“So you met your doppelgänger” was the first zine I made, back in December 2019. It was a fun little thing to give to my friends at work for New Year’s Day. I was playing with the idea of “new year, new you.”

A holds a mini zine titled So You Met Your Doppelgänger: How to deal with the other You - a practical guide, against a colorful background.

I wanted the zine to read like a straightforward guide but at the same time, it’s dry humor.

The stick figure drawings add to the effect: The zine seems serious but it’s actually silly.

Then I posted the zine online, made a few more zines, and started an Etsy shop. “So you met your doppelgänger” was getting positive reactions from people. Copies were selling on Etsy.

In 2023, I went to my first zine fest. People stopped by my table and picked up “So you met your doppelgänger.” They laughed when they read it and said it was clever. It was the first time I saw strangers’ reactions to my zines, in person.

Five years after I made it, “So you met your doppelgänger” is still my most popular zine. There are over 300 copies of it out in the world.

And it started as a joke.

When I made “So you met your doppelgänger,” I had no idea people would find it online and purchase copies…and continue to do that for years.

So whatever you’re making, share it. You can’t predict how people will react to your work.

Share it, and see how it goes.