Festivals and Libraries and Distros, Oh My!
The Zine-O-Sphere #002: Where can I find/trade/buy zines?
Hi there!
Have you ever wanted to buy some zines for your growing personal collection? Have you ever wanted to trade zines at a zine fest or punk show? Have you ever wanted to sell your zines, alongside other DIY art, comics, stickers, and accoutrements?
Well, have no fear! Your friendly neighborhood zine librarian is here to give you some options for doing all three :)
ZineFests
Zine Fests are a great place to buy, sell, and trade zines. They happen all over the world, particularly in major cities all across the United States. Some Zine Fests specialize in certain topics/zine types, while others highlight zinesters and makers of a particular community.
Here’s a list of the Zine Fests I’ve personally attended here in NYC:
Not located in NYC or LA? (I don’t blame you!)
There are SO many ZineFests to check out, likely in your area. Thankfully, zinester & Substacker Abby Kacen has you covered 😎 For more information, please check out their website for a full list of active Zine Fests, Comics + Small Press Shows, and Art Book Fairs in the U.S. and Canada. Their well-organized break-down of festival dates, application deadlines, and locations is a great resource for any zinester or collector looking to participate in this incredible part of zine culture. As a librarian, I have to say, I’m impressed by its user-friendly nature too!
Speaking of…
Zine Libraries
Zines are also big in library land! Zines are collected, organized, and made available in a variety of institutions and community organizations, including academic and public libraries, non-profits, infoshops, and print shops. (For more, check out Barnard’s exhaustive list of Zine Libraries across the world. )
Here’s a list of my personal favorites :)
Academic Libraries:
Infoshops, Non-Profits, and Community Organizers:
Public Libraries
Selected* Selling Platforms, Co-Ops, and Distros
The Internet also made it easier to sell, trade, and buy zines! There are so many places where zinesters can connect with their readers. Check out the selected list of distros, online retailers, and physical vendors below to discover where you can sell/buy zines.
It’s important to note that selling on platforms like Etsy and Depop can be troublesome when it comes to seller’s fees. I can’t and won’t speak for all zinesters and creators, but buying from Zine Fests, distros, physical zine retailers, and personal artist websites are a much better use of your money cause it all goes directly to the zinester and/or the distro/shop’s operating budget.
Storenvy (similar to Etsy)
Printed Matter (NYC/East Village Zine & Art Book retailer)
Forbidden Planet (NYC comic book and small press retailer)
Ooga Booga (LA zine retailer)
Zine Distros (for more, check out a full list of tried and true distros here)
Brown Recluse (features zines from BIPOC zinesters/creators only*)
Silver Sprocket (focus on comic zines)
This is by no means an exhaustive list of any of these resources, but I’ve tried to include as many links as I know personally. If you have a recommendation for a print shop, book shop, small press vendor, or distro in your area to include in a larger resource I’m planning, please feel free to send it to me. I’ll be compiling them all based on location and collecting/selling focus, along with submission guidelines and such.
Further Substack Reading
Want to start your own ZineFest? Zinester Miquela wrote up this awesome guide for planning/creating one in your local area!
Upcoming Zine Workshops & Courses
Index Space is hosting a 6-8 week zine intensive this Spring! If you’re in NYC, you can find the registration link here.
Wasted Ink Distro is hosting a free virtual event on Zoom! It’s called “Voices of Dissent.” Join Wasted Ink to learn how to layout an 8-page zine and where to put it for free anti-copyright distribution. Register/Pay What You Can here.
‘Til Next Time!
I hope this selected list of resources for ZineFests, Distros, and Libraries is helpful to you zinesters looking to sell/trade, as well as those of you looking to buy and support your fellow creators and artists. In the next issue, I will feature some of my favorite books about zines :)
Happy Zine Making!
The Zine-O-Sphere is your hub for all things zines, including books, libraries, digital collections, festivals, distros, workshops, and of course, individual zinesters and their incredible work. My hope is that by sharing these resources more widely, more folks will find their way to the wonderful world of zines.
Quimby’s in Chicago is a zine distro that accepts zines on consignment: https://www.quimbys.com/consignment