FACTSHEET FINALE - Zine Week Part 15

By late 1996 I had started a new job that was requiring a great deal of my time. I was more than happy to accept overtime pay, but it soon became clear that a few things had to change. I continued writing reviews for Factsheet 5 into 1997, but it was hard to find time for it and at some point it stopped being fun. When it stops being fun, and you're barely making any money from it, it's time to move on.

Wanting to give Publisher Seth Friedman as much notice as I could, I called him and told him that I could write for the next two issues, but that would be it. He seemed disappointed, mentioned that a few other people had recently left, and said that he was thinking about selling the magazine. I'm not sure when the mag ceased publication, but I think within a year or two I was no longer seeing it on the shelves at Barnes and Noble. I assume the prevalence of home computers and easy access to the internet changed zine culture to the point where Factsheet 5 could no longer make a go of it. There has been an announcement of a new version of the magazine, however that web page has remained unchanged for some time and I've received no response to my email.

My contact with zine culture has been pretty much non-existent in recent years, but it must be radically different now. Those who in the past would have published a typewritten photocopied zine can now publish a blog, reaching a huge potential audience at a cost of nothing. With cheap and easy to use desktop publishing applications, those who do choose to print can make a much more professional looking publication quite easily.

My time with Factsheet 5 was both a blast and a privilege. I didn't make a lot of money, but I did get a lot of cool stuff in the mail, and that's the whole point. Thanks for listening.

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Click here for: Zine Week Part 1 | Zine Week Part 2 | Zine Week Part 3 | Zine Week Part 4 | Zine Week Part 5 | Zine Week Part 6 | Zine Week Part 7 | Zine Week Part 8 | Zine Week Part 9 | Zine Week Part 10 | Zine Week Part 11 | Zine Week Part 12 | Zine Week Part 13 | Zine Week Part 14 | Zine Week Part 15