Science Fair Project Encyclopedia A fanzine (also called a zine)
is an amateur publication created by fans of a particular
cultural phenomena (such as a literary genre or type of music)
to address or correspond with others who share their interest.
Fanzines are not funded or subsidized by commercial interests;
contributors are not paid, and the 'zines are traditionally
circulated for a nominal cost (to defray postage or production
expenses) or free of charge. Some fanzines have evolved into
professional publications, and many professional writers were
first published in fanzines. Fanzines emerged from science
fiction fandom; the first fanzine was published in 1930 (The
Comet by the Science Correspondence Club in Chicago). The term
"fanzine" was coined in October 1940 by Russ
Chauvenet—"fanzines" were distinguished from "prozines." Prior
to that, the fan publications were known as "fanmags" or
"letterzines." Early fanzines were hand-drafted or typed on a
manual typewriter and printed using primitive reproducti