't 100% love what you come up with, you can just do another one. If you've got an idea and you think you could make a 12-page zine about it, just do it. Someone will like it.'

Want to get stuck in? A one cut zine is a great place to start – and we’ve put together a handy how-to guide (see page 60). Show us what you get up to by emailing us at communications@scouts.org.uk.