Questions for Distro Owners

[Mab]

I've thought about starting a zine distro before and I'm not 100% sure that I'm organized enough to run one, so I'm giving this a lot of hard thought and research before I even consider it. I tried starting a review zine in high school that BOMBED and I don't want to start a distro just to have to close it a few months later. This is probably a down-the-road kind of deal, but I'd like to ask questions of some of the distro owners here if you don't mind...

* How many hours per week do you spend doing distro tasks (reading zines for consideration, mailing out orders, organizing inventory, etc.)?

* How do you keep track of payment coming in, orders going out, what you're paying to zinesters, and other important information?

* Is it better to run on consignment or pay up front?

* What is the typical start up cost for a distro?

* How do you keep your physical inventory organized?

* Do you do most of your promotion through the internet, paper catalog, zine events...?

* Most distros I've worked with accept assembled zines only, but does anyone have experience with accepting flats to photocopy?

Sorry for the numerous questions, and I'll probably come up with more! Any other tips or ideas are greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[ciaraxyerra]

1) i average three to five hours of work per day on the distro. i'm probably an outlier, because i think i get a lot more orders than most distros, but even when i first started...it's a lot of work. every time you get a new zine into the distro, you have to update the website, write up a description, update any other pertinent parts of your online catalogue, put the zines away...every time you get an order, you have to process it, pull the zines & pack the envelope, possibly re-order zines that you're low/out of due to the order, & run everything down to the post office. plus all the work of managing incoming & outgoing money, publicizing your distro & new zines you're carrying, troubleshooting problems for people, etc etc etc...a distro operator's work is literally never done.

2) i keep a distro budget log. one page is for incoming money (i list the date i received an order, who it was from, & how much they paid), & the next is for outgoing money (i track payments to zinesters with names & payment amounts, how much i spend on postage, photocopies, office supplies, website registration, etc). i have a folder in my e-mail for unfilled orders, so if i can't get to an order right away, it goes into that folder & is there when i have time to deal with the order. i also have a paper database with info on everyone who orders from me--their name, address, e-mail address, the date they ordered, which zines they ordered, & how they paid. this might sound like unnecessary work, but it's come in really handy during times when someone says they didn't receive their order (i can compare the address they gave me against the address in my records) or didn't receive the right zines, etc.

3) i prefer to pay upfront. there's enough to keep track of without also trying to remember who has been paid & who hasn't been. i'd rather just pay people & get it out of the way.

4) i started ordering zines & waited six months to build up a good catalogue & get the website built before i opened for business. in that time, i probably spent at least $1000 of my own money. i didn't make it all back until several years down the line. the start-up costs are considerable. before you are open for business, you're going to be paying people in cash/checks/paypal--money, in other words, as opposed to trading. you're going to have to pay for a domain name & web hosting (unless you go with a free site). you may have to pay for certain equipment--for example, i had to buy a scanner so i could put up cover images on the website. there's a lot to consider.

5) my inventory is in a series of milk crates. everything is organized by size, & alphabetically within size categories. it's important to keep everything organized in such a way that it's not a pain in the ass to pull zines out to fill orders. i used to keep zines in little bags in a filing cabinet & it was just too frustrating. my current system is way better. thought it takes up a lot of room. we are talking like a dozen crates--not really the kind of set-up you can stash in a closet.

6) i have an e-mail newsletter i try to send out once a month to let people know what's new. i was doing a paper newsletter too for a while, but it was a pain in the ass to keep it updated & i haven't made a new one in about six months, i'm planning to make a new one in january, but i do question how useful it is to maintain a paper catalogue for a distro that changes its stock faster than i can really maintain. it's good to have it around though, to leave it at bookstores, infoshops, free tables at zine fairs, etc, because it might get people to come to the website later. i rely a lot of word of mouth, which is why customer service is so important. if someone has a good experience with your distro, they are probably going to mention it to a friend, & word spreads that way. that's the most important advertising, as far as i'm concerned.

