Fans of Print: ‘Implicit Fandom’ in Independent Magazines

Abstract

This chapter examines the scene of contemporary independent print magazine publishing, which has developed since the 2000s and accelerated over the last decade. The author argues that the indie magazine can be understood through the concept of ‘implicit fandom’ (Hills, 2018). Although they rarely achieve profitability, these publications are produced by print-enthusiasts who foreground design, often editors and creators with formal design training, who articulate a shared passion for tactile media. By analysing the material and semiotic registers of production and distribution, the author situates indie magazines within a post-digital media environment and traces the fan-like affect that animates the community. The author argues that indie magazines function as media-material fan objects, whose publishing practices are imbricated with fannish affect as well as the ‘do-what-you-love’ (DWYL) ethos (Tokumitsu, 2014) that permeates the creative industries. This reading traces how affective labour, design sensibility and a love of print coalesce to sustain a vibrant, low-profit but highly passionate publishing niche.