Rynling R&D

Hyrule Apocrypha
• https://zeldaficzine.carrd.co/
• https://twitter.com/zeldaficzine
• https://zeldaficzine.tumblr.com/

Hyrule Apocrypha is a fic-centric zine focusing on these lost tales of Hyrule. From forgotten mythology to unexplored history, this zine intends to expand on canon lore and fill in the blanks with interpretations of how certain events may have come to pass. Writers and artists will collaborate in the storytelling process, culminating in an anthology that looks, reads, and feels like a real history book in the Zelda universe.

I was thinking about sitting out this zine in order to focus on original work, but the New Zelda Content™ released yesterday got me all fired up. Also, the zine's social media seems very organized and professional, and the mods are good people. Contributor applications haven't opened yet, but here are my pitches...

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So there's a Legend of Zelda zine about the Sheikah that has applications open until June 18:

https://sheikahzine.tumblr.com/faq
https://twitter.com/SheikahZine/status/1530651311179550721

The mod is a talented artist and graphic designer who is also an all-around good and kind person, and I appreciate that she decided to open the field to the Yiga Clan, the Twili, and OCs based on people's theories and headcanons. I've been waiting for a Zelda zine that explores the more speculative aspects of the games, and I'm beyond thrilled that this project is becoming a reality.

These are my pitches, which I'm sharing here because I'd really like to write all of these pieces regardless of whether I'm selected to participate in the zine...

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In my first writing log for 2022, I said that I submitted a short story to the mushroom-themed issue of a solarpunk zine hosted on Tumblr.

For me at least, solarpunk is an interesting conversation because it’s a combination of practical advice regarding urban gardening, real-world science and speculation on biologically friendly urban spaces, and the gentle but radical acknowledgment that it’s acceptable for things to end and decay. There’s also a tacit acknowledgment that one person alone can’t fight capitalism, but that’s okay: capitalism will ultimately destroy itself, and we can help ourselves and our communities by shepherding it on its way out.

My own solarpunk aesthetic is that it’s fun to disrupt bourgeois sensibilities while dreaming about a greener future, and also I just really like plants. I believe people who live in cities (such as myself) should have access to green spaces, even if that means quietly breaking the law.

The problem is that this sort of softness doesn’t vibe with the performative edginess of punk, and I’m afraid that a lot of self-identified punks see my work as a gentrification of their movement. So, even though my story is decently well-written and on theme, I don’t think the zine will run my piece. Honestly, I’d be surprised if they even send me a rejection email.

I guess it’s a good thing there’s nothing stopping me from making my own zine.

Okay, I found a much more wholesome tweet on the topic:
https://twitter.com/zhinxy_vs_media/status/1465530131779227658

It is a scandal anyone was deceived into believing a "zine" is primarily a glossy art book made by some fandom clique you have to be "good enough" for, and not something you throw together on your own as cheaply as possible because something's in you and it must get out there

And the OP adds this:
https://twitter.com/zhinxy_vs_media/status/1465784992856899584

Artbook /fanbook/fanthology, all good terms - even in the "old days' some fanzines were more "professional" and had editors/etc. And they were limited by tech - it's great to make polished fan mags! This is only about not forgetting you can always diy - the core of what zine is!

"Something's in you and it must get out there" is 100% why I make zines btw.

To be really super honest about money, the most I've ever gotten for my writing is from the Memorabilia BotW fandom zine, which paid all contributors an even €200 after the shipping for leftover sales finished up. At the then-current exchange rate, this was about $220.

(If you're curious, I put that money directly back into the fandom by immediately using it to commission fandom artists for fandom projects. Such is the circle of life.)

To put this into perspective, both The Atlantic and Kotaku pay about $150 for a freelance contribution of similar length.

To put this into even broader perspective, most "for profit" zines and anthologies only compensate contributors with complimentary copies. To give an example, I have access to a detailed finance document for the Carpe Noctem: Vampires Through the Ages zine, which has currently raised more than $11,000 on Kickstarter. It's a decently successful campaign that's already passed four stretch goals; but, once you take platform fees, production, and shipping costs into account, it's barely enough to send out contributor copies (as each unlocked stretch goal makes shipping and production more expensive). If - and only if - there isn't a problem with production or shipping, then the contingency funds will be divided among the contributors, who will get about $100-$150 each maybe a year from now.

