an introduction to
(and subversion of) 
academic publishing

ZINE MAKING AND THE RADICAL POSSIBILITIES OF PUBLISHING

ARTS MATTERS, 2026

OPEN SCHOLARSHIP & PUBLISHING LIBRARIAN

MIKE NASON

LOVINGLY ADAPTED FROM ZOE WAKE HYDE'S WORKSHOP, "OWNING THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION"

we're buds, it's cool.

covered (in tribute)

i'm gonna to talk at you for a bit about what academic publishing even is in the first place... what it means for students (that's you) and what it means for the very tired people who teach students. then...

    we're gonna look at what publishing can mean when you do it yourself.

    we're gonna look at some zines.

    we're gonna make some zines.

    you'll have "published".

here's what's up

you'll need...

1. a piece of paper (preferably letter size)
2. a pencil (ideally, but you can make do without)
3. at least one pen (more encouraged, plus highlighters, markers etc.)
4. scissors (or the confidence to carefully tear paper with your hands)

many publishers suck

• monographs/books/book chapters
• journal articles
• reports
• conference proceedings
• etc... 

this is just the publishing part. they also need to apply for grants and manage research projects, maybe manage some students/staff, and wrestle with a lot of bureaucracy.

most of your professors spend their time outside of the classroom doing research and then publishing the results of that research. 

what they publish is different, depending on the discipline and the particulars of their field. 

it's an industry

... but so is education!

this makes it sound like i'm lowkey admitting to having a second family and i just want to assure you that this is not the case. 

surprisingly, this stuff all matters more, usually, to their career than the teaching part. they need to publish important research in good journals. they need to publish or perish.

it's like they have a second family you don't really know a lot about. 

and, presumably, like having a second family, it's a lot of work to balance.

and publishers do these things:

• run submission systems
• copyediting
• layout editing
• distribution/dissemination
• indexing stuff
• metadata stuff
• service provider stuff

researchers do a huge amount of the work of publishing and they do it "for free". it's considered part of their job as researchers that they're paid for by their day job (regardless of whether or not they do). they're not paid by publishers. they do:

• research
• writing
• peer review
• editorial roles
• journal management

so, anyway...

single journals can cost thousands of dollars for a subscription. 

and, increasingly, major publishers journals are making authors pay to publish. 

so then what major publishers do is they sell access to that work back to researchers to read, at a high price! it might be weird for you to learn that the journal articles you comb through for a peer-reviewed source for a paper not only represent probably years of work by people like your profs (and a year just to go through submission to publication), but also that you can mostly access this stuff because the library pays over $2.5 million. 

major publishers

the whole thing is pretty exploitative, really

• to stay on top of their subjects
• places of repute to publish
• to communicate their research
• to be active members of their communities of practice

researchers need

• access to a wide range of titles in order to get accreditation for specific types of programs
• access to current research in fields they're offering degrees for
• tools (often sold to them by the same major publishers) that offer up metrics about publishing to evaluate faculty members

schools need

• to make money
• to increase shareholder value
• to maintain the status quo

for-profit publishers need

a lot of what you read in school probably comes from these five major publishers who are responsible for something like ~50-70% of the world's published research (depending on the discipline):

• elsevier
• springer
• wiley
• taylor & francis
• sage

but because academia is so tied to publishing and the prestige economy that surrounds it, they're a captive audience for these publishers.

• assume copyright for your work when you publish, so it isn't yours anymore.
• sell your work to ai companies for training data at a huge profit.
• charge/sue authors for re-using assets they'd previously published.
• charge between $3500-4800 to publish a single article as open access.
• sell readership and usage data.
• buy related products for vertical.  

and they do things like

• not-for-profit publishers
• diamond oa publishers/journals
• independent titles
• new forms of sharing research
• communities of practice sharing alternative versions of their works
• a growing movement to fight for copyright ownership...

there's a lot of cool stuff happening too! and lots of ways to share your research with different communities.

there are a growing number of independent, open access journals looking for new ways to fund the publication of research and change things up. 

it's not all bad

if i can give you any advice right now, today, probably prematurely, that i'd like for you to remember, it is the following:

when you eventually publish your work, do it with intention. 

where you publish your research matters. what happens to the results of your labour matters.  

but, despite all this stuff, publishing is also cool

and it very often is/has been!

