Zine in United States

Zine
An amateur magazine, usually published by an individual or an alternative press. Zines are usually created by people with a passion for their subject (they can be about literally anything), and are written, edited, produced, and distributed independently.

Derived from “fanzine” (a contraction of “fan magazine”), pronounced “zeen.” The term came into use during the 1980s to refer to a small, low-circulation magazine or newspaper, self-published out of passion for the subject rather than for personal gain, usually produced with the aid of desktop publishing software and high-quality photocopy machines.

Zines represent the convergence of amateur publishing hobbyists, high school underground newspapers, the literary small press, political radicalism, and do-it-yourself popular culture. They are usually not available by subscription, often appear irregularly or infrequently, and may have a lifetime of only one or two issues. Some are available online via the World Wide Web. Selected zines are evaluated in the reference serial Magazines for Libraries. To learn more, see The Book of Zines (zinebook.com) or the article “Your Zine Tool Kit” by Jenna Freedman in the June 15, 2006 issue of Library Journal (a combination trade journal/review publication published in 20 issues per year by Reed Business Information).