Make your first eight-page zine
Publish a gloriously small zine
Eight pages of a thing you care about. The print run can be one.
Choose your dates and weekly hours in the planner. Your plan saves in this browser.
Who this is for
Someone with a small idea, story or collection of drawings who wants to finish a first edition.
Before you begin
Choose one theme and a format you can make with existing tools. Decide whether this edition will be printed, shared digitally or simply kept for yourself.
Your first session
Make an eight-page outline and put a rough idea on every page. Keep the scope small enough that layout and finishing have time alongside drafting.
The path in four steps
- Choose one theme and eight page ideas
- Draft the words or drawings
- Assemble a rough layout
- Print or share your first edition
Use these as editable milestones. The linked activity source supplies the detailed instructions; adjust your plan as you learn.
What finished looks like
Assemble and print or share an edition, even if the print run is one. Save the original and note what you would improve in a second edition.
Time, scope and source
EDITORIAL PLANNING ALLOWANCE
Our scope is one eight-page personal zine, using existing materials. Drafting and layout speed vary; this is an editorial planning range.
Library of Congress · Personal archivingPlanning notes by RYKA. Source guidance and our practical planning suggestions are distinct. This guide does not claim that a provider endorses the quest.
Helpful resources
Use what you already have where it fits. Resources are optional unless noted.
Optional reference
Step 3: Assemble a rough layout
Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine? — Mark Todd & Esther Pearl Watson
Browse handmade layouts for inspiration, then assemble your own small first edition with materials you already have.
Consider: This older guide focuses on handmade work. You can finish an eight-page zine without reading the book or buying specialist materials.
Free or already owned: Use a free eight-page folding template, a sheet of paper and a pen; borrow a zine-making book from the library.
Optional help · Reviewed 2026-10-28
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