#mods respond

I repeat, we’re not dead. 

I got a new job and training’s been going fucking ham, but hey, we’re back. I’m gonna get started on a few requests now, and try to catch up on the shit that’s built up a bit. 

We’ll also try checking this more frequently, because apparently Tumblr didn’t give us the notifs for most of these messages, either. 

At this point, if they refuse to share any kind of update or specific answers, it would be best to push them more. This, unfortunately, sounds like a scam. You and the other artists shouldn’t let them hold onto that amount of money indefinitely. It’s only fair to all the participants and the buyers to get their money back. 

Provide them with ultimatums and a deadline. If they don’t give any proof of a PDF, receipts for any orders, screenshots of dollar amounts earned and how much they’ve sold etc., within a certain deadline, you and the other artists hold the right to go forward publicly to share what is happening. Buyers should be encouraged to call for chargebacks or file claims on their lost money. They should be getting a FULL refund if they don’t receive any kind of product. 

We’ve received several inquiries about situations similar to this. Several zines have unresponsive mods who have either gone silent months after preorders, show no proof of any work done to deliver products or receipts of money used/earned etc. It’s terrifying and shocking how many zines like this go under the radar, how many mods have successfully scammed their coworkers and customers out of hundreds or thousands of money because people are scared or ignorant to speak up. This has to stop. It’s not only buyers being scammed out of their money, but creators are also being scammed out of theirs. All their creative work is not free. Their time and effort are not free. Trust and respect are not free. 

If you feel like something is fishy or concerning, speak up. Speaking up is not some mal-intentioned call out. Mods have private zine discords and emails for that reason. You should feel comfortable to raise any concerns with your mods. If they’ve ever made you feel like you can’t have a voice, then they aren’t a very good mod. 

If any zines you’ve bought or participated in go for 3-4 weeks without any sort of update, ask for one. Ask for screenshots of receipts, proof of sales, financial breakdowns etc. Ask the mods what their game plans are in the event of X or Y. Ask them what the schedule and budget look like. Ask. Talk. Discuss. 

We’re currently living in a period where zines can’t solely operate on a mod’s “good word”. People have been scammed out of their money and their time, over and over again. Over and over again. If any mod isn’t cooperative or is aggressive about people’s concerns, then they should probably do something else. People can not blindly trust and respect anymore. Mods can’t expect that. If you’re a mod who can’t handle any of what I’ve mentioned above, please take a second and reevaluate if you should be modding. If you’re not prepared to be transparent, then I suggest you stop doing projects involving other people. 

So am I, dude. Mod Dave was pretty fucking ecstatic that he could steal this URL and make it into something better, and I gotta admit, it feels good. 

Here’s to hoping we can rebrand the good Strider name into something fun and feel good, and maybe even a little helpful. 

What separates an artbook from a zine is the informality of it. Some artist zines are small informal collections of their work, usually in a saddle-stitched booklet. Artbooks are usually larger collections with forewords, artist statements and more in-depth explanations of their art and ideas. 

One could argue that some collaborative zines are essentially artbooks as well due to its elaborate production value. However, the fandom evolution of the word zine has changed drastically from its origin. Zines started as self-published work reproduced through photocopiers and stapled together. Nowadays, zines, as popular fandom dictates, are usually produced as professionally as possible through third-party print shops. Most zines also include merchandise and other goodies on top of the zine. 

Thank you very much! It didn’t intend to be a resource but it is very helpful to hear from different perspectives. Glad to have started a platform for everyone to communicate their opinions fearlessly. Everyone involved in zines can easily read about each other’s POV, from buyers, applicants, contributors and mods etc.

While that is great, I do urge everyone to approach each confession with a grain of salt. We’re all converging here because of zines but we all got here through different paths. It is important to remember to be open minded and understanding. We are all learning and growing as a community and that is cause for celebration! However, everyone will still have varied viewpoints so, at the end of it all, we should learn to accept our differences too.