Selfpublishing Compact Seminar

Self-Publishing as poetic practice: DIY Compact

Mara Genschel, Karin Lingnau
at exMedia Lab

Time table

02.-06. February 2026
11:00 - 17:00 (+ open end)
Friday: presentation

About dummies and first steps

mockup, model, simulation, test, proposition ...
different dummies for different purposes

• formal aspects/ physical representation
  
  • format
  • material
  • layout
  • page count (multiples of 4)
  • style
  • ....

--> regarding overall appearance and haptic

• conceptual aspects
  • content-related
  • textual
  • layout in regard to content
  • message conveyed by the content

--> regarding construct of an idea in connection to format and overall appearance

• aspects of layout
  • order/ sequences of the content
  • fluidity/ flow
  • length/ amount of content
  • relation between image and text and graphics
  • relation between blank and filled pages
  • spaces on a page in general
  • pacing (pages and spread)
  • if necessary: plot and dramaturgy
  • questions of illustration/ font/ style/ design
  • ...

--> regarding overall appearance of the content and the publication

A dummy can be used in every step of the process, but does not necessarily have to be translated into individual physical outputs. Depends on what you need and if you can combine certain aspects. In general creating a physical implementation helps to clarify and refine your idea.

idea --> storyboard/ moodboard/ sequence --> tests/ proof --> print/ build/ do --> publish

Terminologies, links and resources

Topic	Terms/ Terminologies	Content	Context
Layout	Format	Material	Techniques
Concept	Reason

Resources

Printing Technologies at exMedia Lab

Other people who make zines

Some examples, some tutorials, some free zines. The list could be continued endlessly...

• How to make mini comics and more
• https://www.bumblechub.com/zines/fat-mermaid-lookbooks example of 8-pages mini-zine of mermaids]
• same artist, mini-zine about earworms
• https://zcmag.xyz/print-at-home-zine-library/ print-at-home-zine library of the site zcmag: Zine Crisis Mutual Assistance Group]
• ...

Letter folding

Three different styles of letter folding

How the forgotten tricks of letterlocking shaped history

Regency letter folding tutorial

Anatomy of a regency letter

Etherpad for your texts

If you like to exchange your texts, on this pad we can collect them. You also have the possibility to comment in there. Please think of leaving your name when commenting something.

https://cryptpad.fr/pad/#/2/pad/edit/HRE7E4NmCo1dz3PjJcAclARV/

Seminartext

Konzeption, Produktion und Veröffentlichung einer kleinen, eigenständigen „Drucksache"

Booklet, Zine, Faltblatt, Poster, Manifest, Schriftstück, Buch, Cover, Spickzettel, Flyer, Laufschrift u.v.a.

Das Seminar ist ergänzend zum Fachseminar "Selfpublishing als poetische Praxis", aber auch offen für weitere Interessierte.

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Self-Publishing as poetic practice: DIY-compact Concept, production and publication of a small, independent "printed matter":

booklet, zine, leaflet, poster, manifesto, document, book, cover, cheat sheet, flyer, ticker and much more.

The seminar complements the specialist seminar "Self-publishing as poetic practice", but is also open to other interested participants.