How do I order something?

1. Fill out the print order form, write everything down on a piece of paper, or hit the buttons next to the items.
2. The online ordering system can calculate your total with shipping costs for all orders. You can print your order form at checkout and mail it with a check (or cash or money order) if you don't want to use a credit card.
3. When sending us orders in the mail be sure to include your name, address (inside the envelope), phone #, e-mail address, your order, some alternates in case we are out of other things that you want, and a nice letter. People outside the US can only pay with US cash or Postal Money Orders in US funds.
4. We now offer integrated paypal ordering on checkout.
5. If you prefer to do the math manually, you can add up the cost of your items and the shipping weights. Enclose well hidden US cash (wrapped in two sheets of paper), check, or money order to MICROCOSM PUBLISHING!
6. Credit card orders are best placed on our website. We no longer have a physical terminal.
7. Postal address is Microcosm / 222 S Rogers St. / Bloomington, IN 47404

Your website seems not to be working. I can't get the cart to work. I think there are bugs.

Our website is tested and programmed for Mozilla Firefox and that is the browser that we'd recommend you to use for web browsing in general. It's much cleaner, safer, and less buggy than Internet Explorer or Netscape. Our website should also work under Netscape, Opera, Safari, or Internet Explorer but certain versions always present new bugs or funny displays or certain areas not to work properly. Firefox is always the best way to go.
Granted, things do change and sometimes new bugs appear on our site and in that case it's best to report them.

Where's my order? I'm concerned because I haven't gotten my order yet. Did I get ripped off?

Most orders are mailed out the day after they are received unless we are out of something you ordered. Sometimes we hold an order when we know a zine is out of stock and new copies will arrive soon. Sometimes things get lost in the mail before they get to us or after we ship them. CHECK FOR YOUR ORDER IN OUR ONLINE SHIPPING LOG.

If an item that you order is OUT OF STOCK and you did not list alternates your order may be delayed. We will hold your order if the item will be restocked within 2 weeks or send you a credit slip otherwise, if we do not hear back from you.

We do our best to keep the site updated, but items go in and out of stock quickly and sometimes we have trouble keeping up so PLEASE LIST ALTERNATES.

If an order is lost in the mail that is worth less than $20 we will replace it, on our dime. If your order is over $20 and you don't purchase insurance then you are responsible if it gets lost in the mail. We will replace uninsured lost orders over $20 for half of the total cost + shipping.

Please wait at least two weeks after your order is sent in before inquiring about the status of your order. Mostly, all we can really tell you is when it was shipped.

Do you deal direct to stores? Do you offer wholesale ordering? Where are the wholesale pages?

We fulfill wholesale orders for stores and other resellers. We are in the process of setting up a login system for wholesale accounts and more extensive online ordering. In the meantime, to order items for distribution or your store, just go to any catalog page and click on the blue 'switch to wholesale' button in the upper right hand corner. You'll need to have a minimum total order of $40 and a minimum of 2 of each item. Items are generally not returnable unless they are damaged or they are items we publish and arrangements are made ahead of time.
Here's a catalog of just titles published by Microcosm. To set up a wholesale account: * You will have to make two orders with payment upfront and then we can work on net-30 terms. Wholesale orders should ideally be placed on our website. Once you've done 2 establishing orders, you can order on the web site and specify net-30 in the order notes.
Our published titles are also available for wholesale through AK Distribution (510) 208-1700, Baker & Taylor (800) 775-1800, Ingram, and Last Gasp (415) 824-6636

How do I redeem a gift cheque/credit slip?

1. Mail it back with your next paper catalog order.
2. List items that you want in the 'order notes' section of your order with the name and date that the credit slip is for. Don't add the items to your shopping cart. We can't remove them.
3. Soon we will have an automated system for credit slips when you order.

How do your t-shirts fit? Where do they come from?

All of our t-shirts are made in the United States. Did you know that the t-shirt industry is one of the largest markets for slave labor? Over 90% of t-shirts are made in 3rd world sweatshops. Because of this we printed t-shirts from American Apparel. Now it seems that their business plan is falling less and less in line with our ethics, primarily around union-busting and the sexual nature of their advertising. As a result we've switched our shirts over to AS Tees.
Our shirts are from AS Tees (styles 2586, 1801, 1547, and 1848) which have near identical sizes and cuts and you should check on their website. They are "fitted" which means they fit around the contours of your body and not like a "box" shirt. If you don't want your shirt to be tight, you should buy it a size larger than normal. We list measurements in inches next to each t-shirt

Our "ringer" t-shirts (the ones that look like something from the '70s off "Dukes of Hazard") run significantly larger than the regular t-shirts and are not as fitted; about one size larger than a comparable regular t-shirt

If you have further questions about sweatshop manufacturing of t-shirts or the politics involved in these decisions please get in touch.

How do I return/exchange something?

We accept exhanges if we send you the wrong item or a t-shirt does not fit properly. If we send you the wrong item or an item is missing from your package please just get in touch and we'll send you the proper item.

