Zines, fanzines, and magazines overlap, but they are not the same. A magazine is usually a commercial or institutional periodical. A zine is an independent small-circulation publication. A fanzine is a zine or amateur magazine made by fans for a fan community.
| Quick fact | Information |
|---|---|
| Magazine | Usually commercial, professional, or institutional |
| Zine | Independent small-circulation publication |
| Fanzine | Fan-made publication for a fandom |
| Key difference | Audience, purpose, production, and community |
What Is a Magazine?
A magazine usually has professional editing, regular publication, wider distribution, advertising, subscriptions, or institutional backing. Science fiction prozines were magazines in this sense.
What Is a Zine?
A zine is independent and small-circulation. It may be personal, political, artistic, literary, punk, queer, local, or experimental. It does not have to be about fandom.
What Is a Fanzine?
A fanzine is made within fandom. It may be rough or elegant, tiny or influential, but its social function is fan-to-fan communication. For more, see What Is a Fanzine?.
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