• flourished following widespread access to the printing press.
• often consisted of a single sheet of paper, folded and stapled.
• helped to spread radical and revolutionary ideas.
• it also helped spread regressive propaganda. That's less great!

but, what we know either way is that such publications had a profound impact on society and communities.

pamphlet culture

• combined hands-on creation with print culture and simple technologies like photocopiers.
• flourished in marginalized communities as site of political & artistic expression.
• popular in other counterculture communities in pop culture and music.

zine culture

• growing range of options and formats accessible to more people, both to create and engage with.
• critical reflection on traditional boundaries of what counts as scholarship and who is a ‘valid’ source of knowledge.
• spirit of experimentation, exploration and imagination.

non-traditional scholarship

1. changes in technology have a major impact on who can publish and how (access).
2. like any tool, publishing can be used to help or to harm.
3. creating and circulating published works is a powerful community-building tool.
4. there is (some) safety in print/paper.

what these cultures have in common...

why it matters to us today...

regardless of whether or not you're going to keep moving along in a career in academia or you want to just get the letters and run, know that talking about your work/experience/research has value. 

and, with that, let's do some expression ourselves and make some zines, hey? 

right, so...

inspiration city

it's a little incredible how much you can do with a single sheet of paper!

developed collaboratively with workshop attendees, reflecting on community publishing as a concept.

created in canva, using hand drawn sketches and free design elements.

example one!

you can play with format a bit

if you plan things out a bit, this section would span two panels

"you are reviewer two", a solo d6-based game to discover why you're so bad at giving academic feedback and why none of your colleagues like you. In 8-page minizine format!

created by
matthew 🦇 murray

example two!

"contradictions of open access: a pocket guide"

created by
dave ghamandi

example three!

now it's your turn.

second option | a reflection of something neat/bewildering from your research and classes.

think of class or reading that has stuck with you. did it connect with your experiences? was there a new-to-you idea shared? how did it make you feel?

what's your zine about?

first option | a reflection of your experience throughout arts matters.

think about your own experiences at this conference; sharing ideas, and being in community with others. is there something that stands out? a project you’re working on? an idea you want to pursue? something you heard about that you're inspired by?

what kinds of interesting stories could you tell in 6 panels? imagine you had to make a zine instead of writing a paper. 

themes

what could publishing look like if research was more community-driven and accessible to the public?

potential

what kind of publications do you use when you're writing papers? do you ever think about how they came to be?

other

1. fold your piece of paper in half 3 times (along the long edge)
2. run your finger over the folds to create a strong crease
3. unfold your paper
4. you should see something like this fella over here:
   
   👈👈👈

ok, lfg

using a pencil (ideally) or pen (gently), label your panels as follows, making the numbers small and in a corner:

to help keep track...

using a pen or pencil, mark a dashed line across the central crease. this is where you'll cut the paper later. 

mark your cut!

summarize the topic in one sentence.

introduce your theme.

what concerns you?

what excites you?

prompt: what?

panels 1 & 2

why does it matter to you?

to your education?

to your future?

to the world?

prompt: why?

panels 3 & 4

imagine a future where our collective values and well-being are prioritized.

imagine a future where we can make the sharing of ideas less extractive, compulsive, or exploitative.

what would it look like?

how do we get there?

prompt: what's possible?

panels 5 & 6

give your zine a title

add your name on the back, or maybe a way to find other things you've made and want to share (if you want to)

get creative!

covers

front & back cover

panels 5 & 6 // actions

what actions can we take

why does your topic matter

panels 1 & 2 // what?

what is your zine about

summary so far

3.

2.

cut here!

1.

fold here!

1. fold your paper in half along the longest edge
2. cut or carefully tear halfway across the middle from the fold, along the dotted line you created earlier
3. open your page out flat - you should now have a slit in the middle
4. fold your along that center slit with your content facing outwards

assembly required

6.

5.

4.

...

hold each short end and push them towards each other until the paper forms a plus [+] shape, this is at least a little tricky so don't feel bad if you can't quite figure it out right away. it took me like 8 tries.

from the cover/back panel, fold the other leafs in to form a booklet

assembly continued

what now?!

well, you can run this activity yourself to create and share zines among your communities, online and in person.

consider other kinds of publishing you can or want to do with the communities you are a part of.

reach out to zoe@radishpress.org and tell her this was sick. 

and now you have a little guy!

how does it look?

if you’re game, take a picture & share it on bluesky or mastodon and tag zoe! i know she'd be down to see your creations because she has genuine enthusiasm for publishing and self-expression!

@radishpress.bsky.social
@radishpress.mastodon.social

zoe's doin' her own thing at radish press

Online Culture:
We Here: The 2024 Wrap Up
404 Media
Ukraine as a Migration Nexus

“Non-traditional” Scholarship:
Secret Feminist Agenda Peer Review
Furnace & Fugue
Experimental Publishing Compendium

Resources:

Electric Zine Maker + examples
Canva 8-Page zine template
Example mini letterpress

Pamphlet Culture:
Edit du Roi, French Revolution Pamphlets 1761-1807
Letter to George Washington, president of the United States of America: On affairs public and private. By Thomas Paine (1796)
Jane Anger Her Protection for Women (1589)

Zine Culture:
Fire!! Devoted to Younger Negro Artists (1929)
Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture (Issue One, 1996)
Gender Trash # 1. Created by Xanthra Phillippa & Jeanne B. in Toronto, Ontario, 1993

due dillies