mini zine – audra mcnamee https://audmcname.com Made with my good left hand. Sat, 11 Jan 2025 19:10:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://audmcname.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/favicon-150x150.png mini zine – audra mcnamee https://audmcname.com 32 32 Mini zine: SEND IT https://audmcname.com/comics/mini-zine-send-it/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 01:42:18 +0000 https://audmcname.com/?p=821 The target audience of this zine is me. I have to remind myself that people are friendly and want to talk about the stuff they’re passionate about at least once a week.

Allia and I wrote it, we riso printed it at the IPRC, and you can buy the zine if you want to.

An email window, with 'new message' written in the top bar. The message is to 'a cool guy' and from 'aservice' and 'amcnamee.' The message's subject is 'Send it. Or, how we learned to stop worrying and love the cold email.' Audra and Allia peer at a laptop screen, looking anxious and alert. Audra has circular glasses and long curly hair, Allia has long straight hair and bangs.
Page 1: 'You should email cool people! People we've emailed:' 'Ursula K. Le Guin's official biographer.' A young short-haired Audra curls over a computer screen, stressing. 'So! Many! Librarians!' Several Allias type at several computers. 'Preeminent psychedelic researcher' Audra stands at a desktop computer, typing frantically. Page 2: 'A successful YouTuber,' Audra sits on the ground surrounded by art supplies. They say, 'I would draw pictures for you.' 'Your parent's friend's uncle who owns a bakery,' Allia holds a computer in one hand, typing with the other, 'is this nepotism.' 'People who have emailed us,' four faces with different hair, of different ages: 'so many librarians.' A short haired person surrounded by small booklets, 'zine makers!'
Page 3: How to send an email. Step 0: (written on a scrap of lined notebook paper taped onto the page) Use the Wayback Machine to find an email address on a 10 year old website. Audra: not at all like a creep. Step 1: Write your email. Allia: more on this later. Step 2: Force roommate/coworker/mom to edit your email. Audra: You're out at dinner? That's nice. I have an email to read you. Page 4: Step 3: Reread email 3-23x. Three images of Allia rereading her email. Step 4: Send. Allia presses the button to send the email and it whooshes away. Step 5: Dread. The text is written in wiggly letters. Step 6: Receive reply 10x more delightful than expected. The letters break through the fog of dread. Step 7: Dread. Step 8: Respond. Allia and Audra frown. Reach out if you know a better process!
Page 5: Audra holds a sign, 'Writing a quality cold email.' Allia stands behind a line of people with different faces and hair, all wearing the same dark uniform with a name badge, 'Explain why you want to talk to them, and not another person with the same job. And express excitement about something they care about.' Page 6: 'Have a specific ask:' Audra: 'Are you free for a 30 minute call sometime in the next three weeks?' Allia and Audra look out at the reader, with serious eyebrows and smiles. 'And finally, keep it short.'
A warning sign: 'zine side effects may include receiving more emails.' A tiny frowny face is drawn at the top of the sign. Date: May 2024. @allia_makes & @audmcname.
Several multicolored copies of mini zine SEND IT sitting on clover.

]]> Mini zine: Pet Peeves #1 https://audmcname.com/comics/mini-zine-pet-peeves-1/ Wed, 17 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000 https://audmcname.com/?p=720 This is 100% Allia’s zine, I just drew the pictures. Not even all of them, either– her grumpy face on the second page was copied directly from her layout sketch. I want to hear more pet peeves. We don’t have a second zine in the series queued up yet…

As usual, you can buy the zine. It was riso printed at Outlet.

cover: Pet peeves number 1. ID: annoyed looking woman with bangs and a green cardigan frowning.
page 1: the cover image rolls up as if on a projector screen. "when people use website builders and they don't change the browser icon." The woman points at the generic browser icons for Wix and Squarespace. Page 2: a second person with glasses says "they're called faviocons" the woman responds, "that's a terrible name!! That's why no one talks about them."
page 3: "it makes websites look so unprofessional. It takes two minutes to change." Smaller, at the bottom of the page: "and now we all know you overpay for your website builder." Page 4: the woman holds a large sign that says "possible replacements" then shows 9 possible favicon options including a simple colored square, a superman S and a smiley face. At the bottom of the page there's an error symbol with text that says "or anything else, except this."
Page 5 and 6: the two characters are shown with favicons reflecting in their eyes gazing at full browsers with identical favicons. The woman says: "the worst part is, we all have browsers full of identical tabs." Shouting: "How could you have the power to change it and just standby?"
back cover: the woman lies on her stomach with her legs crossed, she's wearing clogs, the back of her cardigan says I love favicons. @allia_makes and @audmcname Jan 2024

For the record don’t feel pressured to change your favicon or your website builder! Outrage is funny to draw but I promise it’s not personal!

]]> Mini zine: I Strongly Recommend the Library https://audmcname.com/comics/mini-zine-i-strongly-recommend-the-library/ Mon, 15 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000 https://audmcname.nfshost.com/?p=432 Debuted at the 2023 PDX Zine Symposium. The official copies were also riso printed at Outlet in Portland, but the photographed version was printed off at home. This was partially so I could post it on instagram before I’d gone to Outlet, but also because I’ve arbitrarily imposed the rule that I have to alternate black & white and colored images on my instagram feed. And I was due for a black & white image.

I can’t claim the rule makes my profile look any better (and I’ve definitely broken it at least three times) but having a silly little challenge I have to complete makes posting on instagram slightly more interesting.

All this to say if you buy a copy (they’re in the store!) you’ll get a nice seafoam green version.

