Are zines ever too long?

[Nichole]

Typing up the raw copy for my next zine, I was surprised to have over 7,000 words begging to be edited. Up until now my zines have been anywhere between 2,000 and 3,000 words, turning into a 24 to 40 page 1/4 size zine.

My question is, can zines ever be too long? Are you turned off by mammoth-size zines, even if they are well written? Maybe they do the opposite?

What are your feelings on longer, more hefty-size zines?

[kit feral]

I like them, if they're good. Truckface is a good example- very thick, but I'd never want it to be shorter. I also remember some zine I read a while back that was consistently about 60 pages, 1/2 legal, and I liked every issue I read.
So, in my opinion, if it's good, I'm going to want more of it, so more is good.
I think it's harder to make a long zine good and approachable, and you're probably going to turn some people off right away. But if it's good, most people are going to like it, no matter what.

[rieka]

I have read zines that are short and makes me want more, yet they are easy to digest.
I have also read zines that are long. so much so that I tend to stop and put them down for a break.

personally, long or short, I will enjoy it if the writing is good and interesting (:

[Becky the Evil Flower]

Try a half size. I realized that my zine would be 48 pages quarter size vs 24. So it will be less thick if you go half size.

Anyway, longer zines are good.

[ManDuh]

I think it's the writing that counts, not necessarily the length.

Then again I'm a total bibliophile and have been known to read through 900 pages books in 2 days because I can't make myself put them down, so...yeah.

[Maranda Elizabeth]

No. I'd argue quite a few zines are too fucking short. It totally depends on the quality of the writing, though. I'm into thick, text-heavy zines.

[Lisa W / Sometimes I'm Dreaming]

I would have to agree with what everyone else has said - if it is a well-written & engaging zine, the longer the better. :)

[Isabel Xochitl]

the longest zine i've read was no gods no masters, issue 8 -- 60 pages -- and i loved it. i think the key is to keep it interesting. vary the layout, add drawings or photos, write some parts by hand and type others or change fonts.
as star blanket river child said, some people might not pick up a long zine. long or text heavy zines intimidate me. but if a zine is captivating, i think it always feels too short!

[Dan C]

I like my zines short. But I think 7,000 words would be okay.

The more words there are, the more important to me that I can read them easily. I like reasonably sized, computed generated text with decent margins.

[Erica S.]

I like long, small, thick zines. I don't think there's such a thing as too long... that is, if the writing has been edited and you're not just rambling. I'd definitely be more likely to pick up a long zine instead of a short one if it's not too pricey.

[Harley R. Pageot]

My perzines are generally 52 quarter-sized pages.

The only time I feel it's too long is when you start having stapler issues like I did with my arts collective's retrospective zine. It's 72 half-pages and I must have spent a half hour at the copy shop trying to find a stapler and staples that would actually go through the spine.

[Emma Jane Falconer]

What size font are you using? Mine are 24pg 1/4 sized, and I manage to fit 4,000 words plus pictures into that, so 7,000 words sounds absolutely fine to me. I'm always happy to get a hefty zine, I've often been disappointed by zines that look thick but then turn out to not have much content in them, lots of empty space and large print.

[Fluxxii]

I find that most writers stop writing when they feel finished with what they have to say and I think that is perfect. It's definitely all about the content and I would rather not have a writer leave out important details just because s/he wants to stick to a certain length, or drag out unnecessary details to make their zine seem more substantial. That said, I am slightly more attracted to longer zines if the content is right. The average for me is probably 40 pages.