you too can help mac and zines!!! [taking subs and tips]

[macaroni and zines]

So we [mac n zines] are a new distro in college town, alabama. we hope to be up and running by January. until then we're setting up shop and studying for finals.
how you can help. if you've got an awesome zine idea or have one to spare, we would love to consider it for our catalogue.
another way you can help is by offering tips. i'm actually posting this now because i'm not quite ready to work on our website.
but we would love to hear from you.

[ciaraxyerra]

i don't follow. "zine idea?" or actual zine? & people will need an address if they are going to send you zines. & tips about what, specifically? building the website? running a distro? i am confused.

[macaroni and zines]

post whatever help you have for us and then we'll get back to you with further contact info so we can keep the conversation.

[helenomicon]

Honestly, saying that there's a 90% chance you'll accept someone's project doesn't seem like a good idea. When I order from distros, I like ones that are pretty good about quality control. I think part of a distro owner's job is to sift through the scads of zines being put out, and pick out the ones they think are really good to present to their customers.

Having been reading zines for the better part of ten years, I can tell you that there are lots of zines out there that range from mediocre to terrible. And I'm not trying to set myself up as a high priestess of quality zining, either - right now I do a zine that a lot of people seem to like, but before that I put out lots of really terrible zines. Which is fine, doing zines is a craft like anything else and you get better with practice. But by basically telling people you've got low standards, you're setting yourself up to receive an influx of crap, even more so than the average distro owner. Do you really want to spend a ton of your time writing descriptions and paying people for projects you don't like all that much, especially if you're (I'm guessing) a college student and you're probably swamped with school stuff most of the time?

[NicoleIntrovert]

a few tips/rhetorical questions...

- Be prepared to spend at least 15 to 20 hours a week on your distro. (or more if it gets bigger)
- Where are you getting the money to start up? Usually it takes a few hundred dollars to start up a distro.
- Are you paying your zinesters by consignment or up front? When will you pay? How will you keep track?
- Do you have sufficient space to store multiple copies of zines?
- Do you have easy access to a post office? Are you prepared to ship internationally?
- Plan on tabling at events? How will you get there? Do you have the funds to travel?

[ciaraxyerra]

if i was going to post "whatever help [i] have for [you]," it would be helpful to first know what kind of help you are looking for! so my first tip: be specific about what you actually want people to do for you.

[macaroni and zines]

I dont want to restrict the the type of zines we'll carry. I would love to have a good variety. I'm not all too sure what criteria i want to set on submissions. I kinda want to only take things from those in the UA community.

[tim scannell]

and be reciprocal...JESUS!!

Mulnix said:

The only rule I've ever wanted in this place is one restricting people talking about what they're GONNA do. Do it first, THEN tell us about it.

And work on your grammar ..."keep the conversation?" Zinesters like Giz get away with that 'cause English is their second language...but you're from Alabama. I'd bet the farm you ain't French.

JeeeeZUS!

[Erica S.]

As usual, I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe if you were to add a few more ellipses, sentence fragments, and ":)s" it would become more clear.

*golfclap*

If this distro is being started for the reason I suspect it's being started, then my tip is to keep it small, advertise locally in your college paper or local book/music stores, and stock no more than five or so copies of each zine (if that many). If you decide that you want to stick with the zine community and enjoy running a distro, that would be the time to ask advice from people that are doing this for real. But if it's just to fulfill a class requirement... don't get in over your head or anything. (P.S. I would not buy zines from a distro that proudly accepts 90% of the zines they are sent, any more than I would read a literary magazine that publishes 90% of what it is sent. You might not want to advertise this fact upfront, unless you are starting a distro for the reason I suspect. If so, go nuts! Class credit!)

[macaroni and zines]

the ninety percent acceptance rate has been taken into account, and now i see that probably wasn't all that wise to include that. i do plan on keeping it small and mainly focus on bringing zines to campus. while i do want to focus on getting zines by students, i also would like to get some from the others. so i'm hunting around and looking for things people might enjoy.
the website is a little bit closer to functioning. i'll post a link once it's decent.
:] thanks for all the comments. i really do appreciate the feedback.
and hopefully my grammar's less offensive this time around. if not, sorry.

[Catherine Elms]

Hi, I'd like to send you a zine for consideration; do you have a postal address?

x

[Tight Pantsy Drew]

Awesome, yes, would love to submit a zine.

Come visit my page to find out more and lemme know if you're interested!

Leslie