Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A zine is a handmade magazine or mini-comic about anything you can imagine: favorite bands, personal stories, subcultures, or collections. They contain diary entries, rants, interviews, and stories. They can be by one person or many, found in stores, traded at comic conventions, exchanged with friends, or given away for free. Zines are not a new idea: they've been around for years under various names (chapbooks, flyers, pamphlets). People with independent ideas have been getting their word out since before there were printing presses.

This book is for anyone who wants to create their own zine. It's for learning tips and tricks from contributors who have been at the fore front of the zine movement. It's for getting inspired to put thoughts and ideas down on paper. It's for learning how to design and print your own zine so you can put it in others' hands. Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine? is for anyone who has something to say.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Intro.
• Author's Note (p. 6)
• Intro (p. 8)
• 200 Years of Zine Production (p. 10)
• What's A Zine? (p. 12)
• Why?Why?Why? (p. 13)
• Small World Funnies (p. 14)
• History
• A personal History of Zines (p. 16)
• Evolution of Self-publishing (p. 19)
• Great Moments in Zine History (p. 20)
• Pioneers and Stamp Lickers (p. 21)
• From a Zine to Magazine (p. 22)
• Make Your Own
• The Challenge:Write, Draw & Publish a Mini-Comic (p. 24)
• Meat 'N' Potatoes (p. 25)
• On Whaling (p. 26)
• What's the Big Idea? (p. 28)
• Having Fun with Materials (p. 30)
• Say Something
• Writing between Mt. Fuji & Mt. Saint Helens (p. 32)
• The Daily News: Journal Writing (p. 34)
• The Cut 'N' Paste Poet, William S. Burroughs' Cut-Up Technique channeled through Christopher Lepkowski (p. 35)
• The Art of the Interview (p. 36)
• Zine Together
• What Bugs? (p. 37)
• Let's Review (p. 38)
• Did Blogs Kill the zine star? (p. 39)
• Co-Op! (p. 40)
• Rise and Shine (p. 42)
• Cartoon Workshop (p. 44)
• Formats
• Copier Tricks
• From Original to Copy (p. 58)
• Master Copy (p. 60)
• Double Up! (p. 61)
• Copier Tricks (p. 62)
• Copy Talk (p. 64)
• The Poor Man's Printer (p. 66)
• Printing
• The Ditto Machine (p. 68)
• Image is Everything (p. 70)
• Go Pro! (p. 72)
• How to Make a Silkscreen-Printed Zine Cover (p. 74)
• Let's Print Gocco (p. 78)
• Put It All Together
• The Cut 'N' Corral (p. 80)
• Collating by Hand (p. 82)
• Collating With the Copier (p. 83)
• Binding with Chuck Johnson, The Staple Guy! (p. 84)
• Unique Bindings (p. 86)
• Square Binding with Power Tools (p. 88)
• Get It Out There
• 5 Gold - Encrusted Tips for Getting It Out There (p. 90)
• Make Contact (p. 92)
• Places to Leave Your Zine (p. 95)
• Here's a Little Pep Talk about Zine Trading (p. 96)
• Postal Peril: Turn Mail Service into A Lean, Mean, Zine-Delivering Maching (p. 98)
• First Efforts and Wasted Paper (p. 100)
• Where to Shop (and drop) (p. 101)
• The Beauty of Invoicing (p. 102)
• Distro (p. 103)
• Resources
• Zine Resources (p. 104)
• Slow Sales and Accidental Dinners: My First Convention and How we Dined with Stars (p. 105)
• Zine Libraries (p. 106)
• Glossary (p. 107)
• Contributors (p. 108)
• How I Make My Zine (p. 110)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 6 Up-Some of the biggest names in zine publishing have united to create a fun, informative introduction to the art form in the format of a zine itself. True to its title, it begins by defining terms: a zine is a mini-magazine or homemade comic about any topic of the creator's choice, designed for maximum creativity and expression. The authors present a history of self-publishing and a treatise on Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and William Blake as the first pre-zinesters. Other topics include ideas for zine subjects; copying, binding, and printing tips, including easy-to-understand silk-screening and gocco instruction; and even a review of staplers, all while maintaining a fresh and inspirational tone. Other useful sections are an interview with BUST magazine founder Laurie Henzel, an original zinester, and guidelines on beating writer's block and disciplining oneself to work on a zine. The book presents a convincing argument for zines over blogs as a better outlet for personal creativity. The authors include tips for a cooperative zine among friends and fellow artists, how to distribute a publication and create contacts, advice on pricing supplies, mail, and invoices. The book also includes a brief list of resources, zine libraries, and a glossary. Throughout, technical terms are deftly used and advice is dispensed in an accessible, rousing format that includes comics, drawings, and cut-and-paste zine techniques. This well-designed and entertaining resource is sure to find an audience among hip, artistic, and do-it-yourself enthusiasts.-Jane Cronkhite, Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 9-12. Magazine self-publishing seems a bit old-fashioned in the era of the blog, but teen DIY-ers with a subversive streak may well come away from this paean to zining fired up about a world where the weird, absurd, and unique is appreciated. Watson and Todd, the cocreators of the YA poetry anthology The Pain Tree (2000), have sewn together entries from 21 zinesters, many in graphic-novel format, that touch upon the personal reasons they do what they do and offer practical advice on topics such as brainstorming content and marketing a finished product. Some of the book's more obsessive elements (a double-page analysis of staplers) may represent more information than newcomers want or need, and the smudged, often difficult-to-read pages--with text either handwritten or banged out on an old typewriter--is faithful to zines' low-budget trappings to a fault. But the zinesters' giddy enthusiasm is infectious, and many YAs (as well as college art students) will respond to the subculture's irrepressible indie spirit. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2006 Booklist