8/14/2019 Taking It to the Next Level: Writing for Aboveground Publications Without Selling your Soul http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/taking-it-to-the-next-level-writing-for-aboveground-publications-without-selling 1/12 WRITING FOR ABOVEGROUND PUBLICATIONS WITHOUT SELLING YOUR SOUL BY TIM W. BROWN PHILLY ZINE FEST 2008 Taking it to the Next Level
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Taking It to the Next Level: Writing for Aboveground Publications Without Selling your Soul
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8/14/2019 Taking It to the Next Level: Writing for Aboveground Publications Without Selling your Soul
You know you can write. You know you can edit. Is ittime to take your writing and publishing efforts to thenext level?
Nobody says you have to, of course. Zines are theultimate form of unfettered self-expression. The lack of limits to opinion and imagination is a very powerfulattraction.
However, for those who may want to write for moreaboveground publications, there are venues possible
where you don’t have to compromise your principles.
8/14/2019 Taking It to the Next Level: Writing for Aboveground Publications Without Selling your Soul
To begin, think about your audience. Who is reading yourzine? Why are they reading it?
Some zinesters never think about audience. Writing for
an audience is tantamount to self-censorship. It’ssomething that some crabby high-school English teacherharped on.
But, because writing is a form of communication, it’s by definition a two-way relationship. The only writers whodon’t have some audience are diarists. And even they’re
writing for an audience: themselves.
8/14/2019 Taking It to the Next Level: Writing for Aboveground Publications Without Selling your Soul
If you’re up to the task, you may wish to author an entire book.
Leverage your knowledge of the topics in which your zine specializesand expand upon it.
Write a collection of short stories or a novel; pen a memoir basedon your experiences in the underground; analyze your politicalopinions and write an essay collection; collate all you’ve writtenabout popular culture into a book.
How to produce a zine is a popular, perennial topic for books by zinesters.
Examples: Pagan Kennedy, Jim Goad, Joe Meno.
8/14/2019 Taking It to the Next Level: Writing for Aboveground Publications Without Selling your Soul
Small and independent press publishing is a more viableoption than trade publishing, although still competitive.
The editors often came from the same world you do and
sympathize with your situation. They sometimes werezinesters themselves. They understand you and are muchmore open to nontraditional topics than trade publishers.
No agent is necessary. Passion, energy and talent are the
key factors.
Examples: Akashic Books, Soft Skull Press.
8/14/2019 Taking It to the Next Level: Writing for Aboveground Publications Without Selling your Soul
Self-publishing is yet another option. You control the process from beginning to end. You own the product.
Drawback: unfairly or not you’re looked upon as a vanity publisher.
However, a self-published book can succeed if you have a decent-sized, existing audience – despite its probable lack of distributionand review attention.
Pre-printing 500-1,000 books requires a considerable capital outlay. You have to be sure you can sell a majority of copies to break even.
Example: Peeing in Peace: Tales and Tips for Type A Moms by BethFeldman and Yvette Corporon.
8/14/2019 Taking It to the Next Level: Writing for Aboveground Publications Without Selling your Soul
Print-on-Demand (POD) is an economical method for publishing a book. Editing and formatting are largely up to you. Only copiesordered are printed.
Most POD publishers list their titles online, i.e., at amazon.com and
bn.com, making them available for order worldwide.
Same problem with self-published books: being taken seriously by readers and reviewers; getting the word out.
Still, the model works well when applied by experienced zinesters.The network you’ve built up is your audience. Your experience withprint production is very useful.