I'm starting a Fanzine

[Gamehero1]

I'm starting a fanzine and need ideas. Its gonna span from Nes to all present systems. I'm gonna have a few monthly columns but need more other stuff. Any ideas?

[ManekiNeko]

Yeah, start a web site instead.
Take it from someone with a lot of fanzine experience... print fanzines have gone the way of the dinosaur. They're expensive to produce and often go unnoticed by those who receive them. You're better off publishing electronically.

JR

[Jaker]

Use geocities, my friend, its free and has no C++ or C at all. I have created a kingdom hearts fansite and if you want the url I gotta find it yay ya haven't updated it at all but.... Anyways! Get some people to help and sponsor you. I wonder how you can get a DP job? Anyways good luck!

[Half Japanese]

Use geocities, my friend, its free and has no C++ or C at all

Do you mean html or what? You don't need any C programming languages to make a website in the first place (just html/java/xml/etc.). That said if you have problems making a site, check www.webmonkey.com or use a free site builder if you must (although generally they're very easy to pick out due to lackluster design). Good luck whichever way you go.

[Sph1nx]

Ahhh.. webmonkey... at last shes dead. *sniff*

[GamecubeFreek]

I myself am also in the process of making my first issue of a fanzine. I have decided to make it an actual magazine rather than a website because I hope to work for a game mag when I get out of college, so I figured that I should make my practice as close as possible to the real thing. I dont know what your reasons are for making your fanzine, but do what works best for you.
To answer your question on what type of content you should have, I would suggest a top (random number) list of varying topics. My first issue's main feature is going to be a top fifteen game series of all time. It is a lot of work to actually make it decent (not just a ranting, but an actual explanation with some reason behind it---I took the mathematical approach :) ), but I find it very rewarding.

[badinsults]

Making a website isn't that hard. Learning HTML takes only an hour or so, plus implementing stylesheets makes for far less headaches. Using a program like Dreamweaver makes the process even less painful. I actually prefer surfing a website than reading a fanzine.

[Flack]

I ran a music 'zine for a while when I lived in Spokane, WA. It ran 16-24 pages and I did the layout in Pagemaker. The printing company I used had an FTP site where I could upload my layouts. It cost me around $350/month for 1500 tabloid copies. I made that back by selling ads. I sold almost enough ads to break even each month.

If you've got the time and money, I say go for it. The 'zine is a dying artform. Sure, you can always slap up a website, and who's not to say that you can't put your articles online as well? But some people (especially around colleges) like reading things on paper.

[Dan Iacovelli]

OK I figure that should say something here:
my 'zine has been active since the late 80's
(for those who don't know it's The Atari Zone )
back then we had 30+ subscribers now we're down to 7.
Anyways, if your going to do a 'zine: why not make it in pdf version
first for a try out. that way you won't lose money on printing.
and if enough people enjoy it, you can do what I did make two versions
print and pdf because most people like to have it in the hand.

as for coping, you get a b/w copies for 10 cents each at either officemax or depot(double sided(single is usally a nickel))

[Daniel Thomas]

Great to hear you want to write a zine. Shouldn't everybody have to do that at some point during their lives.

If you want my advice, I'd say go for a print zine. Yes, it's going to cost you a lot of money; yes, it's going to take a lot of time to print up, staple together, and send out. But isn't that why you publish in the first place? You want to actually hold your creation in your hands, and you want that stack of zines waiting for your in your mailbox.

Yes, a website is cheaper and easier, but it just doesn't compare to the real deal. Real zines will never go out of style. Just write whatever the heck you want and have fun.

[zmweasel]

N/A

[digitalpress]

Why not do both?

Works for us :)

There are different levels of satisfaction from either. Webzines will gain you much quicker response and recognition, while fanzines have a more enduring quality to them (look around these very forums and you'll find former faneds waxing poetic over the 'zines of old). The bottom line is that if you love to write and you're an organized, somewhat aesthetic-minded person, you'll have fun with either.

Now if breaking into the industry is your goal, I have no real advice for you as that isn't something I ever really aspired to do. I've gotten a few gigs here and there but it's "niche" stuff. And once you get into the routine of producing on your own you'll appreciate the way you can do things exactly the way you want to. To me, that's been the most personally rewarding aspect of maintaining this site.

In any event, follow your dreams and most importantly, have fun with it!