How to Table Your First Zine Fest Without Panicking

Your first zine fest is loud, crowded, and wonderful. A bit of planning makes it only the last one.

Arrive early, tape your price signs down, and put the thing you most want people to pick up at the front corner of the table. People reach for the corner.

Before the doors open

• A tablecloth that covers the legs
• Price signs you can read from two meters
• Coins, small notes, and a card reader
• A snack you actually like

Bring small change and a way to take card payments, but expect most sales to be trades. A zine fest is as much a swap meet as a market.

Put the best thing on the front corner.

At the table

Take breaks. Ask a neighbor to watch your table and go walk the room. Half the fun is coming home with a bag full of other people's work.