From the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture:
Zines are nonprofessional, anti-commercial, small-circulation magazines produced, published, and distributed by their creators themselves. Composed and formatted on home computers, zines are reproduced on copiers or printers, assembled on kitchen tables, and sold or swapped through the mail or made available at small book or music stores. It is estimated that between 10,000 and 20,000 zines circulate in the United States and in other countries throughout the world. With names like Dishwasher, Temp Slave, Pathetic Life, Practical Anarchy, Punk Planet, and Slug & Lettuce, zines have a subject matter that ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous and sometimes the unfathomable. What binds these publications together is the prime directive “do-it-yourself.” Zines advocate that people stop shopping for culture and create their own.
citation: Duncombe, Stephen. "Zines." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Thomas Riggs. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: St. James Press, 2013. 489-490. Gale Virtual Reference Library.