Part 4: Zine-making, how-to

It was only natural that we would also put together a sort of guide for budding zine-makers with some considerations and tips from this wonderful community of artists. 

Once inspiration to pick up pen and paper hits it can be challenging to narrow down a topic that fits the medium. From the personal to the political here are some thoughts on how to get started. 

Zines can be a way to share stories and find community, Al’s zines tend to be quite personal, he tries “to find a thread that ties specific moments together into a cohesive theme”. 

They can also be about anything and everything, this is more of Michelle’s style - “I become heavily interested in a topic, and making a zine about it is my way of doing research and compiling it into a format so that I'll remember it, and also be able to share my current interest with others.”

Once she’s chosen a topic Michelle starts to think about the medium and format itself. Either finding one that would compliment the topic of the zine, or limiting herself due to time constraints and self-imposed deadlines.

Martina also channels her interests through zines, and finds documentation and iteration an important part of the process, this in order to find the right format that complements the topic. “Often times the medium you select connects with the narrative you are trying to make public, helping the reader immerse themselves further in what you want to share,” she adds.

For Noah too a zine is a way to experiment with an idea or try out a train of thought and see where it leads to. They like zines to contain bite-sized arguments, “a way to share ideas and contribute to different discourses, and as a way to connect artists from different mediums in an experimental, open and playful way.”

Friends of the Earth Malta found the zine format to be ideal to share their vision for a fossil fuel free Malta. Suzanne shares this inspiring vision with us, a fossil free future is one away from our current economic system and that is why their zine promotes and inspires us to think about “energy savings, renewable energy, active and public transport, and community energy.”

Michelle reminds us that “since one of the main drives behind the zine making movement is about distribution, the biggest question you have to ask yourself is, "How am I going to get eyes on this?" Am I going to have a zine launch online or at a local cafe? Am I going to attend markets to sell it? Am I going to just give it out for free and leaves stacks of them at local libraries or something? Am I going to participate in a zine swap, or take my zine to read out loud at an Open Mic night? There are many different ways you can distribute your zine, it just depends what's appropriate for the zine.”

Another way to distribute zines is through your own social media or e-mail network, but it is a good idea to reach out to local spaces you frequent to see if they would be up for sharing or selling your zine. 

Distribution itself could depend on the topic of the zine, while Steffi has distributed some zines through stands at markets, she has also picked meaningful days for others. “Creating and launching my zine 'Viva Il-Mara' at an event held on National Women's Day perfectly fit that specific project and have it accessible to that specific crowd” This allowed her to reach her ideal audience for the zine and make it’s launch a success!

Practical tips

• Don’t get your zines wet because water can ruin paper.  - David

• Remember that you have full creative control from start to finish. - Steffi

• Creating one-page zines, using only one sheet of paper to then fold and divide with minimal tools can keep your costs low. - Steffi

• It is helpful to make a prototype on the paper you are thinking of using and making plenty of test prints- Steffi

• A bone folder is a great and handy tool that makes folding zines much easier - Steffi

• Don’t overthink it. Anything you are passionate about exploring and expressing is a great place to start - Aprille

• Start by hand, stay away from your computer at first, digital tools can always be used later. - Aprille

• Pick up some other zines for inspiration! - Suzanne

• Consider bite-sized arguments and consider collaboration with others - Noah

• Think about your audience for distribution, it is a great opportunity to connect with local bookshops or small collectives on the island - Martina

• Making a zine can be a way to research and compile a topic you’re interested in to share it with friends. - Michelle

• You can thumbnail the layout of pages with paper and pencil, making a mock prototype is always very useful. - Michelle

• You can also start by writing on your computer and then combining other elements to support the story in the form of photography and sketches. - Al 

• Remember you don’t need permission to make art! Grab some paper, pens, markers, tape and get to work. - Al

• Don’t wait for permission to publish! - Al

• A zine project’s success shouldn’t be measured by how many issues you’ve made, but by how much you enjoyed making them!  - Steffi

We’ll leave you with one final word of advice from David, “Just go for it, enjoy it, and indulge yourself. Unless you’re making fascist propaganda, in which case, why not take up knitting?”

Exploring Zine Culture in Malta: A Conversation with Local Creators

il-lokal is supporting a growing community of local artists and creators experimenting with zines and self-publishing as a form of self-expression, activism, and art. In this series, we search for the hidden history of zines in Malta, explore zine culture with contemporary zine-makers, and lay down the foundations for zines to come! 

We thank Dr John Baldacchino, and Mark Camilleri for taking the time to talk to us about ‘self-publishing’ in Malta in the past; Prof. Carmen Sammut for reminding us of the existence of the Melitensia archives at University of Malta library; designers Elisa von Brockdorff and Stephen Scicluna; and all the makers who engaged in conversation with us about their craft: Al Siew, Aprille Zammit, Il-Beżżul Bieżel, David Schembri, Martina Farrugia, Michelle Gruppetta, Noah Fabri, Steffi Venturi, and Suzanne Maas.

Part 1: history | Part 2: introduction to zines | Part 3: the future | Part 4: make your own!