What do you think?
Rate this book
Make a Zine: When Words and Graphics Collide
In Microcosm’s DIY guide to zine-making, editors Bill Brent, Joe Biel, and a cast of contributors take you from the dreaming and scheming stages onto printing, publication and beyond! Covering all the bases for beginners, Make a Zine! hits on more advanced topics like Creative Commons licenses, legality, and sustainability. Says Feminist Review, “ Make a Zine! is an inspiring, easy, and digestible read for anyone, whether you’re already immersed in a cut-and-paste world, a graphic designer with a penchant for radical thought, or a newbie trying to find the best way to make yourself and your ideas known.” Illustrated by an army of notable and soon-to-be-notable artists and cartoonists, Make a Zine! also takes a look at the burgeoning indie comix scene, with a solid and comprehensive chapter by punk illustrator Fly ( Slug and Lettuce, Peops ). Part history lesson, part how-to guide, Make a Zine! is a call to arms, an ecstatic, positive rally cry in the face of TV show book clubs and bestsellers by celebrity chefs. As says Biel in the book’s intro, “Let’s go!”
168 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
42 people are currently reading
346 people want to read
About the author
Bill Brent
16 books6 followersMr. Brent was involved in the Bay Area bisexual, BDSM, Black Leather Wings radical faerie, and pro-sex literary communities in the 1990s. He published The Black Book – one of the first queer and alternative sexuality directories – and edited or contributed to more than 30 erotic anthologies. Bill Brent, a prolific author of sex-positive literature and a member of San Francisco's alternative sexuality communities, died during the weekend of August 18-19. He ended his life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge after a long struggle with depression and chronic pain. He was 52.
"Bill was a leader in the fin de siecle San Francisco erotic and sex radical renaissance in countless ways," said author Susie Bright, former editor of On Our Backs. "He published so many great people, he was endlessly generous, and a devoted literature person in every way."
Mr. Brent was born July 17, 1960, and grew up mainly in the East Bay. Recalling his less than happy childhood he once wrote, "[San Francisco] was my home away from home, that suburban hell where I'd spent most of the 1970s in a deep depression knowing that I was a freak, a rebel, an outcast every time I boarded the bus for the lunatic asylum called high school."
Mr. Brent attended San Francisco State University in the late 1970s, where he studied theater arts. He got involved in the punk rock scene and began to frequent gay sex venues in the city. After college he performed with Bay Area drama groups, tap danced, and helped start a theater company.
In the late 1980s Mr. Brent began volunteering with San Francisco Sex Information. Noting the lack of a comprehensive compilation of sex-positive resources, he produced the first of six editions of The Black Book in 1992, which he described as "a resource for everyone sexual in the 'other' category – everyone who wasn't married and having children, basically."
"Bill lived his whole life never apologizing for two important things: who he was and what he was into," said longtime friend and colleague Thomas Roche. "He didn't hide his bisexuality from the gay community. Now many people prefer the less restrictive, more inclusive, and for many more descriptive term 'queer.' But Bill is one of the people who helped invent that queer identity, well before it was fashionable. He helped show a bunch of people just how much their own rights to their own identities could matter."
Mr. Brent started a small publishing company, also called Black Books, while supplementing his income with temp word processing and freelance desktop publishing gigs. As "Uncle Bill" he wrote an advice column for Anything That Moves, the first national bisexual magazine, and in 1993 he began publishing his own sex magazine, Black Sheets.
"Bill was a wonderful writer, but to my mind his greatest importance came in the way he created queer/bi/pansexual literary community," said Carol Queen, founding director of the Center for Sex and Culture. "He introduced many new writers via the zine, readings, and anthologies, and many of them remained close even after Bill left the Bay Area."
"Bill had a particular knack for befriending difficult people, 'unlikable' people, people who were stubborn and opinionated, the awkward and the shy and the clueless," added Black Books colleague Lori Selke. "This is a big part of what made his community-building so successful."
Black Books was not financially lucrative, and to raise funds Mr. Brent started producing the Perverts Put Out reading series – which continues today – and hosting Black Sheets pansexual play parties.
"Bill threw the kind of sex parties where you would find people around a snack table talking about geometry in the garden," said author Kirk Read. "His social world encompassed all genders and all generations. I watched him bring writers and sex pigs into communal settings and I took notes."
