Aug

14

a message from Xerography Debt

Filed Under publishing, zine news |

(Picked this up from zinegeeks@yahoogroups.com.)

Hi Everyone,

The next issue of Xerography Debt marks a bit of a transition where we try and straddle the fence between pixel and paper. One thing the paper version will try and do is discuss zine issues, plus columns and other matters that aren’t necessarily time sensitive like reviews can be. The reviews have been migrating to the XD blog (http://xerographydebt.blogspot.com/), and we’ve been posting there for a few months.

Since I am working on the next paper version, I’d like to post part of the last issue’s introduction (see below). If you’d like to send in a response for print, please direct it to leekinginc[at]hotmail.com.

Thanks,
Davida

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Change, as always, is still brewing in the zine world. The paper vs. web debate rages on, as does perzines vs. blogs. In many ways these venues can and do co-exist, but at the same time I see the number of zines I receive dwindling. The general demographics of zinemakers and their overall productivity seem to be changing too. Most of the youngsters, the would-have-been next generation, have moved to the web. Many of the zines that I have loved for years have editors undergoing changes in their personal responsibilities (i.e. kids, older parents, jobs) and are publishing less frequently. I know that personally I haven’t published an issue of Leeking Ink in two years, the longest gap since I started the zine in 1995. (I do have plans to get the new issue done in the coming months.) The main people I see publishing semi-consistently are the people who have been at this for at least 15-20 years, are past the major life changes, and don’t view the web as a spot for natural migration. However, as long as postage and printing costs continue to rise, the future of paper as the dominant zine media remains uncertain. Regardless, it is the reading that matters, not how or where it is done.

To XD’s readers – how do you feel about the paper vs. digital changes? Are you online or have moved to online only? Why? Do you have more readers or more reader feedback? Back in the day, zines were only part of the obsession; letters from total strangers were the other part. Has e-mail wiped that component out? If you are a paper devotee, why?


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