Cover: "I strongly recommend the library," says Audra, a person with long curly hair and circular glasses. "A zine made with excitement and haste."
Page 1: Audra holds an unwieldy pile of books, "Y'know, the library." A copy of Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed has fallen off the pile of books. Page 2: "...where the books live?" A copy of Broad Band by Claire L. Evans and Stone Fruit by Lee Lai have fallen off the pile of books.
Page 3: Audra: "But you can check out more than physical books! I'm a sucker for the different digital services the library offers. I'm in the Multnomah County library system and I bet you have access to similar." Page 4: "Ebooks, digital comics, digital magazines, audiobooks (though you can't check out Audible exclusives because booo Amazon), all through Libby!" Different kinds of materials you can check out, including the comic Now Let Me Fly by Ronald Wimberly and Brahm Revel, Ace by Angela Chen, The Likeness by Tana French, and magazine Bon Appetit.
Page 5: "More comics, TV and movies, and even music within Hoopla." Comic The Human Target, television show Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, and Barbie the album. Page 6: "Kanopy has even more movies. And don't overlook the research tools. In the newspaper archives, you can read about the 1940s childhood of a local computer scientist, then make a (usually paywalled) excellent zucchini pasta. Legally and for free!" Audra sprawls on the floor reading a newspaper, and then makes a pasta.
Page 7: Audra whispers: "I also hear the library: Has private study rooms you can book for two hours at a time. Offers space to host events and classes, if they're free and open to all. Lets you post stuff on their bulletin boards. Using the library helps keep it open! Catch you out there." "audmcname.com, October 2023"
Blurry polaroid of Allia and Audra tabling at the Portland Zine Symposium
Thanks to Drew for the photo of our table
]]> Mini zine: Audible Sucks https://audmcname.com/comics/mini-zines-audible-sucks/ Sat, 13 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000 https://audmcname.com/?p=718 Made with Allia, riso printed at Outlet, and debuted at the 2023 PDX Zine Symposium.

You can buy a copy. Scroll to the bottom for citations as clickable links.

'Audiobooks are awesome, but Audible Sucks.' Allia grins at the reader. She has long hair with bangs, and a striped shirt. In silhouette Audra 'boo's behind her. Audra has long curly hair, round glasses, and is wearing a hoodie.
Page 1: Audra: "Did you say Audible? I love audiobooks! I read them everywhere!" Audra wears headphones that are connected to a cell phone. Little doodles of Audra washing dishes, stretching, and riding a bike while listening to an audiobook surround their head. Allia: "Audible is bad for authors. For starters, Audible is just Amazon in a trenchcoat." Allia clenches her fists, scowling. Page 2: Allia holds up her pointer finger, "Amazon controls 64 percent of the US audiobook market through Audible." "Audible doesn't pay authors: Audible's claimed cut of each sale is steep." An image of the Audible icon with little arms and legs holds up a dollar bill marked with Audible's claimed sales cut, 80 percent of non-Audible-exclusives and 60 percent of Audible exclusives. "But in 2020, #Audiblegate exposed their true cut." The Audible icon holds up dollar bills marked with the actual cut Audible takes: 87 percent of non-exclusive titles and 81 percent of exclusive titles. "Remember, Audible is a digital storefront, not a publisher. Writers pay for all audiobook production costs, or go through an audio publisher for an even smaller cut. Typically, retailers take a smaller sales cut." A webpage labeled 'online shops' holds a dollar bill marked 30 percent. A store labeled 'Ye olde brick and mortar' holds a bill marked 50 percent.
Page 3: Audra takes off their headphones (which are now connected to a CD player), no longer smiling. "That sucks. Um. I could just buy the books somewhere else, tho, right?" Allia steeples her fingers. "You should, but Audible is making that harder too." A library is drawn with shaky lines, like it's disappearing. "For non-exclusive titles, Audible forces publishers to agree to embargoes. Other bookstores and libraries can't buy or sell audiobooks for 90 days, so all presales go to Audible." Page 4: Allia leans against the side of the panel, her arms folded. "And they won't sell exclusive titles to libraries at all." "Audiobooks aren't optional for many people. Audible locking them away behind a paywall is an accessibility issue."
Page 5: Audra is slumped and dejected. Their headphones are now connected to a portable cassette player. "Audible sucks now? Is there any arm of the Amazon corporation left that we can trust?" Allia grimaces, "...no?" Allia leads Audra by the hand, "Look, it's a little less convenient but you should ditch Audible- it's just as expensive as buying audiobooks elsewhere, and actively bad for authors and readers." Page 6: "They won't have every title, but, Libro.fm takes a fairer cut of the audiobooks it sells, and their books are DRM-free." Allia tosses Audra the Libro.fm icon. Audra's headphones are connected to a record player. "And the audiobooks from your library are great. You should be using Libby, like, yesterday." Audra holds the Libby icon, putting their headphones back on.
Page 7: The silhouette of headphones in white on a dark blue background. "The library: use it or lose it. @audmcname and @allia_makes, 2023"
Annotated bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Page 2: market control and royalties 

Page 3 and 4: embargo and libraries

  • “The Harmful Impact of Audible Exclusive Audiobooks – Libro.Fm Audiobooks.” Accessed November 2, 2021. blog.libro.fm/the-harmful-impact-of-audible-exclusive-audiobooks/.
    Libro.Fm is an independent audiobook seller that partners with local bookstores to sell DRM free audiobooks and gives authors a fairer deal. They write about Audible’s predatory business practices and how they hurt independent book sellers and libraries in this article.

Resources and Further Reading

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