"In the 1990s, as the emerging mainstream gay media championed same-sex marriage and gays in the military, Bi
"Bill was a leader in the fin de siecle San Francisco erotic and sex radical renaissance in countless ways," said author Susie Bright, former editor of On Our Backs. "He published so many great people, he was endlessly generous, and a devoted literature person in every way."
Mr. Brent was born July 17, 1960, and grew up mainly in the East Bay. Recalling his less than happy childhood he once wrote, "[San Francisco] was my home away from home, that suburban hell where I'd spent most of the 1970s in a deep depression knowing that I was a freak, a rebel, an outcast every time I boarded the bus for the lunatic asylum called high school."
Mr. Brent attended San Francisco State University in the late 1970s, where he studied theater arts. He got involved in the punk rock scene and began to frequent gay sex venues in the city. After college he performed with Bay Area drama groups, tap danced, and helped start a theater company.
In the late 1980s Mr. Brent began volunteering with San Francisco Sex Information. Noting the lack of a comprehensive compilation of sex-positive resources, he produced the first of six editions of The Black Book in 1992, which he described as "a resource for everyone sexual in the 'other' category – everyone who wasn't married and having children, basically."
"Bill lived his whole life never apologizing for two important things: who he was and what he was into," said longtime friend and colleague Thomas Roche. "He didn't hide his bisexuality from the gay community. Now many people prefer the less restrictive, more inclusive, and for many more descriptive term 'queer.' But Bill is one of the people who helped invent that queer identity, well before it was fashionable. He helped show a bunch of people just how much their own rights to their own identities could matter."
Mr. Brent started a small publishing company, also called Black Books, while supplementing his income with temp word processing and freelance desktop publishing gigs. As "Uncle Bill" he wrote an advice column for Anything That Moves, the first national bisexual magazine, and in 1993 he began publishing his own sex magazine, Black Sheets.
"Bill was a wonderful writer, but to my mind his greatest importance came in the way he created queer/bi/pansexual literary community," said Carol Queen, founding director of the Center for Sex and Culture. "He introduced many new writers via the zine, readings, and anthologies, and many of them remained close even after Bill left the Bay Area."
"Bill had a particular knack for befriending difficult people, 'unlikable' people, people who were stubborn and opinionated, the awkward and the shy and the clueless," added Black Books colleague Lori Selke. "This is a big part of what made his community-building so successful."
Black Books was not financially lucrative, and to raise funds Mr. Brent started producing the Perverts Put Out reading series – which continues today – and hosting Black Sheets pansexual play parties.
"Bill threw the kind of sex parties where you would find people around a snack table talking about geometry in the garden," said author Kirk Read. "His social world encompassed all genders and all generations. I watched him bring writers and sex pigs into communal settings and I took notes."
"In the 1990s, as the emerging mainstream gay media championed same-sex marriage and gays in the military, Bi
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 18, 2021
This is a great book to start with if you are new to the zine scene. It provides a lot of information about the history, culture, and business of making a zine. The sections on the actual making of zines is a bit shorter than you might expect. However, zines are about experimentation and free expression, so it's best not to say that there is a definitive way to make them. One thing is for sure--after reading this book, you'll be inspired to start making a zine.
April 30, 2021
Significantly improved over the previous edition. Addresses many of the criticisms and updates with new (circa 2017) information regarding the internet's effect on zine culture and which distros were currently active/defunct.
Overall the book does a good job of balancing zine theory/history with the nitty-gritty of how to actually make your own zine. I especially enjoyed the list of prompts to get you creativity going.
Overall the book does a good job of balancing zine theory/history with the nitty-gritty of how to actually make your own zine. I especially enjoyed the list of prompts to get you creativity going.
February 1, 2024
took me forever to finish this but i got it done! learned so much about the history of zines and the importance of them for the most part. i really appreciate how you can tell the author really does care about the subject.
October 29, 2017
I am SUPER inspired to make some zines now... this book was awesome. Simple and to the point!
February 22, 2020
I'm a sucker for Joe Biel's books on publishing, and this one is especially appealing. I want to make a zine tomorrow.
Read
June 17, 2023club research!
December 30, 2021
Really informative about making zines and the history of zine making. Highly recommend!
May 23, 2024
Będę robić takie gazetki (chyba na emeryturze)
April 4, 2022
The history of zines and anecdotes from zinesters were really interesting, though the technical stuff, while valuable, broke my brain.
