First of all- How do I pronounce it?
Zine is pronounced "zeen". Think of it as just pronouncing the second half of "maga-zine".

What really is a zine?
A zine is a fan publication composed of images, text, and maybe even objects. Basically, it is an artistic version of a magazine. Subjects can vary from music, to food, to poetry. Any topic can make a great zine. Professional zines are usually printed or xeroxed. Zines were originally called "fanzines", but within the past ten years this name has been shortened.

What's so cool about making one?
It's your own original piece of artwork- nobody before you has created an exact replica of your zine. You're showing your point of view on a hobby, passion, or topic. It is something 100% you, and something you can be proud of. Not to mention it's fun, and you get to say "Hey, want to see my zine collection?" when your friends come over.

Hmm. I want to make a zine now. Where do I start?
First you need to decide on your topic. What's the goal of your zine? Are you trying to accomplish something? Are you trying to show off your design skills? You could create a zine about your favorite artist (think My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Ashlee Simpson, The Jonas Brothers), your favorite brand or store (think Hello Kitty, Hollister, Borders, eBay), your favorite TV show (think Gossip Girl, Degrassi, Instant Star), or even what you had for breakfast that morning. You could show off your drawing skills, writing skills, or create a comic. The more creative you are, the better. Choose any topic you wish, but most importantly- choose a topic that is you.

Do I need to buy tons of materials to make my zine?
Nope. All you need is some items from around the house. After all, this is a project about you and your topic, so why not use the materials around your home? Collect different kinds of paper for texture, magazine clippings, photos, drawings, small flat objects (such as candy bar wrappers) you could glue onto the pages of your zine, buttons, ribbon- sky is always the limit.

Okay. I've got all of my stuff. Now what?
Now we need to focus on format. If you want to share the zines with your friends or family, you need to be able to make some copies of your work. The easiest way of distributing your zine is by creating all of your pages on computer copy paper or store bought copy sized card stock. This way, you can scan your zine using your home scanner then print it out, or you could take it to your local office store and have them make a couple copies. Doing this can also make your zine less bulky for storage. Just staple your copied pages together.

Check out "Whatcha mean, What's a zine?" by Esther Pearl Watson and Mark Todd for even more information on zines.

Now go create some zines!