7) i do copy some things from flats--in situations where the zinester couldn't keep up with the demand. it's the exception to the rule. most zinesters prefer to have more control over their copies. that's fine with me, because that means i don't have to collate & staple. copying from flats is no big deal, but it's sometimes a pain in the ass. sometimes i just don't feel like making the trip to the copy shop (more onerous now that i am in kansas without a car & the public transit system here is so shitty).

[Erin H]

* How many hours per week do you spend doing distro tasks (reading zines for consideration, mailing out orders, organizing inventory, etc.)? With my old distro, it was pretty busy - I'd say at least two hours a day. Well, probably three with reading zines for consideration. I got A LOT of zines for consideration. I had to quit my first distro because I managed to get a job, and would be at the office sometime until 7pm - this was after waking up at 5am. There was no way I could keep up with the distro AND a job. No way. At least, not for me - I was exhausted, and the last thing I wanted to do was e-mail people and do all that stuff.

* How do you keep track of payment coming in, orders going out, what you're paying to zinesters, and other important information? I think keeping a paper record (a notebook, etc) is ideal, as you can't lose them from a virus or computer crash, but for me, it's easier to organize all that in my e-mail and excel spreadsheets. In my e-mail, I have a bunch of folders set up, like orders received, orders done, paypal receipts, registration e-mails, etc. In my excel, I have a list of all the zinesters I carry, their e-mails, snail mails, wholesale price, and retail price. I also have a member database with their name, address (e-mail and snail), how much they ordered, etc.

* Is it better to run on consignment or pay up front? Up front, 100%. Like Ciara, I have enough to keep track of without having to do that. But this requires a good chunk of change, especially when you're just starting out. Like today I just spent $90 on zines. I only made $20 since I opened yesterday, and I haven't shipped the orders yet. So yeah, expect to lose a lot of money, especially at first.

* What is the typical start up cost for a distro? Here's what I had to purchase: PO box, postage scale (that's optional, but I like it), website (start-up cost and monthly fees), all the zines I stock (this is the most expensive part), and supplies. You need to buy envelopes (a multitude of sizes), packing tape, sharpies, note paper, any type of freebies (I have 1" buttons now), etc.

* How do you keep your physical inventory organized? I have plastic crates with folders - everything is alphabetical.

* Do you do most of your promotion through the internet, paper catalog, zine events...? Most of it is through the internet, but I also plan to make paper ads within the next few days. Zine fests are fun, and a good way to get the word around, too.

* Most distros I've worked with accept assembled zines only, but does anyone have experience with accepting flats to photocopy? I don't do that.

[Mab]

Thanks Erin and Ciara for your feedback!

Are consignment distros frowned upon more than distros that pay up front? I've had my zine carried in both types and don't really have a preference, but I don't really know how others feel about it.

The other thing I'm worried about is that there is a flurry of new distros in the community and I'm not sure, especially with my interest mainly lying in perzines and litzines, if there's really anything that would set another distro apart.

[ciaraxyerra]

i don't think it's "frowned upon". i know i generally prefer to be paid upfront, but i work with a few people via consignment. it's just a question of people proving that they will get the payments out to you when your zines sell.

if there's any way you can afford to pay upfront, i would recommend it. it's easier to keep track of, & with all these new distros popping up, it helps make you look more reliable. the fact that you have been involved with zines for some time works in your favor too--if people know your name from your zines, they are more willing to trust you (especially if you have a good reputation for sending your own zines out when you say you will).

my other big recommendation is: if you don't know what would set your distro apart from the crowd, maybe now is not the time to start a distro. when i started paper trail, i had identified a really specific void that i felt i was filling with my project. i was doing it because i wanted to start a distro, sure, but i wanted to start a distro because i was reading a lot of zines at the time that weren't being represented by most distros that were around at the time. i wanted to give them a forum & i wanted to share those zines with my friends. that was a long time ago & the zine scene has a changed a lot since then. some of those zines are a lot more popular know, some of them aren't being written anymore.

i'd recommend looking around at the catalogues of other distros that are running right now & seeing what they carry & trying to figure out what you would do differently. it helps if you have a thematic focus, like a specific topic or genre you want to specialize in. if every zine you want to carry is already thoroughly represented by distros that are out there...well, then you might have some questions for yourself.