January 11, 2009
Remember when self-publishing didn't mean having a blog? Remember when you spent time proofreading your random scraps of writing and rearranging clips, when you felt like you had time with your work instead of longing for the compulsive, furtive click of the "publish" button? In a time when ubiquitous technology is rapidly replacing print media as we’ve known it, spending six months on a themed booklet of your own musings might seem odd. Yet maybe it is exactly the return to simplicity that we need.
Longtime zine makers and self-publishing enthusiasts Bill Brent and Joe Biel are the perfect folks to make a case for their media. The combined expertise of the authors and contributors—mostly notable zinesters who also happen to be friends with Brent and Biel—makes this one of the most useful compendiums I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Originally published in 1997, the second printing of Make a Zine!: When Words and Graphics Collide! is heavily revised and updated to include more examples of long-functioning and successful zines, tips on budgeting your projects, and a lovely resource section in the back that is full of zine distributors (often known as distros), zine reviewers, and zine libraries.
Quite frankly, after living with an angsty zinester as an undergrad, I was pretty disillusioned by what I thought the medium and the community has the potential to be. Only recently beginning to explore zines with real interest, this book has restored my faith in self-publishing and provided me with newfound hope. It pushed forward my backburner ideas onto the main hot plate. I’m proud to say my first zine is in the works, in large part because of the solidly helpful, inspiring advice of Make a Zine!
Like some zines themselves, Make a Zine! contains a few spelling errors and mistaken URLs in the reference section (like, ahem, the one for this very blog). I actually don’t say this as a criticism, though. Like a zine, this book isn’t perfect, and you shouldn’t expect it to be. It remains a tremendous, well-researched and enjoyable resource.
Make a Zine! is an inspiring, easy, and digestible read for anyone, whether you’re already immersed in a cut-and-paste world, a graphic designer with a penchant for radical thought, or a newbie trying to find the best way to make yourself and your ideas known. You'll gain insight into your practice, find some new ideas, or get the motivation for which you’ve been waiting. Seeing your words instantly published on the screen can making blogging an appealing prospect for many, but if you’re someone who wants to hold the tangible results of your work in your hands, grab this small publishing manual to get started. The thing you'll need most are ideas and time.
Review by Brittany Shoot
Longtime zine makers and self-publishing enthusiasts Bill Brent and Joe Biel are the perfect folks to make a case for their media. The combined expertise of the authors and contributors—mostly notable zinesters who also happen to be friends with Brent and Biel—makes this one of the most useful compendiums I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Originally published in 1997, the second printing of Make a Zine!: When Words and Graphics Collide! is heavily revised and updated to include more examples of long-functioning and successful zines, tips on budgeting your projects, and a lovely resource section in the back that is full of zine distributors (often known as distros), zine reviewers, and zine libraries.
Quite frankly, after living with an angsty zinester as an undergrad, I was pretty disillusioned by what I thought the medium and the community has the potential to be. Only recently beginning to explore zines with real interest, this book has restored my faith in self-publishing and provided me with newfound hope. It pushed forward my backburner ideas onto the main hot plate. I’m proud to say my first zine is in the works, in large part because of the solidly helpful, inspiring advice of Make a Zine!
Like some zines themselves, Make a Zine! contains a few spelling errors and mistaken URLs in the reference section (like, ahem, the one for this very blog). I actually don’t say this as a criticism, though. Like a zine, this book isn’t perfect, and you shouldn’t expect it to be. It remains a tremendous, well-researched and enjoyable resource.
Make a Zine! is an inspiring, easy, and digestible read for anyone, whether you’re already immersed in a cut-and-paste world, a graphic designer with a penchant for radical thought, or a newbie trying to find the best way to make yourself and your ideas known. You'll gain insight into your practice, find some new ideas, or get the motivation for which you’ve been waiting. Seeing your words instantly published on the screen can making blogging an appealing prospect for many, but if you’re someone who wants to hold the tangible results of your work in your hands, grab this small publishing manual to get started. The thing you'll need most are ideas and time.
Review by Brittany Shoot
September 21, 2015
I was looking for practical information and found...not that. The book is geared toward very specific subsets of the zine community: mostly those who write punk music zines or comic zines--and those who produce collaborative zines. There was almost no practical information about how to actually put a zine together--instead the focus was on working with printers and distributors once the content and layout were done. They simply recommended you go find particular books to read on the rest of the subjects with no recognition of the irony.
