We’re in the last day of preorders! I’ll be closing them out a little after midnight EDT tonight!

Click here for the main preorder info post with shop listings and information!

Don’t forget, we’re in the last 3 days of (regular) preorders!

Check out our pinned info post for preorder links (unfortunately, if I try to put the links here, the post won’t appear in the tags).

We might have a little extra preorder window going on during The Ineffable Con 3, but that will be for the weekend of the con only!

I’m extremely late in posting this list! Honestly, it slipped my mind - I was so wrapped up in trying to finalize the zine that I forgot to post more promotional information. That’s very silly and embarrassing because I’m so proud of all our wonderful contributors! They deserve to show off!

Click the “read more” for a text version of the list. I will tag some of them on Tumblr, if I know their URL.

AUTHORS:

• False Premise, aka @theniceandaccurategoodomensblog
  archiveofourown.org/users/falsepremise
• The_Ineffable_Zephyr, aka @tickety-boo-af
  archiveofourown.org/users/The_Ineffable_Zephyr
• Whispy, aka @whispsofwind
  whispsofwind.tumblr.com
• CaspianTheGeek
  twitter.com/CaspianTheGeek, archiveofourown.org/users/DemonicGeek/pseuds/CaspianTheGeek
• Speedy, aka @on-stardust-wings
  archiveofourown.org/users/onstardustwings
• Mad (or lime), aka @thelimegreenmachine
  thelimegreenmachine.tumblr.com
• Zach
  badpixy.carrd.co, badpixy#2297 (Discord)
• burnttongueontea, aka @aziraphale-rights
  aziraphale-rights.tumblr.com, archiveofourown.org/users/burnttongueontea
• chaoticlivi, aka @ineffable-endearments
  archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticlivi
• spoilthevines, aka @spoilthevines
  twitter.com/spoilthevines

ILLUSTRATORS:

• Ceres, aka @ceres-049
  ceres-049.tumblr.com
• Oloreheri, aka @oloreheri
  twitter.com/Oloreheri, instagram.com/oloreheri
• Crawly S. Nougat, aka @crawling-crawly
  https://bit.ly/crawlysnougart
• Miel Petite, aka @mielpetite
  patreon.com/mielpetit, instagram.com/mielpetite
• Erin O’Malley, aka @erinomalleyart
  instagram.com/erinomalley_art
• Miakwat,@miakwat
  instagram.com/miakwat
• Tarek Giver of Cookies, @tarekgiverofcookies
  tarekgiverofcookies.tumblr.com
• Augenblickgotter (Inkibus)
  instagram.com/inkibus_art, archiveofourown.org/users/Augenblickgotter
• Tyrograph,@tyrograph
  instagram.com/tyrographic
• chaoticlivi, aka @ineffable-endearments
  ineffable-endearments.tumblr.com, archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticlivi
• Isberg Illustration, @isbergillustration
  www.isbergillustration.com, instagram.com/isbergillustration
• Sleepymccoy,@sleepymccoy
  patreon.com/shannonroseillustration

A Nice and Interpretive Fanzine is open for preorders!

[ID: A purple promotional banner with a photograph of a book, a candle, and a clock in the background. The image is sourced from “free-photos” on Pixabay. The text says “A Nice and Interpretive Fanzine: Preorders Open”. /ID]

Physical Preorders HERE

Digital Preorders HERE

Have you ever been browsing around fandom spaces on Tumblr, run across a long post full of meta-rambling about Good Omens, and thought, “Wow, this is such a complex story, I love discovering new things about it”? Or even, “Oh, this fandom is so insightful, people are constantly noticing new details”? (Surely someone out there has thought that, because I’ve seen it show up in the tags when they’ve reblogged meta posts.)

Well, then have I got the zine for you.

A Nice and Interpretive Fanzine is a collection of interpretive essays written and illustrated by your fellow members of the Good Omens fandom. We’ve got over 160 pages of analysis and commentary all about Good Omens, its place in the world, and its place in our hearts. I’m not going to give away every single essay because surprises are exciting, but here’s a sample of the discussion topics within:

• Aziraphale and Crowley. So much Aziraphale and Crowley.
• Gender and sexuality, in canon and fanon contexts.
• The real-world context of Good Omens as a piece about politics, society, and “human nature,” whatever that may be.
• The philosophical and spiritual underpinnings of Good Omens as explored through the series’ themes and the characters’ motivations.
• And much more!

The individual essays in here are complex, but the project as a whole is simple: we’re a passionate fandom and we have insight to offer, so let’s see those insights printed in a real book we can hold in our hands and enjoy alongside a nice cup of hot cocoa (or your preferred beverage).

There’s more detail on the product description pages at the links above. Do feel free to send questions to this blog or the zine email at [email protected]! I will be posting this promo in the Good Omens tag a few times, probably a couple times this week and then once a week in September, so do what you’ve got to do.

Applications end TONIGHT (midnight Eastern US)!

Thanks for all the incredible applications. If you’re interested, it’s not too late!

Writer Application HERE

Artist Application HERE

And if you have no idea what I’m going on about, click here to read more about the project overall.

[ID: A cream-colored banner that says “A Nice and Interpretive Fanzine: essays and art about the meanings we’ve found in Good Omens.” There is a photo of a book page with a key on it behind the banner text. The photo source is rosy_photo on Pixabay. /end ID]

A Nice and Interpretive Fanzine: Information Masterpost

Welcome!

This is a zine for those of us who love the subtle, complex work that is Good Omens, and who’ve enjoyed the thoughtfulness of the fandom as people interpret how the many moving pieces of the story come together, creating a slightly different meaning for each of us.

To put it simply, it’s a book full of the fandom’s own analysis and commentary about the Good Omens TV show, enhanced with illustrations from our brilliant artists.

This zine is analytical in the sense that all the writers are expressing their own nonfiction thoughts and feelings about the show, rather than writing fanfic, but it is not meant to be heavily academic. Anybody who likes to pick apart the series and discuss it should be able to enjoy it.

The zine will contain essays by fans who are passionate about analyzing and interpreting different parts of Good Omens - the characters, the plot, the writing techniques for the book and script, the cinematography of the TV show, the popular content of the fandom itself. Accompanying these essays will be black and white illustrations from our artists.

• How are you organizing this process?

1. May 1-May 15: Everyone submits their application to do writing or art through a Google form. Behind the scenes, I’ll be setting up a separate email and Discord.
2. May 16-20: Applicants will be screened during this time.
3. May 20: I’ll email everyone to let them know the outcomes of their applications. The final participants will get a link to the Discord server for the zine (totally optional, of course).
4. May 21: If there’s any clarification or solidifying of ideas that needs to happen, I’ll contact you and discuss with you by this point. This is also when artists will be matched up with essays.
5. May 22 to August 14: This will be a period of just working on our essays and art. The Discord chat and Tumblr will be there for support and for exchanging ideas!
6. August 15: Participants need to email their full works to the zine’s email address by this date. No special formatting is needed; I’ll do that in InDesign.
7. August 15 to August 31: I’ll be putting the zine together in InDesign.
8. September 1: Preorders will open.
9. September 30: Preorders will close.
10. October 1: The zine order will be placed!
11. October 15: Assuming all goes well with printing and shipping, the zines will be shipped out in waves starting on this date. If the printing or shipping from the manufacturer is delayed, then shipping will just start ASAP.

Writer Application HERE
Artist Application HERE
Asked and Answered Questions on Tumblr
The Fanzine’s Page on Twitter

Read below for more detailed information about the zine in a Q and A format!

• What are the specifications for the zine contributions?

For writers, I’m starting with 3k words or fewer per essay (approximately 10 pages at the size of this book). This depends heavily on how many participants we actually get, so it may change!

For artists, I’d be looking at black and white works, 300 DPI, 5.5 x 8.5 inches or smaller. If your art is supposed to fill up the entire page (i.e. no white space), please make it a total of 5.75 x 8.75 inches with nothing too important around the edges to account for bleed during the printing process.

• Can I submit an essay to this zine if I’ve already posted it on Tumblr?

Not as you’ve already posted it. We don’t want to just copy/paste the exact thing that hundreds or perhaps even thousands of people have already read.

However, it IS fine and maybe even a good idea to take the same thought from your post and refine it, preserving your same thesis. For example, a lot of Tumblr posts are just us fans jotting down 5 or 6 paragraphs of random thoughts at 2 AM, but some of them are really cool thoughts! Expanding them and turning them into a bona-fide Essay would make those posts into excellent zine chapters. And you can copy small pieces of your own language as long as the whole thing isn’t just pasted word-for-word.

• How long do essays have to be? Is there a limit?

With the number of writers we have, I’ve calculated that each person should ideally keep their essay to about 6000 words. There is wiggle room.

There’s no real minimum for your contribution; some analytical ideas are really good but can be expressed concisely, so it’s okay if your essays only come out to a few pages typed. For reference, with our book size, a page is about 300 words.

• What happens if the zine sells a lot and you end up not only breaking even, but turning a profit?

It’ll go to charity. While I’ll ask the participants what they want to do for certain if we do make enough money, my suggestion will be donating it to Alzheimer’s Research UK in honor of Sir Terry Pratchett.

I’m not really comfortable calling this a “charity zine” up front since I simply don’t know if it will raise a significant amount. For the most part, I just want the thing to physically exist, which means breaking even, and don’t want to make it more expensive for buyers than it needs to be to afford the printing costs.

• What kinds of essays are you talking about? What could be included?

In short, any analytical thoughts about the Good Omens TV show - and possibly even the fandom as it interacts with the show - are possible inclusions for the zine.

To expand a bit, think about the meta posts you see floating around Tumblr. Often these involve analyzing characters, or picking up on patterns in the plot. Sometimes fans use their own background knowledge to write posts about the significance of certain costume choices or the way music plays into each individual scene. Some posts examine the ways the series approaches gender, while others might discuss ways that the characters present as neurodivergent. That’s how diverse the pool of possibilities is for subjects in this zine.

• How does art come into this?

Images will be black and white, to match the bookish mood of the project overall. Images can range in size from a half page to a full page.

I’m planning to talk to the artists and authors and loosely pair artists with essays that appeal to their personal interests.

• I know how to illustrate a story, but how do I illustrate an essay?

There are infinite answers to this! I’ve seen some beautiful symbolic artwork in the fandom already (e.g. a number of takes on Aziraphale munching on an apple with Crowley in snake form curving around him), and there are tons of symbolic motifs to draw from, but these are not the only options. An artist illustrating an essay about cinematography, for example, could draw a well-known scene from an alternative angle. An essay about Heaven as a capitalist corporation could be illustrated with a cartoon of Gabriel giving some sort of excruciating PowerPoint presentation. A character analysis could be accompanied by a simple portrait. And on and on. I’m not interested in limiting the possibilities by trying to make a list, but just know that there are many and you don’t have to make it complicated if you don’t want to.

• If the writers can reuse their essay ideas, can artists reuse their drawings?

Similarly to the writers, if you already have an interpretive drawing that you’re in love with, artists can use the same ideas and the same fundamental composition that is present in their own existing work. However, it has to be redone in some significant way. Whether it’s taking something you drew in 2019 and redrawing it using an updated style, taking a sketch and turning it into a lined and shaded piece, or redoing a full-color drawing so it presents more strikingly in black and white, it shouldn’t be identical to the thing you’ve already posted.

• So how are you choosing participants here?

It’ll be based on what people are interested in writing about (or illustrating). I’ll be looking for people who are passionate about their essays, but I’ll also be looking for variety. It all depends on what people want to offer, so I won’t know for sure what it will look like put together until everyone’s application is in.

For artists, I’ll be trying to figure out whose style looks like it would adapt well to illustrations in black and white, and also who demonstrates an interest in the same subjects as the writers.

If we don’t get a lot of applicants, I’d love to simply include everyone, but I can’t commit to that without knowing for sure how many people are involved.

• Do I have to use a formal writing style to participate?

No. You should use a style that makes your thoughts and ideas as clear as possible, but as long as it’s understandable, you can also get a little artistic with it. You can “write like you speak,” though perhaps in a more organized way. You definitely don’t need to worry about stylistic rules like not using the first person. This is not academia.

• Is this zine going to center only on Crowley and Aziraphale?

That remains to be seen! It depends on what ideas show up in the applications. There will be a lot of the ineffable partners for sure, but whether the whole zine will center on them or whether there’s plentiful stuff about other characters will depend on what the participants suggest.

• Do we have to agree with all your personal interpretations of Good Omens to be in the zine?

No! In fact, I’m assuming that a number of essays will contradict each other, too, and that’s perfectly okay. The zine is a sampler of fan interpretations meant to inspire, not instruct. It’s not “Here’s a fan-made guide on how to understand this TV show,” it’s “Look at all these moving parts and how many meanings we can find in them. What does it mean to you?”

However, there are some basic rules and assumptions by which I’m working here.

1. I don’t personally have the energy to include essays that are highly critical (“negative”) in this zine. It’s analytical but also meant to be fun.
2. I’m pretty focused on the TV adaptation. This isn’t “no book analysis allowed” but just that the essays will end up being weighted toward subjects that apply to either the TV show or both the book and the show.
3. Each writer should focus on making their own points over disproving other fan interpretations. If you’re writing in an expository style, it’s normal for the essay to contain rebuttals to opposing ideas, but these should be minor supporting points, not the heart and soul of your essay. For reference, I’d say the majority of meta I see floating around on tumblr would follow this rule just fine.
4. Essay ideas that seem to contain bigoted or exclusionary sentiments will not be accepted (no TERFy stuff, for example).

• What kinds of editing will go into the zine? Are you going to argue with us about the contents of our writing?

While I might ask you to elaborate on certain points in your writing or clarify your thoughts about your subject, I’m absolutely not here to ask you to change the thesis, opinions, or headcanons on which your writing is based. If I really have a problem with your initial idea, I’ll tell you that up front and politely decline the contribution.

While formatting the zine, I’ll make minor edits if I think I see a typo or misspelling, something small and obviously unintentional. As with any other zine, your content won’t be changed without consulting you.

• Is this a SFW zine?

Yes. If people want to discuss sexuality in a theoretical way, like erotic subtext, that would be allowed. There are canon references like Newt and Anathema’s moment under the bed that might come up, too. But there will be nothing explicit, and since these are essays instead of stories, there will be no “action” going on between characters. Let’s just say sex isn’t a forbidden topic, but it will be like discussing it in English class.

As for other topics that could make the zine NSFW, like gore or extreme language, I don’t think they will be an issue. Some dark topics, like abuse by Heaven and Hell, may be discussed, but they will be warned for, and these are not stories, so you aren’t going to see violent actions playing out.

• Will there be any “extras” like charms or stickers?

I’m not sure yet. I’m most inclined to keep it simple, because of the nature of the zine, but would be open to including some bonus items if there’s an artist who’s really passionate about it.

With that said, I am pretty committed to making a hardcover edition of the book available, in addition to the standard softcover version.

• You’re doing this with only one mod?!

Yes. I personally find it easiest. While I’ve worked on multi-mod projects in other domains and adore all of my co-mods, it’s a little bit different when it’s a project with this many moving pieces that includes real-life components like printing and shipping. Though there are a lot of individual things to be done, I am experienced with all of them, so it’s less overwhelming to just take on the whole project. That way, I know exactly what needs to be done and when, and there are no issues with assigning tasks.

• What qualifies you to run this zine?

The résumé answer: in fandom, I successfully solo-modded a large not-for-profit zine in the past, the @soulmakazine2018, and while I can’t speak for the whole fandom, it definitely seemed to be well-received. <3 In real life, I’m a case manager and this involves coordinating and communicating with a lot of different people including my 100-person caseload, budgeting services, and filling out all kinds of paperwork on the fly, all skills that can be imported into zine work.

The practical answer: well, I’m the one who decided to start this project, so if you like the sound of it, you’re stuck with me. I say with encouragement and enthusiasm that if you’d like to do a different take on a commentary zine, you should absolutely do it.

a-nice-and-interpretive-fanzine:

A Nice and Interpretive Fanzine - Works | Archive of Our Own

At last, the AO3 collection is set up! We have a few authors and artists who’ve posted their works. Go have a look! I’ll be checking submissions every now and then, too, in case more essays or art are added.