Responses

[Harley R. Pageot]

How often do you write or e-mail the person when you finish a zine?
How often do you receive responses?


I try to make an effort almost every time to send some sort of short message, even if it's just commenting on a thing or two from the zine. Usually I e-mail, though, because I feel odd about sending a letter to someone I've never spoken to.

That said, I've never received any sort of e-mail or Facebook or letter about my zines from anyone who I wasn't already good friends with. And I've put at least 100 zines out of my hands and into the hands of people at zine fairs and libraries and other places. I don't want to take it personally but it does make me feel like all the people who wound up with my zine didn't like it, found absolutely nothing in it worth commenting on, or just didn't read it at all.

The only time I've actually gotten feedback is on here from trades I did on here. And I've got my e-mail, postal address, and a Facebook group listed at the back of every zine.

[twilight gecko]

i always leave some feedback after i get a zine in a trade.. but i want to communicate with fellow zinesters on a more friendly basis too.. after all, we read some of the most personal thoughts about them, than we never stop to say hi again..
i'd like to think i'm making friends thru this..

tho i must say, my sister loaned her copies i gave her to some friends, without me knowing.. and i was surprised to get some wonderful feedback from strangers.. one lady actually came running up to me and hugged me, saying she connected deeply with some of the things i'd written..

surprise feedback is wonderful..

[kit feral]

99% of the time I write or email.
I receive responses maybe... 60% of the time? I understand that people are busy and maybe they don't always read my zine right away, but it'd be nice to just know that it's arrived safely. it's a bit discouraging but... well, that's the way these things work, I guess.

even my good friends, I usually just get a "that's nice!" or a "... this is a what? you do what with it?" so feel lucky, haha.

[Charlotte Lee (Bitch theme)]

It is weird sometimes though. Even if you really really enjoyed what someone wrote, if you dont really know them and have never met them it feels a bit weird to contact them out of the blue. That said, whenever i have contacted someone about their zine, they've always seemed pleased to get my feedback.

I haven't quite finished the first issue of my zine yet, but when i do i really hope i get some feedback and contact from other people, it would definietly make it seem a more worthwhile experience!

[incurable hippie]

I always intend to write to people whose zines I have just read, but don't always manage it. Also, numerous times I've written a fab letter then looked through the zine to find there was no postal address!

[Charlotte Lee (Bitch theme)]

I think new zinesters getting upset about criticism or advice is very much dependent on the person though. If someone offered me advice, thoughts or whatever, as long as they weren't being deliberately nasty i would definetly accept it and try to learn from it.
I also feel that not all first zines are gonna be all over the place- of course a lot are and its part of the process, but i think it depends on the person and their style of writing. Particularly, if you have read a lot of zines before deciding to make one of your own, you will have got an idea of how they are usually set out and what a good zine looks like and how it flows...

Amber / Culture Slut said:

It depends on the situation. I have many pen pals that I exchange long letters with on a frequent basis - we met through zines, though I can't always remember our first real contact. Obviously we traded at some point in time and wound up becoming good friends out of it. I try to write letters to anyone who's zine has meant something to me, whether it's because I can relate to the content or because they did an awesome job of it or whatever. I also review zines on my blog and try to notify zinesters when I've reviewed one of theirs.

I am sometimes weary of writing to new zinesters. I'd love to provide feedback and encouragement, but a lot of new zinesters seem to get really upset at any sort of criticism that's tossed their way, which can be frustrating. So some zines just get set aside and forgotten. Also, I find that first zines are often all over the place content-wise, so it would be kinda difficult to write a letter saying, "That's cool that you interviewed that band," or "I like that photo on page twelve," when there isn't much personal content to really comment on or create a dialogue about. I like a good, long perzine.

I receive quite a few letters in the mail regarding my zines, but it wasn't like that when I first started making them. You just have to be patient.

I would also like to note that snail mail rules way harder than email (if you can afford the stamps). That said, I mailed you a letter the other day and am totally looking forward to hearing from you.

[Bethany]

When you look back to your first zine you sometimes say YUCK! What was I thinking... I think 1st time ziners should be complimented and welcomed into the community rather than critisized.