The book had a section on ethics, but the content was so shallow as to be meaningless. And, or course there was a lot of outdated information--but that was to be expected since the book was last updated in 2008.
The book had a section on ethics, but the content was so shallow as to be meaningless. And, or course there was a lot of outdated information--but that was to be expected since the book was last updated in 2008.
March 5, 2023
I wonder whether people who write the reviews for the backside of the book covers actually read the books themselves or not. Because in this case they probably did not. "compendium", "must read", "bible",... - the book is neither. And the authors openly saying to not care about copyrighted materials is just outrageous and dangerous. There are better resources on this topic these days. If the book was named "how I do my zines" then it would be 2 and a half star.
June 12, 2023
Basic review: This is a good overview and you will not only learn how to make a zine, you will be convinced to just do it. You will believe in the power of rogue artistic vision by the end of this little book. It’s like having one-on-one advice conversations with cool little DIY freaks. It's cool, but it's also only extremely brief coverage of many subtopics, and you likely already have the technical skills to make a zine happen.
On a broader level: This could be an informative read for anyone looking to put anything out into the world. I found that a lot of the advice would probably also foster a healthy, creative relationship with social media.
A HUGE caveat: A lot of people have (totally justified) qualms about Microcosm publishing and Joe Biel specifically. I didn’t know that at all before I started reading, but I do think having that knowledge in mind can help you gain perspective on the book. I hugely love that it starts with “If you bought this book on Amazon, that sucks because you could have gotten it cheaper and supported a small, independent publisher and MicrocosmPublishing.com.” I don’t know how to feel about the description of Microcosm as a “politically moderate, centrist publisher,” especially in light of recent events.
On a broader level: This could be an informative read for anyone looking to put anything out into the world. I found that a lot of the advice would probably also foster a healthy, creative relationship with social media.
A HUGE caveat: A lot of people have (totally justified) qualms about Microcosm publishing and Joe Biel specifically. I didn’t know that at all before I started reading, but I do think having that knowledge in mind can help you gain perspective on the book. I hugely love that it starts with “If you bought this book on Amazon, that sucks because you could have gotten it cheaper and supported a small, independent publisher and MicrocosmPublishing.com.” I don’t know how to feel about the description of Microcosm as a “politically moderate, centrist publisher,” especially in light of recent events.
August 17, 2022
I liked it. Quite inspiring and for the most part well written. The history of zines and the many references to punk were not my thing but the part about comics was fantastic and made me want to start creating right away.
My favorite quotes:
"Anyone who puts out more than a couple issues of a zine is bound to improve simply because they have the opportunity to make refinements to their original concept. With anything, you will improve through practice and experience."
"Your zine is more likely to be fun and stress-free if your space is organized. Whether your space is an actual room, a desk, the floor of your bedroom, the corner of a garage, or a combination of a laptop and the local copy place, you need a system for retrieving important things in a timely manner. It pays to set up this system early on. It's okay for your space to be cluttered or crowded, as long as you can find things when you need them"
My favorite quotes:
"Anyone who puts out more than a couple issues of a zine is bound to improve simply because they have the opportunity to make refinements to their original concept. With anything, you will improve through practice and experience."
"Your zine is more likely to be fun and stress-free if your space is organized. Whether your space is an actual room, a desk, the floor of your bedroom, the corner of a garage, or a combination of a laptop and the local copy place, you need a system for retrieving important things in a timely manner. It pays to set up this system early on. It's okay for your space to be cluttered or crowded, as long as you can find things when you need them"
October 31, 2021
Reviewing the audiobook, they definitely could have picked a narrator that sounded like they gave a crap about the content. The narration was fine, but very flat. That said, the content of the book was good and I'm going to buy the physical copy (I borrowed the audiobook from the library), and am going to revisit an old zine idea I had years ago and got another idea while listening. The authors gave a good list of resources, which I realize is now a few years old, but it's unreasonable to expect any list of resources to stay the same long term. They also did a great job of explaining the basics of some print making techniques, binding, etc. A relatively short listen at 4 hours, and so I'm assuming not a huge book, but full of info and not a lot of filler. 5 stars for the content, 3 for the narration, averaging to 4 stars overall.
