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Sorry I'm still not done with the zine discourse
> while I'm glad this work exists, it would also be nice if indie creators could be paid actual money
Part of me wanting a middle-ground market has to do with me thinking it's a bad idea for professional creators to rely on monetary returns from the indie market.
Indie comics and zines have gone WAY up in price recently. I mean, everything has. But this isn't a matter of, like, you used to be able to get a zine for $4, and now you have to pay $5. Rather, it's a matter of people charging $20 for a digital copy of their zine, and $35 for a physical copy, not including at least $20 for shipping.
Back in like 2018-ish, I used to be able to take $200 to an indie comics convention or zine fest and buy two or three dozen zines. This was cool because it allowed me to read a range of interesting work from creators I'd never heard of before. Now, though, $200 is like what, three books? Maybe four?
The people charging this much for their work used to be big-name indie creators with huge followings on social media, but now kids who are still in art school are also charging $20 for their sixteen-page stapled zines. I actually went into Quimby's the other day and saw that old-school photocopied zines are now selling for $15 and up, which is fucking insane.
I used to take a chance on all sorts of stories just because they were accessible to me, but now I have to really think about whether I can afford something. Like yeah, I want to support artists, but I'm not made of money. And who is this work for, exactly, if it's inaccessible to anyone who doesn't enjoy an extraordinary level of disposable income? Is anyone with that much money really going to be interested in some teenager's amateur Our Flag Means Death fanfiction with the serial numbers filed off?
(And I know the answer is "you can read things for free online," but listen - I don't want to! I sit at a computer all fucking day, holy shit! I don't want to read more things on a computer! My fucking eyes hurt! And the last thing I need is another list of bookmarks I need to check every day like a chore! I am tired!)
I don't think the current state of affairs is sustainable. An indie market of inexpensive and accessible work should be separate from a middle-ground market of professional creators trying to make a living. Not having a professional middle-ground market between "stapling zines in your bedroom" and "Disney" is kind of fucking everyone over, that's all I'm trying to say.
Part of me wanting a middle-ground market has to do with me thinking it's a bad idea for professional creators to rely on monetary returns from the indie market.
Indie comics and zines have gone WAY up in price recently. I mean, everything has. But this isn't a matter of, like, you used to be able to get a zine for $4, and now you have to pay $5. Rather, it's a matter of people charging $20 for a digital copy of their zine, and $35 for a physical copy, not including at least $20 for shipping.
Back in like 2018-ish, I used to be able to take $200 to an indie comics convention or zine fest and buy two or three dozen zines. This was cool because it allowed me to read a range of interesting work from creators I'd never heard of before. Now, though, $200 is like what, three books? Maybe four?
The people charging this much for their work used to be big-name indie creators with huge followings on social media, but now kids who are still in art school are also charging $20 for their sixteen-page stapled zines. I actually went into Quimby's the other day and saw that old-school photocopied zines are now selling for $15 and up, which is fucking insane.
I used to take a chance on all sorts of stories just because they were accessible to me, but now I have to really think about whether I can afford something. Like yeah, I want to support artists, but I'm not made of money. And who is this work for, exactly, if it's inaccessible to anyone who doesn't enjoy an extraordinary level of disposable income? Is anyone with that much money really going to be interested in some teenager's amateur Our Flag Means Death fanfiction with the serial numbers filed off?
(And I know the answer is "you can read things for free online," but listen - I don't want to! I sit at a computer all fucking day, holy shit! I don't want to read more things on a computer! My fucking eyes hurt! And the last thing I need is another list of bookmarks I need to check every day like a chore! I am tired!)
I don't think the current state of affairs is sustainable. An indie market of inexpensive and accessible work should be separate from a middle-ground market of professional creators trying to make a living. Not having a professional middle-ground market between "stapling zines in your bedroom" and "Disney" is kind of fucking everyone over, that's all I'm trying to say.