APA

Synonyms:	Amateur Press Association, APA, APA zine
See also:	letterzine, circuit zine
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

APA stands for Amateur Press Association, and an apazine (also APA zine) is a kind of fan publication in which all the materials, generally letters, would be sent to a central person, who would simply copy the entire packet in the cheapest possible way (e.g. mimeograph, spirit duplicating, xerography, offset printing; APAs far predate the photocopy machine.) Sometimes each of the contributors sends as many copies of their submission as there are subscribers to the central mailer of the zine, who then collates and mails these, and does not have to take care of the printing.

APAs were important media for fannish conversation, discussion, and interaction: sort of a fannish mailing list or LiveJournal in print sent by snail mail.

Many apazines require a minimal amount of submissions from their members, like the dues some mailing lists such as for example the Sentinel Angst List have for membership, so that no lurking is allowed.

The Subject

Apas were usually subject-specific: "In theory, topical apas focus on a particular subject. Final Frontier was a Star Trek apa, Galactus is a Marvel comics apa, and A Woman's Apa is a feminist apa. In my experience, however, apas tend to wander off topic after a couple of years. For example, I was Central Mailer of Galactus for a while, but I don't read comics, and I certainly wouldn't read Marvel comics if I did. I joined the apa because I had friends who were members and with whom I wanted to stay in touch. I never talked about comics, ignored their discussions on the topic, and still managed to contribute meaningfully to the apa and have a good time."

The Use of the Term "Zine"

"The object collated by the Official Editor and sent to the members of the APA has been termed in standard fanspeak as a 'Mailing' not a 'zine.' The reason for this distinction is to avoid confusion, since the publishers of the individual contributions consider these to be 'zines' or 'apazines.' 'Bundle' or 'Distribution' are sometimes used to describe subsets of mailing. 'Bundle' is sometimes used for those which are not stapled together -- this is in the tradition of the mundane Amateur Journalist Press Printing groups, whose productions may vary in size from posters to calling cards. The 200th quarterly mailing of fandom's FAPA a year or so ago contained over 700 pages (400 pages is the average), ranging from folded 8.5 x11 through Australian, British and Swedish standard sizes, obviously impossible to staple. And many independent members design their zines as independent entities and wish them to remain so. Distribution' was decided on by either APA F (the Fanaclasts in NYC) or APA L (Los Angeles SF Society) as most copies were handed out at club meetings and calling them 'Mailings' was inaccurate."

How Does an APA Differ from a Letterzine?

One fan in Spectrum #35 explains the difference between the two types of zines. "For those of you sitting out there, asking yourself, 'Well, what the hell is an APA?"... First, try to imagine a letterzine, except the membership is limited as far as how many people can write to to the apa (it's not usually over a few dozen). You don't just write to the editor of the apazine whenever you feel like it, you belong to the apa like you belong to a club, and you are required to submit X number of letters per year to be printed in the apazine. If you don't meet this quota, you can be expelled for 'lacktivity.' The editor of the apazine collects together the letters he receives and prints the zine every so often. It's like a big chain letter between 20 of your best friends."

In 1993, Sandy Herrold explained the difference between an APA and a letterzine, in the context of the Virgule-L slash mailing list]]:"Apas are run almost as collectives. All of the members are known (at least address and background) to each other. Apas have 'minimum activity levels' (usually abbreviated minac). Members who don't send in a contribution according to the apa's schedule, are eventually dropped from the apa. The editor works mostly as a collator and treasurer, making sure that issues get mailed on time, and that people send in their postage money. Letterzines usually have a small number that write frequently, and larger number of people who just read--and subscribers of a lz don't necessarily know who the other subscribers are."

How Does an APA Differ from a Round Robin?

Members of an APA send a copy of their contribution to a central mailer who then mails it to members. In a Round Robin, a fan writes a letter, sends it to the next fan, who adds a letter, who sends it to the next fan, and so on.

Examples

• Anime-Janai (Anime)
• APA Enterprise (Star Trek: TOS, 1980s)
• APAritions (Real Ghostbusters)
• APA-VCR for video tape exchange
• Dandruff Droppings (Blake's 7)
• A Sense Of Occasion (Sandbaggers)
• K/S & Kindred Spirits (K/S - Star Trek) (1990s)
• Late for Breakfast (multifandom)
• On the Wing (Blake's 7)
• Rallying Call (Blake's 7, 1990s)
• Revision X (Anime; offshoot of Anime-Janai; 10/1994 to 2004 (?))
• Slash: The APA (multifandom slash, 1990's)
• Strange Bedfellows (multifandom slash, 1990's)
• Terra Nostra Underground (multifandom slash, 1990)
• Trelainia (Anime, 1983-?)

External Links

• LJ community for people interested in fanfiction APAs
• Sister comm on DW
• Amateur Press Association at Wikipedia
• Horvat apazines at the University of Iowa