How did independent magazine publishing begin?

Independent magazine publishing has been going for well over a century, long before anyone called it "indie." And it’s had a few different lives during that time. It’s been a home for writers no one else would print, a form of protest and a response to a financial crash. The one thing that stays consistent is that it gave each generation space to make something of their own. 

1890s - The first small-circulation magazines 

The earliest version of what we'd now call an indie magazine first appeared in the 1890s. They came in the form of small, low-circulation literary titles likeBlastandThe Little Review.The main aim was to give space to writers that mainstream publishers wouldn’t touch, including names like James Joyce and T.S Eliot.Blast sadly only made it to two issues before the First World War got in the way, but similar titles ran for roughly forty years, until the Second World War. After that, many small presses and magazines were folded into larger publishing houses, closer to the ones you might recognise today.

1970s - The birth of zines

The next real shift came alongside the punk movement. In 1976, a 20-year-old called Mark Perry couldn’t find a magazine that covered the music he cared about. So, he decided to make one.Sniffin’ Gluewas typed up and photocopied at a shop in London, giving punk its first proper voice in print. You didn’t need a publisher, printer’s contract or any financial backing - just a photocopier and something to say. It’s the founding idea you’ll recognise in the zines we have on our shelves today. 

1990s - Publishing as protest

By the early 90s, zines became something closer to activism. The ‘riot grrrl’ movement used them to talk about things the mainstream press wouldn’t cover, like body image, sexuality and gender roles. Bands like Bratmobile started life as a zine calledGirl Germsbefore they were ever a band. By 1993 there were reportedly around 40,000 zines circulating in North America alone. Self-publishing had stopped being a workaround, it became the point. 

2008 - Wave of new makers

Most of the title’s you’ll recognise today descend from a movement that began in the years following the financial crash. With fewer traditional publishing jobs to walk into, a lot of people started making magazines instead.

The Gentlewoman launched in 2010 as the sister title toFantastic Man,Delayed Gratificationput out its first issue in 2011 andCerealfollowed not long after. Design historian Paul Gorman curated an exhibition on this period at Somerset House, noticing the real shift happening around 2011.

Titles like The Gentlewoman were often made by young women outside the traditional industry. In fact, one of those titles was made right here.Oh Comelywas a magazine about stories, cultures and the small details of women’s lives. It was later published by us at Iceberg Press from 2016. 

Where independent print stands now

Once the wave started, it never really stopped. Subscription services like Stack have spent over a decade posting out a different magazine each month. Titles likeDelayed GratificationandThe Gentlewomanare still going strong. There's a common thread here, fromBlast in 1914 to whatever's newest in the shop this month. Whenever the industry hasn't got room for a voice, someone tends to make the magazine themselves.

That's the whole history of independent print. It's also, more or less, why we're here.