There's been a lot of recent social media conversation about how fandom zines are bad because (a) zines are supposed to be indie and subversive and (b) zines don't adequately compensate artists. As someone who wrote an actual literal academic monograph about zines, I think the first point is not only incorrect but almost aggressively ignorant. As for the second point, I really don't know what to say, besides that nobody's making money either way.

I was waitlisted for the DC Zinefest, which sucks.

I decided to take a chance and disclose a disability + request a small accommodation on my application, and they waitlisted me. I've tabled there before and contributed to their collab zines, so it's like... Did requesting an accommodation really make that big of a difference?

Ah well. What can you do. I put together the PDF file for my new zine anyway, and I just sent it to be printed. It was $30, so it's not like this was any great expense. Besides, maybe the zine will do well on Etsy, where people really seem to be into zines about "trauma" and "recovery" and "healing" and "self-care." I guess we're all suffering from general atmospheric malaise these days.

For my next zine project, I'd like to put together a monster-themed zine for Halloween. If I want it to come out on October 15, that means the timeline looks like...

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I want to think the Legend of Haiku zine was fairly successful despite a major pandemic-induced delay in the middle of production and my relative lack of a social media platform, and making a monster-themed Zelda zine is something I've been wanting to do for about three years now. Still, the haiku zine was something I already had a bunch of material for and didn't expect to become a zine with a lot of contributors, and this one is going to rely on contributor content. It's always a little scary to think about throwing a party that no one shows up to, but I guess I still have time to consider whether this is a good idea.

I'm thinking about reprinting my Haunted Houses flash fiction zine, and I calculated the price per item, which is:

For each zine: $1.28
For the peripherals: $1.496
For shipping supplies: $.477
Total: $3.25 per item

The Etsy seller fees are complicated, but they're about $.50 per order. I therefore set the former listing price at $4.00 for one zine and absorbed the shipping costs.

However! What if I were to pay myself for my labor? It takes about 20 minutes to write a quick thank-you note and draw a small doodle, pack the order, put the address on the envelope, and go onto Etsy to mark the order as sent. (This doesn't count the time I spend at the post office, which is difficult to calculate, but I'm thinking about using Stamps dot com in the future.)

If the minimum wage in Pennsylvania is $7.25, then I would need to pay myself $2.42 for the 20 minutes I spend preparing each order.

Since the vast majority of buyers only purchase one zine at a time, this would raise the cost of a zine to $5.67.

That's with shipping not included. Given that Media Mail shipping in the U.S. is about $2.50, I'm not sure this zine is worth $8.17. If I charge a flat $5 per zine, though, I think $7.50 would be reasonable. I still wouldn't be "making money," but my labor would be partially compensated.

$6 would be a more comfortable price. I don't want to devalue my work, but I'm not sure I have a large enough audience to justify the slightly higher price on the current market. For the time being, I think I'll sit with $5 per zine with shipping not included and see how that goes.

THAT BEAUTIFUL BITCH IS AT THE PRINTER. IT WILL BE IN MY HANDS ON MONDAY.

Damn I am excited. Goddamn. Everyone's work is amazing.

I can't believe I literally said to myself "Finishing up this project will only take three to five hours ho ho ho" like some sort of anime debutante. It took significantly longer.

I think I got a handle on the workflow, thankfully. I usually do actual work in the morning, late afternoon, and evening, so I was able to set aside an hour or two every day after noon to work on this project. I would make some tea, turn on a lofi internet radio station, and sit on the couch with my dog and Photoshop. Honestly? Best part of my day.

I'm not sure I'm cut out to be an editor, but looking closely at other people's work and figuring out how to make it shine on the page while sending short emails with good news is rather nice actually.

Aside from the four contributor info pages, the zine is finished!

I've sent out about 3/4 of the page proofs. Once I send out the remaining proofs and collect the rest of the contributor info, I should be ready to send the zine off to the printer.

So this week is going to be email and spreadsheets. I decided to do something interesting with the format of the contributor info pages, and those should be ready soon too.

This zine is going to be gorgeous, if I do say so myself.