September 13, 2019
Loved this book so much. Partially for the history of the movement, partially for the adorable and varied illustrations, and partially because it felt like a very large zine. I pretty much have a book crush on Microcosm Publishing. I'm also seriously considering the idea of making a zine of my own, to distribute locally. It's been on my mind and this really helped me gel a couple of ideas. Also, for those of you who hate phone calls: set a time limit make calls for that amount of time. That's from the book and it's genius. Doing this graphic designer thing in my forties is real. So real. I like the idea that I could make an awesome thing and get some practice and free advertising for my work all at the same time.
April 18, 2018
There’s a fair amount of good information in here, you just have to get past the the dated information. It was released in 1997 and it shows.
The mentions of computer technology and contact information are particularly out of date 20 years later, but if you can get past that to the things that will always be relevant like layout and similar concerns, it remains pretty good information.
There is a strong emphasis on printed zines, which goes with the date, but most of that info is still valid if you’re working with the local chain office store rather than the local printing shop.
I can recommend the book.
The mentions of computer technology and contact information are particularly out of date 20 years later, but if you can get past that to the things that will always be relevant like layout and similar concerns, it remains pretty good information.
There is a strong emphasis on printed zines, which goes with the date, but most of that info is still valid if you’re working with the local chain office store rather than the local printing shop.
I can recommend the book.
April 14, 2020
Yes, it’s an older title (advice on how to find e-zine resources via Lycos?! A blast from the past, indeed!), but what raised my hackles was how dude-centric it was given the DATE of publication (1997). There was NO MENTION of the Riot Grrrl movement in relation to zine culture until the appendix when Riot Grrrl Press was listed as a resource (and a few other resources published by female authors). I do appreciate the nod to and sensitivity in discussing queer and sex-positive zines; however, there are some major oversights here. If I had read the book THEN I would have noticed.
April 22, 2025
La mia unica (limitata) esperienza con le zine sono i piccoli fan project a cui alcuni amici/ artisti che seguo hanno partecipato, quindi è stato interessante avere questo scorcio sulla storia e su un'altra prospettiva del mezzo, oltre che qualche indicazione e consiglio su come provare a realizzarne una.
Però, se c'è una cosa che questo libro mi ha fatto capire è che non credo realizzerò mai una zine che non sia un numero singolo.
Però, se c'è una cosa che questo libro mi ha fatto capire è che non credo realizzerò mai una zine che non sia un numero singolo.
October 12, 2018
A good introduction to starting a zine.
I read this mainly to find out about copyright and distribution and this book gave me some really good tips. It also has a lot of online suggestions and further reading.
It is quite US-centric, which doesn't help me living in the UK, but if you live in the US it has some good recommendations for places to create and distribute zines.
I read this mainly to find out about copyright and distribution and this book gave me some really good tips. It also has a lot of online suggestions and further reading.
It is quite US-centric, which doesn't help me living in the UK, but if you live in the US it has some good recommendations for places to create and distribute zines.
June 19, 2019
Despite being a new edition from 2017, this book reads pretty outdated. It also has much more of the author’s personal experience making zines than it offers real advice for making one of your own. I found the DIY Comix sections helpful, but not as much as McCloud’s “Understanding Comics.” If you’re looking to make a zine, you might want to look elsewhere for advice.
November 9, 2018
this is a beginners zine manual.. if you’re into “a” zine producing community, you wouldnt be needing this, you learn better on your own watching other people.
but i must say, list of everything useful at the end of the book is very necessary.
but i must say, list of everything useful at the end of the book is very necessary.
February 18, 2022
Un manual D.I.Y muy completo que entrega mucha información relevante sobre la historia de la autopublicación y el proceso de creación y difusión de un fanzine. Además, incluye citas de entrevistas a distintes fanzineres que permite tener distintas perspectivas.
July 8, 2024
Wow, this little book is thorough. From the history of zine printing, to making and distributing your own zine. As a creative, I felt the encouragement could also be applied to whatever you are currently passionate about, not zines exclusively.
April 28, 2025
Grabbed this from an independent print store, along with a kit on making a zine. The authors of this small book made the process seem approachable: write something personal about something you feel passionate about. The rest is details.
November 26, 2017
A solid and thorough resource on all parts of zine making.
February 9, 2018
exciting, comforting, and informative
January 19, 2019
Super helpful in learning about a unique form of self-publishing. Quirky comics and great examples made it a fun and informative read!
July 18, 2018
This has definitely peeked my interest in zines!
May 17, 2019
Three words: read it twice!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews