Nathan G. O’Brien – Soda Killers Magazine
Scene Point Blank: Tell me a bit about who you are and what you do.
I’m Nathan G. O’Brien. I live in the punk capital of the world, Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I create a variety of zines, as well as run a small zine distro. Soda Killers Magazine is my main title, but you may also know me from such publications as Restore the Power, Last Chance Summer Dance, or Rap Zine, to name a few.
Scene Point Blank: Why did you start making zines, including the main one you named above?
I’ve made zines sporadically throughout my life, going as far back as sixth grade when a kid from the neighborhood and I made one issue of our handwritten, hand-illustrated pro wrestling zine. Like many of us, I got really into posting zine-style writing and point ‘n’ click photos on blogs during the MySpace / Blogspot / WordPress era. Sometime around 2008 or so, a friend was diagnosed with cancer. I wanted to create something that I could sell and donate the funds to them, so that’s when I decided to start making zines again. Essentially I was doing the same thing I was on the internet, but putting it onto paper that was photocopied, folded, and spine stapled. Around this time I was also struggling to find my way as a visual artist but as I fell in love with the process of writing and making zines it didn’t take long to realize that zines would be my true creative outlet. I scaled back on producing digital content as well, in favor of making stuff that would hang on walls or something you could hold in your hand.
There’s a whole network of trading that goes along with zine culture, so by creating zines it was also a way to attain other zines, as well as records, tapes and other merch via trade. In addition, I began communicating with zine-related pen pals that developed into real life friendships. As a lifelong punk I had always participated in and been supportive of the scene by going to shows, buying records, doing radio shows, and such, but I never felt like I was contributing, per se, to the overall culture of punk. By doing zines, I have been able to give back to punk, a thing that gives so much to me.
As for the Soda Killers title specifically, I started that for a few reasons. There’s a whole subsect of zine culture that’s tied to postal networks, that is essentially anti-internet. At that time, I was writing for this very webzine, Scene Point Blank, as well as other internet-only entities, but also becoming more involved with the postal underground. So, while I was writing all these record and show reviews and doing interviews and such that were being posted to websites that I wasn’t even sure people looked at, I was thinking about this parallel universe of people that were missing out on something they’d truly appreciate but would never see because it wasn’t printed as a tangible item that comes with a mailing address. So, that was one of the reasons I started Soda Killers. In addition, because I am able to sell my zines, even if it’s just for a few bucks, I receive a monetary return for my work, which is the total opposite of what it was like when I wrote for webzines.
I eventually began contributing to Maximum Rocknroll magazine, and other print publications, and gradually moved away from writing for any internet-only outlets. Instead of working at the behest of editors and deadlines, I am the editor and if there’s a deadline it’s self-imposed. Soda Killers became my identity so to speak, and we steadily amassed a modest following of both readers and contributors. I have met some of my favorite people in the whole world because of Soda Killers Magazine. As much as it’s my thing, it’s also everybody’s thing, especially those that have helped to keep it going throughout the years, whether it be through contributing content or parting with a few precious dollars every time a new issue comes out.
Scene Point Blank: How many orders do you fill per week/month?
I’m small time, so it’s never so much that I’m overwhelmed. I mean, it can feel that way at times but that’s only because it comes in addition to like, having a life, a family, a job, youth coaching, and the mental toll of enduring each day’s unending barrage of terrible news. Frequency of orders can be all over the place but do seem to come in waves. I’m hesitant to put it into actual numbers for the public, but for personal reasons I do keep track of everything that goes into and out of this whole zine biz the best I can, spreadsheets and all. I’m continually humbled that there are people that are interested in what I make. That privilege is not lost on me.
Anyway, when I have something new, the first few weeks after it’s been released is usually pretty hectic. Of course, there are those times I swear I hear crickets after a release, and I’m like, "Where is everybody?" But it usually picks up. After anywhere from a few weeks to a couple months things will trickle off, but it seems there’s usually some orders to process throughout the down time as well.
Scene Point Blank: How many countries do you ship to? What are the main destinations?
Traditionally, I’ll ship to anywhere in the world. In recent years I’ve limited some things to the US only, because shipping prices to countries outside the US can be insane and I feel bad for anyone that would have to pay the same amount or more for postage than the actual item itself. I often will do a disclaimer for international orders to contact me first to get a shipping quote and make sure they want to move forward.
Even without all that though, the US is my main destination. Orders come from all over the county, but for whatever reason there are a high percentage of orders from the Bay Area, Chicagoland, and, oddly, rural Wisconsin.
Scene Point Blank: What medium do you send the most of (cd, vinyl, tape, zines, etc)?
Zines by far, because that’s mainly what I do. Occasionally I will do apparel or a cassette, as well as stickers, buttons, etc. But it’s like 99% zines.
Scene Point Blank: What is the official name of the post office or service you use in your country (e.g. United States Postal Service)? Do you use commercial companies (e.g. UPS, FedEx)?