[Mab]

Great advice, Ciara! I have a lot of research to do...

[NicoleIntrovert]

* How many hours per week do you spend doing distro tasks (reading zines for consideration, mailing out orders, organizing inventory, etc.)?
I work at least 40 hours a week at my job plus spend about 15ish hours working on the distro.

* How do you keep track of payment coming in, orders going out, what you're paying to zinesters, and other important information?
Incoming and outgoing cash are done on a spreadsheet that is done by month, also printed out and kept in a binder. I have a separate binder for all stock, organized alphabetically by zine title. It includes all of the wholesale/retail price information as well as all of the zinesters contact information. I also do inventories periodically and have a place on the sheet i made up to mark how many i have in stock on what date.

* Is it better to run on consignment or pay up front?
I prefer to pay up front.

* What is the typical start up cost for a distro?
I put $800 into Click Clack to start up. I haven't paid myself back one cent after about a year.

* How do you keep your physical inventory organized?
Milk crates. 6 of them currently.

* Do you do most of your promotion through the internet, paper catalog, zine events...?
Internet and word of mouth. I try to hit a lot of the zine fests along the East Coast. I also have stickers, pins & business cards. I am going to probably advertise a bit in some of the bigger zines soon. Such as Give Me Back or MRR.

* Most distros I've worked with accept assembled zines only, but does anyone have experience with accepting flats to photocopy?
I only have one zine which i make copies for in my catalog. It doesn't make sense for me to do it because copies are really expensive where i live.

[Mab]

Thanks for your reply Nicole!

Okay, I'm starting to gather some ideas of types of zines I'd like to carry, things I know are out there but I don't always see in distros. Is it possible to be too...I guess I'm thinking "eclectic"... with the zine genres you choose to stock? For example, would it be strange to have a distro that wanted to carry zines on mental health, perzines with a theme, literary zines containing well-written fiction, zines on pets, and fanzines written about movies or books? Those are just some of the random things I'm thinking, but I'm thinking that might be TOO random and broad.

Is it selfish for a distro to want to stock zines on topics that appeal to the person running it? I mean, if I ran a distro based soley on my own zine reading interests, I'd probably never stock a zine on anarchy, music, food or a handful of other topics. I don't have a problem with any of those things and it's great that there are zines about them out there, but they don't really interest me personally. I don't want to cut out a portion of the community that has those interests, but I also don't want to spend hours reading radical political zines and zines on Vegan cooking.

[Mab]

Another question (insomnia has me up late tonight)... if doing a distro that uses consignment, how do you figure the cut you take from the sale vs. what you pay the author, etc.?

And what legal (i.e. taxes) issues are involved with running a distro?

[Billy Da Bunny]

yo yo yo! good advices! damn, no wonder y'all are in business and i'm not, you guys are mad organized! but i have just a couple things to add.

i started out consignment, where i'd pay them 2/3 of the cover price. most stores do 60/40, with the author being the 60. 50/50 is fine as well. that's for you to decide. 2/3 left me losing money, but i didn't care. but yo, it was a PAIN in the ass, especially after i got up past 50 titles. when you have 100 or 200 different people to keep track of, CONFUSING! i switched to paying up front. you can also offer trade to the other authors. so i'd say "well, i can pay you $10 for your zines, or you can have $12 credit with my distro". they'd usually take the credit.

tax stuff. i'm sure you should keep track of it. i never did. the government doesn't care about the $100 you'll make in a year. For most, for me at least, it was a hobby. i lost more than i made, and shrugged it off. if you get big time, might want to keep track then, i guess.

only distro what you like! or you'll get bored and hate doing reviews. if you don't like anarchy zines, don't carry them. it's YOUR distro, you make the rules.

are there zines out there you like that aren't being distro'd? then that's the distro you start. be goofy and funny and run it however you want, there ain't no rules

[ciaraxyerra]

like billy said, you should in fact ONLY carry zines you like. if that means you never carry zines about punk rock music & anarchist theory, so be it. you're not the only person in the zine scene who doesn't care for those types of zines. running a distro is such a huge amount of effort, if you're not excited about everything you carry, you're going to start resenting the project & you won't want to do it anymore. even sometimes when i pick up a zine that makes me feel a little iffy, like i'm not totally in love with it, i start to feel my faith in the whole project slipping. don't carry ANYTHING just because you think it will sell a lot & be popular if you don't really love it too!

