a fresh snack

Snacks don't last forever. As a matter of fact, they are consumed rather quickly, enjoying a rather short existence before being replaced by something better, tastier, more enjoyable.

As with food snacks, "ink snacks" has enjoyed spurts of brief existence. But it's not gone; instead, a better, more enjoyable, more versatile snack is awaiting ziplock greatness. Since another bite-sized iteration is in the works, I thought I'd review the first two versions since it's the past that the present uses to improve the future.

Round 1: concept piece (never distributed)

dimensions: 5"x5"

images: upper-left: cover; upper-right: table of contents; lower-left, lower-right: sample spread

round 2: "ink snacks: bite-sized creativity", first edition, distributed through Etsy

dimensions: around 4"x4"

images: top: cover, folded; bottom: interior, unfolded

This version of the zine had one major flaw that happened to be one of its best features: it was handmade. The benefit was obvious in that it had a lot of imperfections and details that were the result of it being constructed entirely by hand (to include the stamped lettering on the cover). The flaw was that it took way too long to make one copy; after distributing six copies (four sold and two given away for promotion), I ceased further distribution, which I'm ok with because it only makes the existing zines more valuable.

Round 3: ?

While there will still be handmade elements, it will be in a format that can be easily reproduced through printing. It will also remain in a portable size although I can almost guarantee its dimensions will be larger than the above iterations; as with the last iteration, round 3 will be sold through Etsy.

Stay awake and don't ruin your creative appetite, a fresh "ink snacks" is in the works!"

the first zine is almost ready for release

...but I don't want to give away too much so here's a bit of an update to hold you over.

First, for those that are unfamiliar with these amazing booklets, a zine is an inexpensive booklet that is self-produced and distributed. The content, materials used, overall design, and who you distribute it to are completely up to the author. Although zines are simple and generally made of inexpensive materials, they can certainly be as simple or elaborate as you'd like.

As for my zines, I've spent the last couple of months fine tuning the concept and creating the content...enough content to get me through the first two zines anyway...which will be prose, poetry, and some custom artwork, along with a few surprises per edition that I won't reveal yet. I've also worked through the materials and constructed a few dummy copies to get the production process finalized.

I'm still working on the composition for the inside of the zine as well as some smaller production issues for the content; overall, it's looking as if the first issue will be ready in January 2009. Although my zines will be inexpensive to produce, they will be a little time consuming to make so I will limit production to 25 per issue with a different issue coming out every two months. Each zine will cost $3.00 U.S. and will be sold through my Etsy shop (http://abstractlatte.etsy.com/). These details will be subject to change within the first six months as I work through any problems that arise as the first batch goes out. I will post announcements on Twitter (http://twitter.com/abstractlatte) and in abstractLatte prior to each issue's official release date.

For now, there are no images to show because I don't want to give away too much but shortly before release of the first issue, I will post a sneak preview. Until then, I'll keep you updated!

ink snacks

Zine name: "ink snacks"
Concept: bite-sized creativity
Content: prose, poetry, and small format artwork...along with a few surprises in each issue
Dimensions: 4"x4", unfolding to 14"x17"

cover



open zine



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