We've been getting near daily t-shirt exchanges and it's really taking a toll on what else we can get done. As a result, we had to grudgingly pass along our costs. If you are exchanging a t-shirt because you ordered the wrong size, you are required to pay shipping to us, a $2 handling fee, and postage to send a new one to you. We've listed the fittings of the shirts above. Please do your homework and measurements so we don't pay the price packing your envelope twice.

How do I get my zine, book, or product distributed by Microcosm?

You'll have to send a sample copy for us to check out. We are most interested in zines, t-shirts, patches, stickers, audio zines, and some books, documentary films, and other creative DIY items. We do not distribute music. We reject most slick magazines, poetry chapbooks, novels, and music related publications because that's not our focus and they don't tend to fit in well with our catalog (in our opinion).

Send sample copies to:
Microcosm
222 S Rogers St.
Bloomington, IN 47404

We strongly ask you not to think of being distributed by Microcosm as a "goal" or mark of success with your zine. Zines are one of the few non-hierarchical forms of media remaining in the world and it would be a shame to ruin that by creating echelons of success based on things as arbitrary as our tastes and the fact that we really can't distribute nearly as much as we get offered to us!

Please do not send more than two different titles at a time. Please send your two proudest moments rather than your entire back catalog. If we want more, we'll ask for it. A handwritten letter beats a typed note or form letter any day. We read these things!
We normally take a month or two to respond and approve new titles at our meetings in the middle of each month. We reject 90-95% of what is submitted to us. (see our submission box to the right). We will contact you after we have checked it out. If you don't hear back from someone after 2 months you can contact e-mail us.
We like hand-done, unique, historical, educational, cooking, bicycling, and instructive zines. We like zines containing information you'd be hard pressed to find elsewhere. We like to learn about things we didn't know we were interested in. We like the occasional literary work. Screen printed or otherwise fancy covers are a huge plus. Creative layout never hurts either. As far as we are concerned, cut and paste = good, magazine formatting = less interesting. Only 1% of our zine titles are "magazines" and only 1% of our book titles are from major presses. You can buy magazines and major books anywhere.

Some typical arrangements are:

1. We send you a check when we receive your stuff. We typically pay a 50/50% split. When sending zines that we’ve ordered be sure to include a slip of paper (invoice) stating title and quantity, how much money we owe you, your name (to make a check out to), and address. Here's a sample form to use for sending your zines to us. This will drastically increase how much faster you get paid.
2. We can also trade for items in our catalog. You get a 60/40% (in your favor) split if you take your payment in trade.
3. If we opt not to distribute your title, you'll receive a response in the mail.

When distributing a particular title, we'll normally take 30-200 copies at a time of a zine and 10-20 copies of a book. For stickers and patches we prefer to print them ourselves and pay a license or give you a percentage of the print run. It's easier than depending on someone else to provide these things. We sell items mostly through mailorder but also sell to stores, distributors, at conferences, and on tour a few times per year.

How do I submit manuscripts for getting published by Microcosm?

In order for your work to be considered for publishing, you must first have a pre-existing working relationship with us. For example, we must distribute your work already and obtain it from you directly. This is to help us maintain our mission statement of helping zines to flourish and supporting self published authors.
Once we have a working relationship, you may propose a publishing project or we may suggest one to you. Granted, we distribute about 2,300 titles and have only about 60 published titles so we are still quite choosy in what we invest our space, effort, time, and money into.
The things we publish are normally out of necessity - the author can't provide as many copies as we are selling - or we are just really into someone's work. We are not looking to expand the style or scope of our publishing operation.
Since having started publishing, people have begun approaching us with their manuscripts like we are Random House or something. We publish work by people that we have a working relationship with who become our friends.

Our published titles are generally sold to what is considered the "non-trade" of clothing stores, newsstands, toy stores, novelty shops, and other places that aren't bookstores. We also have standard booktrade distribution through AK Press, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor.

What kind of things do you distribute?

Microcosm specializes in DIY goods. That's a pretty vague term, but all our items are DIY in some sense. Most of the items in the catalog are of a similar spirit, passion, and set of intentions. The intention that Microcosm was started on was selling things that people just couldn't find easily elsewhere. The content of books and zines is important too. We wouldn't carry something that we was thought was irrelevant; but that doesn't mean it has to be overly political social commentary either - basically, it has to have some entertainment value and some greater purpose or universal appeal. We like history, educational, and instructive zines. Personal zines are great but it's important for readers to be able to relate to them also.

"I think that the punk ethos of you don't need anything, you just need to do it and figure out what you're doing as you go, has probably informed everything I've done since. It seemed a pretty sensible and refreshing idea at the time. Likewise the idea that you ought to be enjoying what you're doing and be doing it because you think it's cool and fun. The idea that mistakes are part of what make things interesting, and it's probably wisest to get it right and move on and not spend the rest of your life polishing it." - Neil Gaiman

Why the focus on zines?

