Zine and noted

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, April 15, 1996 by Steve Wilson

What: Factsheet Five, the 152-page ultimate guide to zinedom. Based in San Francisco, this mostly quarterly compendium has reviewed hundreds of titles per issue since its inception in the eighties, dividing them into categories such as "Quirky," "Fringe," "Sex," "Punk" and "Food." But all good things must come to a hiatus: The 16,000-circulation book temporarily suspended publication in February.

Who: R. Seth Friedman, the 32-year-old publisher, is currently compiling articles from the best zines into book form, and doing more freelance writing. He plans to resume his FS5 duties in May, and put out a new issue in September.

Obscure issues: Nonetheless, the mail keeps coming in numbers of 30 to 40 zines a day. Friedman says this is only a small percentage of the self-made publications out there, which he estimates to be in the tens of thousands. "There are people who are specifically not sending their zines to me," he says. "They are choosing to be obscure--they don't want orders they can't fulfill."

A change of zinery: When FS5 returns, Friedman wants to redesign it. In addition to the columns and articles he's already added, he plans to switch to a format that highlights the best of what's out there, not everything that's out there. "There are more zines these days. It's hard to get through them," he explains.

Media master: Always called upon by mainstream and alternative media for quotes, Friedman has accepted his role of zine guru. "I have that obligation," he says. "I get calls from kids doing a school thesis on zines. They have questions. Who else are they going to turn to?"