My First Table Ever - Edinburgh Zine Fair 2025
I recently did my first ever artist event - the 2025 Edinburgh Zine Fair. It was a big new experience for me, and some conversations there inspired me to get back into blogging. So here we are: let's talk about about the fair! How did I prepare, who was there, and how did it go?
For starters I can show off my lovely table, and we'll work from there.
If you're curious about any of these lovely zines, I've got summaries and pictures of them all in the Zines section.
Motivation
Why even do this? It's simple enough - I have been making zines very slowly for around 18 months now, and it wasn't very social. I write and sell them on my own, and the most social part is performing certain pieces at open mic nights. I wanted to actually sit myself down in a place for a while, and meet both the artists, and all the interesting attendees. Call it step 1.5 or 2 of trying to connect more with the local scene.
Now let's get to the practicalities.
Preparation
I had been to zine fairs as a buyer before, but never as a seller, so I got a bit of help: 0. Make some zines! Up until April 2025 I only had 2 zines - and I wanted a lot more to show off. So I finished writing 3 zines from May-October (and reprinted one of my older zines). A deadline helps sometimes.
- I asked my glamorous friend Aimee a.k.a Void Notes1 for advice from her zine fair experience
- I got a funky table cloth to make my table look cool, this one was from a charity fabric sale but charity shops can have some great patterns
- I took pictures of cool tables at TAGS Fest and Glasgow Print Fair for inspiration. Autumn is peak zine season 🍂
- Tee at Typewronger suggested all tablers bring a mascot - so I found a wooden duck in a charity shop. Naturally he guards the frozen peas...
Set up
It all came together pretty well in the end. I had enough zines printed to fill the space, and put a few standing up so they could be seen from a distance. One thing you cannot see (because I hadn't done it yet) was the prices. I just folded up some paper and wrote the prices in nice big script so anyone browsing could see. Don't underestimate that.
If I could have done it again, I would have maybe made a better sign. Oh and maybe I should make myself a big name badge for next time. I had a lot of conversations with people at the fair, and I think a big badge saying Alex here might have made me more approachable.
A lot of the zine pros brought their tables and zines in mini suitcases as well - that could be worth copying next time. I just used a backpack and tote bag.
Glamorous neighbours
The fun thing with a zine fair is that everyone else tabling is pretty relaxed and helpful. I was between two very nice tables in the end: the lovely Lavender Menace2 (a local queer lit archive) were on my left, and to my right were the duo of François Giro and emino whose work I have long admired. I'd even had the luck to meet François twice before, which made me less nervous about starting any conversations.
The real event
St. Margaret's house was the venue, it's not super central, but it comes with loads of space, perfect for a zine fair.
Honestly, tabling at an event is pretty relaxed - you get to sit down a lot more than any of the visitors. My goal was very simple - meet people, show some zines, and have some fun conversations. Luckily everyone delivered!
I felt like I was constantly chatting to people. I was either explaining a zine, talking about how I printed them, or asking if they made zines themselves (at least a third of guests at a zine fair make some art, 80% of them are shy about it though).
Things I learned
The table has the power. Whoever is sitting has the power, so it's your job to start conversations and set the tone for people. If in doubt, you can always explain what is unique about the zine they're looking at. Luckily, you are the world expert on your stuff.
People can't feel with their eyes. Zines are handmade, tactile objects - it's what makes them so charming. So if someone is interested but hovering, you're allowed to hand them a copy. Or you can wave something around and tell a relevant story if it's a good time for it. This was a fun approach at least and led to some good conversations. No idea if it's a good sales approach but I don't care about that so it is a win.
Keep a tally, pally. This is just a practical thing (thanks again Aimee) - if you keep a tally of the things people pick up from you, you know what is popular! I didn't tally everything, but even vaguely tracking this told me what the people want.
The people want peas. This isn't a lesson really, but the Frozen Peas zine was definitely the zine I chatted about most with people. In fact, one attendee even gave me a relevant badge (it's a line from Art-I-Ficial by X-Ray Spex). I don't think that will happen a second time
The future
Doing this zine fair and forcing myself to make zines more regularly were my big goals for 2025. So one gold star 🌟 for me.
I want to keep making time for zines, writing & art in my life. So in 2026 I'm planning on doing at least two zine fairs, and making a lot more zines. For writing practice, I have a blog now. Thanks for reading it.
See you.