To borrow the words of Chris Landry, "Zines are the best expression of the d.i.y. ethics of the punk rock subculture. While bands can be co-opted into the mainstream and the music scene continues to be male-dominated and increasingly a-political, zines have been keeping it true. Zines take the profit and fame motive out of artistic expression and focus on communication, expression and community for their own sake. Zines are the one truly democratic art form. Zine writers are the most important writers in the world."
To borrow the words of Aaron Cometbus, "You can put out a fanzine and you can reach all kinds of fuckin' people for really cheap and you can do a novel and there's no way that you can get to as many people in the same way. Fanzines are, in a way, the perfect form. You can get your fanzine, if you hustle, to bookstores, record stores, maybe even magazine stands. I've had it on sale at toy stores. You can sell it at shows. It's not at all limited to shows and to punk culture. You can sell a book to a record store but it doesn't cross formats in the same way. So in many ways I think that the fanzine is the ultimate and better than a regular magazine too. It really can appeal to all kinds of people."

How can I help?

Most importantly, and as much as I hate to admit it, like any DIY upstart project we are in near-constant financial peril so orders and donations are probably what benefits us the most. Kind letters and messages are a close second. I hate to have to be asking for money all the time and admit that we are struggling but it's fairly common to tell you the truth. Mostly our troubles come from publishing projects as so much money is required upfront. Each and every one feels like an insurmountable goal at times. Donations are very beneficial.

While it's rarely exciting we always have plenty of work to go around. If you are inclined to help out we have mass mailings that need addressed, zines that need stapled, patches that need cut, text that needs proofed, descriptions that need written, and zines that need read. Most of all we need to hear what we are doing well or could do better. If you find errors on our website let us know so we can fix them. What a great opportunity to hang out and make new friends! If you are interested in volunteering, just fill out this form, and we'll contact you

I am from the press or want to help promote Microcosm. Where can I get some press releases, photos, or hi-res book covers? Where can I read other press about Microcosm

Click here to go to our press page

What is your ideology? Why is an ideology important?

An idealogy is a set of morals that determines how you live life. It is too often oversimplified and assumed that all people from the same subculture share the same ideology. Not every punk or zine reader is a young anarchist vegan bicyclist.

The basic ideologies that we operate on are that bicycles are superior transportation to cars within cities, meat and dairy based diets use land inefficiently and thus destroy our planet and keep many people starving, governments serve the rich and big business, equal rights are deserved by all genders, all races, all economic classes, people of all ages, and all religions. Creation of community and dialogue is a good way to start addressing this and solve problems.

How do you start a distro?

We started in 1996 by contacting the projects that we liked and asking them if we could distribute their stuff. Now, most of these people were extremely grass roots or local. They understood what we were doing for the most part. In most cases, they were pretty happy to have someone else selling their items.
We put ads in zines, on newsgroups, and made flyers that we mailed around and hung up.
Pretty soon we started getting a small pile of mail every week from people who actually wanted their stuff distributed. This was before internet distros existed and there were only a few mailorder distros. Most seemed to focus locally. As we got larger and more financially capable we started to order from larger distributors like Mordam, Revolver, No Idea, Lumberjack, and others to buy from in addition to buying direct from the creator. When a publisher gets to a certain size they no longer like to do the mailorder or sell to stores themselves. They prefer to send several hundred or thousand copies to one big distributor who then sells to all sorts of stores and small distros as well as even sometimes doing mailorder straight to the kids buying the records. This is a problem in my eyes because it creates a void and financial dependency on these distributors. When they go out of business, they normally take the publisher with them. It also drives prices up further which hurts a lot if you are a small distro looking to sell things for cheap. As a publisher, you also have to be careful to make sure you are comfortable selling to stores that your distributor would. In my experience, it is much more desirable to deal as direct as possible to avoid all of these problems. We have had a pleasant time dealing with No Idea and AK Press. Most of the rest have ceased to exist. Old Glory Records, RIP.

How is your money reinvested and what do you spend your profit on?

We feel this is an important clarification to distinguish ourselves from larger companies that are purely profit driven. This project was built on the hard work of everyone who has ever ordered from us, volunteered here, or stuck around for gainful employment. We wouldn't be where we are today without you. We believe very strongly in local and DIY economics and are fairly conscious of how we spend our money and where it goes. We believe that strengthening the economies of things we believe in and boycotting things that we don't like - Phillip Morris, General Electric, Proctor & Gamble, Shell Oil, etc is an effective way of demonstrating our power as individuals over megacorporations. In the course of running Microcosm it was decided that all of the money that we made would either be reinvested into growth or spent in a way that we could feel comfortably about. We operate on a nonprofit financial model. There are no profits to divide between "owners". We pay ourselves a very small wage every month. We start at $7.50 an hour and get an additional 25 cents every 3 months.
Living on small wages forces resourcefulness. A discerning person can find perfectly good food in dumpsters, eat at Food Not Bombs, or simply by sharing with friends communally. A further breakdown is like this: about 40% of what we earn in a month goes right back to reordering things or getting new stuff. About 30% is what we get paid for our work and rent. The other 30% goes into printing new books. We are not in the habit of accumulating wealth or capital (no matter what rumors on the internet tell you). If you have questions about these things, get in touch!