...on the original question...I like feedback and I give feedback.

[andreajean]

I almost always write people to let them know I've received a zine they sent me (and thank them). But I have never emailed/written after reading with a response to the content. Not necessarily because I didn't like it or found nothing worth commenting on -- probably more because I feel shy about it. Your post is a good reminder that people usually like feedback, especially if it's someone saying how they can relate to what you've written.

[Dan C]

I never really respond to zines, though now I feel like I should.

[ciaraxyerra]

i almost never write to people about their zines, unless they are already my buddy, or unless someone writes something that really moved me somehow. i used to be a lot more excited about writing letters & postcards & writing feedback to practically every zine i read, but it takes a lot of time & energy & i eventually felt like i was putting more time & energy into my feedback than the zinesters were putting into their zines! i felt i'd reached a point of diminishing returns & i started being much more sparing with my feedback.

i definitely have noticed that more recent zinesters are not as receptive to what i would call "constructive criticism," & i find that really frustrating. my zines grew in quality because i put my writing out there for people & tried to learn from critical comments i received. i still give drafts of my zines to friends & ask them to tell me everything that doesn't work, from the craft of the writing to the arguments i am making. but people nowadays seem resistant to this, that it "discourages" new zinesters somehow, that this kind of feedback is "negative". i figure, if i can't say anything "nice" (according to their standards), i just won't say anything at all. hence, no feedback.

but i do like to give feedback, including constructive criticism, when people take it for what it is--a jumping off place for a potential dialogue, a well-intentioned attempt to help them make their writing better, a way for me to connect with what they have written. i only do it a few times a year, but it's definitely more satisfying when it turns into a conversation, as opposed to the self-imposed responsibility to send feedback & letters into a void to people who seem like they couldn't really give two shits.

as far as receiving feedback, it doesn't happen much. & when it does, it's usually just, "i really liked your zine." which is nice to hear, even if i could stand to hear a few more details so i know what i'm doing right.

[Erica S.]

I don't usually write letters to zinesters I don't know, because it's hard to switch gears from "writing-style" critique, the kind meant for people in my writing group (when I belonged to one) and that I trade writing with over email, to "zine-style" critique, where you're more talking about ideas/content and not pointing out that their writing itself is weak. And honestly, I don't like that, having to "weaken" my critique. The whole thing just makes me feel AARGH so it's easier not to do it at all. Plus I am really lazy! But if someone contacted me about my zine, I would write back.

[Adrian Fynch]

I try to at least let people know that I received their zine. If I liked it or something stuck out, I'll tell them. If I -really- liked it, I will possibly review it in one of my zines and try to write them a letter. This doesn't always happen because I am usually a fairly busy person and sometimes zines get buried [like right now, I have a massive stack from two zine fairs and two online orders, not to mention all the trades], but I do try to send something, even if it is just an email.

I find that I don't get much feedback, though I'm starting to get more as I'm more active in the community and I think my zines are improving. Sometimes I get down about it, but I try to remember that such is the way of life and pretty much all of my artist friends, regardless of their medium, have this problem.

[Maranda Elizabeth]

I send quite a few letters in response to zines, sometimes I send postcards. I tend to opt for snail mail because it's just way more fun, and I'm definitely more likely to contact someone if if they have a proper address in their zine, rather than just an email. But I don't respond to all zines, even if I really, really, really love them. It kinda just depends on what sort of mood I'm in, or whether or not I have stamps on hand or whatever. Sometimes I just feel totally inarticulate and I don't wanna send a boring "I liked your zine" letter (even though I like getting those kinds of letters myself, so maybe my shyness is holding me back a little in this area), so I don't send anything at all.

I will also often make a special point of writing to zinesters whose zines I get from distros, simply because I'm always curious as to where my zines end up after I've sent a bunch of them to a distro, and I imagine I can't be the only one. Sometimes I get letters back, sometimes I don't.

In response to my own zines, I'd say I get quite a few responses... letters, messages over the internet, or simply people adding me on WMZ or LJ or whatever. But it took a really long time to get to the point where I'm getting a fair bit of responses and feedback and making close friends in the community and such.