I back the blue, the REAL blue -- the United States Postal Service. I’ve never used FedEx, UPS, DHL, or any other service for the zine biz. The USPS is constantly facing unfair scrutinization from our fascist regime. They’ve faced accusations of election tampering and have been victims of intentional sabotage in an effort to rig an election, coincidently by the same political party. The on-site employees constantly deal with entitled, uncompassionate customers, while the mail carriers must decipher poorly written addresses, deal with loose dogs and severe weather, and often have to work on their day off to make sure all the mail on their route is delivered in a timely manner. They are fucking saints. For me, it’s more important to do business with the USPS than any other service. Back the blue!
Scene Point Blank: How often do you go to a post office or shipping center?
During busy periods, usually after a new release or around the holidays, I’ll be in the post office several times a week.
Otherwise, it’s just as needed, maybe four or five times a month.
Scene Point Blank: What is the craziest story you've had with trying to ship an item to somebody?
Nothing exceptionally crazy, per se. Occasionally you’ll run into a situation where the post office counter clerk is unable to locate an address based on the way the customer entered it on an order form, so they won’t want to mail it. It’s frustrating but understandable. The craziest thing to me, is just how much people outside of the US are willing to pay for shipping. As someone who frequently cancels orders I’m placing once it gets to the postage fee part, I’m blown away that people want a zine so badly that they are willing to pay double or more to get it. I mean, how many times have you been on a distro’s site, added some records to your cart, gotten to the postage part of checkout and been like, “Welp, guess I don’t really need those records after all.” Smash that ‘cancel’ button, am I right?
Scene Point Blank: Do you have any entertaining stories about your trips to the local post office or shipping center? Do you have a relationship with the employees there?
One of my things is the old “kill ‘em with kindness” routine, if you know what that is. Basically, it’s just being really nice to people, even when they’re rude to you. It’s not always easy, especially when the other person is consistently a total dick, but usually it’s worth the payoff. These days everyone is under an extreme amount of scrutiny, and the pressure just to, like, keep on going day to day is worse than it’s ever been. You never know what someone is going through in their personal life or what’s under the surface that’s manifesting itself in an impolite demeanor. It’s been my experience that continually being nice to these types of people eventually ends up in an uplifting experience for both parties.
There’s a person at my local post office that I could have sworn had a personal vendetta for years because they were always so angry towards me. I’ve been on the other side of the desk in a few jobs, so I’m sympathetic to disgruntlement and can tolerate some crabbiness occasionally. But this seemed personal. They would intentionally bend my mailers while asking what was inside, which I knew was cracking the spines of the zines (not a huge deal on a photocopy zine but still annoying,) making it difficult for me to keep my cool. Eventually I assumed they were a MAGA nazi or some other type of far-right dummy that didn’t like my T-shirts or the anarchistic symbolism I use on mailers. Yet I continued to be kind in return. But it wore me down, so I decided to start going to another post office that’s further from home. About a year later I had to use my local post office because I was short on time, and when I walked in wouldn’t you know it, there the person was behind the counter. Except this time I was cheerfully greeted with a smile, “Hey there, I haven’t seen you in a while!”
Currently I would not say that I have a personal relationship with anyone at the post office, but I have in the past. For several years there was this clerk named Kevin that worked at the Butler Square post office in downtown Minneapolis. He was one of the kindest people I’ve ever encountered at any business, let alone the post office. He was an old head from the Factsheet Five days, and, without fail, he’d work to get me the lowest rates possible, always looking for the loophole that would save me a few bucks. I looked forward to seeing him and enjoyed our chats. I’d even let people go ahead of me so that I was last in line thus having some extra time to chop it up with him. Sadly, once the pandemic hit, I never saw him again. After a couple years working remote, I returned to on-site at my job downtown. One day I walked over to the post office to mail some zines, excited catch up with Kevin. When I asked the clerk on duty about him, I was told that when Coronavirus hit he saw the writing on the wall and took the opportunity to retire early. “A lot of people ask about Kevin.” They said, “He was a good guy.” Indeed, he was. Kevin, I don’t know if you’re out there, but if you are, I just want to say ‘thank you for your service’ and I hope you’re doing good.
Scene Point Blank: What's the weirdest thing a customer has told you related to a package you sent them?
One time a person claimed that I sent them a blank tape: that there was no music on the cassette they ordered. I thought that was weird because I was like, 99% sure that it wasn’t true because I test every cassette. I sent them a replacement and paid for the postage to send the supposed blank back to me, but I never received it and not surprisingly, did not hear back from the person again. Unfortunately, I’ve been stiffed for zines I’ve sent out on the honor system as well.
The only other thing that comes to mind is not related to shipping but is kind of a weird story: A friend unfortunately had their apartment broken into, and the burglar(s) left copies of my zines that I had given to my friend lying in the middle of their empty living room. As if they had looked at them and were like, “Nope, don’t want that shit.” Funnier than the person that visits your table at a zine fest, reads through everything cover to cover, chuckles or snorts to themselves, then sets them down haphazardly and walks away without saying a word.
Scene Point Blank: How often does somebody email/call/text that they didn't get their package? Does it happen often?
