Social networks may dominate today‘s headlines, but they are not the only platform radically changing the way we communicate. Creatives such as designers, photographers, artists, researchers, and poets are disseminating information about themselves and their favorite subjects not via predefined media such as twitter or blogs, but through printed or other self-published projects—so-called zines. Those who publish zines are mostly interested in sole authorship, namely that all components including text, images, layout, typography, production, and distribution are firmly in the hands of one person or a small group.

With a cutting-edge selection of international examples, Behind the Zines introduces the broad range of zines that exists today. The book examines the key factors that distinguish various zines and introduces projects in which the printing process significantly influences aesthetics or in which limited distribution to a small, clearly defined target audience becomes part of the overall concept. Behind the Zines not only documents outstanding work, but also shows how the self-image of those who make zines impacts the scene as a whole.