if this means that your distro is all zines about pets, zines about books & movies, well-written lit zines, et al...so be it. if that's what you like to read, there are probably other people that like that stuff too. it's nice to have a variety of stuff available, because most zinesters do have eclectic tastes. i don't just sit around reading personal zines by anarcha-feminist ladies in the late 20s all day, much as i enjoy that type of zine. i enjoy other kinds of zines too. & every now & again, you will read a zine about a topic or in a genre you thought you would never be interested in & it will change your mind a little. i was never really into cookzines until the brother of the dude who writes "i was a teenage vegan cookbook" gave me copies of that zine. i'm not even vegan, but i still thought the zine was clever & fun, & i started carrying it.

as far as taxes go--don't sweat it. the only people who need to worry about that are distros who consistently make enough money that they are, like, paying employees & offering health benefits (ie, microcosm). even if you somehow manage to make a $300 profit one month, you could turn right around & lose money the next. just consider any money you make (& it probably won't be much, if anything at all) a tax-free stipend for all your hard work. also bear in mind that even the IRS doesn't charge income tax on people making very little money. the whole time i was working at regular jobs (bookstores, food service, etc), i never made enough to have to pay federal income taxes. the ceiling is something like $18,000 a year or something (it's probably higher than that now). if somehow you manage to make more than $18,000 a year from your distro, we are going to have to sit down & talk about what magic spell you used to make that happen, because i am going to want to borrow it. i've been running paper trail for seven years & it averages maybe $1000 profit per year. do the math, that's less than $100 a month. a couple of coffees or lunches while i'm out running distro errands & it's gone.

[lizzy / marching stars distro]

Not sure I have anything terribly new to add... but I guess I spend less time in some respects...

* How many hours per week do you spend doing distro tasks (reading zines for consideration, mailing out orders, organizing inventory, etc.)? Currently, at university, maybe 2-3 hours a week? That's mostly replying to emails and packaging up orders. Once a month or so I do a big updated. I don't write my own descriptions. That, I found, was the singular biggest time consuming thing to do. (Not counting reading zines... which takes time, but is enjoyable).

* How do you keep track of payment coming in, orders going out, what you're paying to zinesters, and other important information? Various ways. I have several excel spreadsheets for money in and out. I also write out every order in a duplicate book.

* Is it better to run on consignment or pay up front? I find upfront SO much easier. You know where you stand then.

* What is the typical start up cost for a distro? I spent maybe like £150? ($250ish). That was almost entirely on stock... but website costs also come in for most people.

* How do you keep your physical inventory organized? In various shoeboxes in size and then alphabetical order.

* Do you do most of your promotion through the internet, paper catalog, zine events...? Initially, bit of everything. Mostly flyer trades and posting all over the internet. I also do well after zine events (and non zine events), which I try to go to as much as possible.

* Most distros I've worked with accept assembled zines only, but does anyone have experience with accepting flats to photocopy? I accept flats. I have cheap copying at uni... and sometimes it just works out easier for the both of us. I do have massive problems with that for international zines though that have slightly different paper sizes. In general I like assembled zines, but sometimes I like paying less and copying them myself! Always negotiated with the zinester, of course!

[Mab]

Thanks everyone, this is really helping. I've been doing a lot of planning, researching, making lists, etc. What else should I be doing/considering in the early phases of planning/deciding to do this?

I've pretty much decided I WANT to do this, and I physically sat down and wrote out answers to all the "consider this" sort of questions about starting a distro in Stolen Sharpie Revolution, and I feel confident that I am capable of doing it. Now it's a matter of deciding when to do this and what I need to do before I can make it happen.

Also, consignment would probably be the only option for me over the next year or so, but it sounds like it's doable for a smaller distro if the person running it keeps good records. I think I'm going to keep paper records in a big binder. Computer records are too hard for me to keep up to date and I worry about losing them if my computer crashes.