In an effort to keep shipping costs as low as possible, I mail most things at letter rate, with actual stamps, so occasionally I’ll hear that it took a really long time for someone to receive their zines. It’s rare but it does happen. Fortunately, it seldom happens that someone didn’t get the thing they ordered. Occasionally it does, in which case I just send out another one free of charge. I usually hear back that they eventually ended up with both packages, to which I will tell them to give one to somebody else or leave it on a table somewhere for a stranger to find.
Scene Point Blank: What is a bigger problem: lost mail, broken mail, or returned mail?
The biggest problem would probably be lost mail, because then you’re out the cost for both the item(s) and the shipping. Personally though, the biggest problem -- and it’s rare -- is returned mail. Because now I must pay to ship the item again. Not a huge deal, but everything adds up ya’know?
Scene Point Blank: Do you have any unusual stories about receiving packages from others?
I get a fair amount of unsolicited mail from bands, labels, etc. hoping to have their stuff reviewed in Soda Killers Magazine. One time a kid sent me like 50 CDRs of their various one-person bedroom noise/grind/powerviolence shit-fi projects, all in individual cases with artwork, liner notes, and all. They were wrapped in this impossible-to-open weird concoction of newspaper, Totino’s party pizza boxes, and duct tape. It’s hard to put into words what this thing looked like. Very bizarre. Not even sure how it made its way to me. But, again, a testament to the USPS for making sure it did.
Scene Point Blank: Do you have any sage advice for others on how to send the perfect package?
I will defer to Jud at Heavy & Fast Records and Distro for this one. The “perfect package” belongs to Jud. Jud’s packages are legendary, nuclear fallout shelter-level parcels that are impossible to penetrate. There’s a less than 1% chance anything sent from Heavy & Fast will arrive damaged. Plus, Jud includes a ‘thank you’ note and generous amount of ‘extras.’
For me, I think it’s just about keeping postage low while making sure the item I send will arrive with no-to-minimal damage. It’s pretty easy for me, as I primarily send zines. I use sturdier envelopes that can be sent at letter rate. I also think anything you can do to jazz up the packaging with human touches like a handwritten (yet clearly readable) delivery address and some inkpad stamps of your logo, return address, etc. will look cool and reinforce the recipient’s choice to part with their money for you. I like to write my ‘thank you’ note on the back of the envelope, envisioning the mail carrier reading it like a postcard.
On that note, please, please include a personalized ‘thank you’ note. It’s not hard and it goes a long way with the customer. Plus, it humanizes you, let’s people know there’s a real, living, breathing person behind your label, distro, or whatever; that they’re not just a dollar sign to you, but that you are indeed thankful for their support. Put it this way: if you can’t feed the dog or take the dog for walks or have someone that can feed the dog and take the dog for walks for you, then you shouldn’t be allowed to have the dog.
And lastly… Stop gouging people on shipping!
Scene Point Blank: What is the worst thing to do?
As far as mailing goes, the worst thing to do is wait in line at the post office when I don’t have time (when I have time, I actually don’t mind it) or having to deal with the occasional grump on the other side of the counter. As far as the zine biz in general goes, the worst thing to do is the labor. I really like doing every aspect of zine creation, but my least is probably assembly. I do everything by hand, from making the layout on hard copy masters (scissors, glue stick, tape, etc.) to photocopying, to assembly (collating, folding, longarm stapling), and adding finishing touches like trimming with a paper cutter and ink stamping zines and envelopes. For whatever reason, I get a negative physical reaction during the assembly process. I think maybe it’s because I’m realizing the completion of something I’ve worked really hard on, and my body just dumps the toxins I’ve been storing.
Scene Point Blank: Anything you'd like to add?
Shipping is a pain in the ass on both sides of the transaction. The thing I said about not gouging people on shipping… I do realize it’s easier to say than it is to do. But it’s not impossible. A lot of distros use services that track stock, estimate postage costs, etc. Exploitive entities whose only goal is to make money by inserting themselves as middleperson between artist and consumer is nothing new. Unfortunately, we live in a world where there’s a dollar amount attached to every item and action. Those services’ postal estimations are always on the high end. And they always take a cut. While those services might make your life easier, they are often unnecessary and drive the price up for customers. It’s unfair.
Numerous times I’ve mailordered zines or tapes from fellow creators, and when I get to checkout, I’m aghast at how much they’re charging for shipping. I know from personal experience running my own thing how much it costs to ship. I’m not afraid to reach out and say like, “Hey, I see you’re charging $5 to mail a zine. I mail the same size zine plus inserts for the price of one 3-ounce stamp.” The answer is always the same: “I’m not in control of that; (Shopify, Etsy, Bandcamp, whoever) sets the shipping rates.” OK, so if you absolutely must use a service like this, then give your customers an option to contact you with a list of their items, and place an order directly with you rather than through the service you use. You will certainly be able to save them a few bucks.
I also want to thank Loren and the staff at Scene Point Blank for giving me the opportunity to contribute way back when. I was able to hone my review and interview skills writing for this site, which ultimately led me to going into business for myself, so to speak. SPB was certainly instrumental to the creation of Soda Killers Magazine and that will not be forgotten. Thank you!
