Teach a Zine Librarian To Fish: Zine Distro Reviews

Where to buy zines, from Etsy to Quimby's

Edited by Jenna Freedman -- Library Journal, 03/04/2010

My fellow zine librarians and I have recommended nearly 50 zines since this column debuted two years ago. This time around we thought we'd go a little meta and give selectors an idea of where to go to find and order zines their own selves. To that end, we are reviewing zine distros (as zine is short for magazine or fanzine, distro is short for distributor). There are dozens of other wonderful distros and stores that we don't have room to review. For a master list, see Zine World.—Jenna Freedman

Etsy. CEO: Rob Kalin
Using Etsy to find zines is a mixed bag, but it’s worth the effort to uncover gems you wouldn't find elsewhere. Zines are categorized under Books and Zines. You can browse by subsets (e.g., black-and-white, how-to) or search keywords. Unfortunately, descriptions and keywords are unevenly applied. You'll also have to beware of rampant misuse of the word zine to describe nonzine items. Etsy offers a marketplace for individual sellers, so each transaction is conducted separately. Ideally you would have a PayPal account or a willing accomplice in your ordering department. If that is not an option, you can "convo" sellers about making other arrangements. Most sellers are friendly and willing to accommodate special orders. Overall, the site is easy to use and provides clear invoices.—Kelly Wooten, Duke Univ., Durham, NC

Microcosm Publishing. Proprietor: Joe Biel (The Perfect Mix Tape Segue and other zines)
Now in Indiana, Microcosm, also an independent publisher, is staffed by eight people and has been distributing zines since 1996. They enjoy working with libraries and understand the process many libraries need to follow to provide zines to patrons. At Cleveland Public Library, we were able to talk with Microcosm about the kinds of zines we wanted to offer, and every month or two they ship us zines that fit our profile. Being able to rely on Microcosm for collection development assistance and payment ease (they take purchase orders) was a factor for us being able to offer a zine collection at all. For a library that is interested in starting a zine collection but is unsure of where to begin, Microcosm is a highly recommended resource.—Anastasia Diamond-Ortiz, Cleveland P.L.

Parcell Press. Proprietor: Taylor Ball (Cultor-Sore)
Parcell Press specializes in zines that are creative or feature good writing; you'll find many quality perzines, poetry or lit zines, art zines, and comics in its frequently updated catalog. Parcell's web site includes photos of interior pages as well as zine covers. Ball, the sole employee, started the distro after a decade of being part of the zine scene and is extremely supportive of libraries—he offers special shipping rates and is flexible about billing and payment options. He's also willing to recommend zines for your collection, by topic or age-level. His great selections, knowledge, and helpfulness keep me as a repeat customer. [PP distros and advertises in Zine World, which this reviewer edits.—Ed.].—Jerianne Thompson, Linebaugh P.L., TN

Stranger Danger. Proprietor: L. Barry (Truckface and other zines)
Currently offering about 115 zines, Stranger Danger's strength is its focus on well-written, artistic zines that make the personal political and the political personal. The majority of the zines are by women, and more than a third are by queer or genderqueer authors. Barry lists a substantial number, given zinedom's sometimes overwhelming whiteness, of zines (about 20) by people of color. The site does not offer alphabetical navigation, and the lack of a search box is inconvenient, unless you're a librarian who knows how to hack it using Google. Barry is willing to work with libraries to accommodate payment and other special needs. [SD distros this reviewer’s personal zine, but she was a customer and fan long before that.—Ed.]—Jenna Freedman, Barnard Coll., New York

Ms. Valerie Park. Proprietor: Joshua James Amberson
Ms. Valerie Park (MVP) is a small distro run by Amberson. MVP's inventory is a thoughtful selection of zines and music local to Olympia, WA. Some of Olympia Timberland Library’s zine collection's highest circulators come from MVP, including Basic Paper Airplane, Funwater Awesome, Ilse Content, and Jesus Christ Super Zine. MVP has a clean web interface that encourages browsing and exploration. Merchandise is grouped within categories in a navigable sidebar and accompanied by cover scans, cost (shipping included in prices), and well-written descriptions that often link to other recommended zines. Flexible payment options include PayPal, cash, checks, and purchase orders with prior approval. Merchandise ships quickly, and service to libraries is responsive and personal.—Kelsey Smith, Olympia Timberland Library, WA

BOOKSTORES
Many small and even large, independent bookstores stock zines. Check your local store, or try one of these, which make buying zines online easy.
Atomic Books, Baltimore
Powell's Books, Portland, OR
Quimby's, services for librarians, teachers, and nonprofits, Chicago

Miriam DesHarnais, a librarian at Baltimore County Public Library, recommends that libraries doing a large order "tell the store you want an itemized invoice in the box. One store wrote theirs on the box which caused us trouble since payment and unpacking are not handled together. Our invoice was discarded before we even saw the materials."

INTERNATIONAL
See Zine World for more comprehensive coverage of international distros, but here are a few that are recommended by members of the Zine Librarians Yahoo! group, including Cécile Guillemet (director, Fanzinothèque) and Colette Rosa (member, 56A Infoshop; proprietor, Ricochet Ricochet Distro).
AUSTRALIA
Sticky Institute, Melbourne
CANADA
Great Worm, Toronto
EUROPEAN DISTROS
Corndog, UK
Dead Trees and Dye, Cambridge, UK
Marching Stars, UK
La Pétroleuse, St Julien L'Ars, France
Solitude Records, Poitiers, France

PAYMENT
If you’re worried about payment options, there are ways to work it out. Shelley Fairweather-Vega, who works in acquisitions at the Multnomah County Public Library in Portland, OR, says, "My library (and most libraries, I would expect) can't send cash through the mail or send our own zine as a swap. We can't use a lot of PayPal-like sites, and we can't usually pay in advance. But even so, the vast majority of authors I've contacted in the past couple of years are flattered by attention from our library and don't mind going through the red tape to sell their zines to us."