This Is How Much We Made in Zine Sales from YouTube

Over the past 90 days, I published four YouTube videos — the most consistent I’ve ever been on the platform.

Two were photographer interviews.
Two were about my own photography.

Are you curious how much zine sales those videos actually generated?

Today, I’m sharing the real numbers — with screenshots.

🎁 I Received a Beautiful Gift

Recently, my three-week exhibition at BAR Shikatanaine in Shinjuku came to an end.
Thank you to everyone who came. It meant a lot to drink together, talk, and connect in person.

And Ema @ema_3.8 , who traveled all the way from Italy, gave me a beautiful gift.

This is a darkroom print he made.

At first, I thought it was two different photos printed on a single sheet. But when I saw the original negative, I realized it was actually one single image.

By using the window frame and cropping carefully, he created a photograph that feels like two frames within one.

Ema — thank you for this unique print.

Go follow his work and support his creative journey.
👉 @ema_3.8

🚨 Monthly Zine + Darkroom Print Vol.02 — Orders Close in 2 Days

To everyone who purchased Vol.01 — thank you. I’ve been receiving messages from around the world as copies begin to arrive, and it truly makes me happy.

Now, the deadline for Vol.02 is approaching.
Here’s this month’s print:

A place at the edge of the world.
A deserted, forgotten landscape where no one seems to go.
What kind of world lies beyond that dark sky?

In the darkroom, I used burning techniques to deepen the sky and the sea, pushing the mood darker — expressing that sense of distance and isolation I felt while standing there.

As always, this is printed on fiber paper.

Orders close March 5 at midnight (Japan time).
$31.5 with free shipping (monthly plan; one-time option available).

If you’ve never seen one of my fiber prints in person, this is your chance.

👉 Details here

📺 Is YouTube Actually Good for Promoting Zines?

Now, I’d like to share the zine sales generated through YouTube over the past 90 days.

In a previous newsletter, I wrote “You Don’t Need Followers to Sell Zines.”
And while I still believe that, let’s be honest — if you want your zine to reach more people, having an audience helps.

But what matters more than followers is supporters.

Zines are different from polished photobooks. They’re more like mixtapes — raw, immediate, imperfect. I believe that if your passion is inside, that’s enough.

But who actually pays for that passion?

The people who want to support your work.
And I’m deeply grateful to everyone who supports my work. Truly — thank you.

If you’re selling your zine — not just giving it away — you need to communicate clearly why someone should buy it.

Instagram, as the name suggests, is instant. No matter how much energy we put into a post, it rarely reaches people deeply.

So over the last 90 days, I focused on YouTube.
I published four videos.

As of March 2, they’ve reached a combined 20,000 views.
My channel has 6,000 subscribers — and about half of the viewers were new.

Reaching new audiences like this is powerful. It gives creators a real chance to show their work to people who’ve never seen it before.

And now — sorry to keep you waiting.
Here are the sales numbers generated from those four videos:

Over 90 days, YouTube generated $1,285 in revenue (including shipping).
The real impact is likely higher, since not all sales are perfectly trackable.

This revenue includes sales across FED, not just my own zines.
The best-selling titles were Yu Chang’s photobooks. We sold 50 copies total — 25 each of two editions — and they all sold out. The first 30 copies sold out just five days after the YouTube video was published.

He told me he wants to produce a new photobook this year. I believe this revenue meaningfully contributed to his goal.

From a business perspective, $1,285 might not sound huge.
But for independent creators?

For me, this result was incredibly encouraging.

I still have a lot to learn about making videos. But this experience made me want to study YouTube more seriously — and help bring more photographers to the world stage.

And once again, to everyone who purchases from FED and supports independent creators — thank you.

📮 What’s Next for This Newsletter

I have one more update.
We’ve just added a new zine by Tokyo-based photographer Milo to FED, the platform I run. Be sure to check it out.

Including myself, we’ve now introduced the work of 17 photographers 🎉

The scale may still be small.
But I’m proud that we’re not just posting photos online — we’re delivering them physically into people’s hands as zines. And more importantly, helping photographers generate income from their art.

Looking ahead, I’ve been thinking seriously about the future.

Whether it’s under FED or a separate brand, I want to build an online community for people who are serious about photography — making zines, making prints, and having real conversations about building a creative life.

To grow that vision, I’m committing to learning more about digital marketing — including YouTube and Instagram strategy.

So this newsletter will gradually expand beyond just zine-making. I’ll also share what I’m learning about growing creative projects sustainably.

If there’s anything specific you’d like to learn about, just reply to this email. I read every message and respond whenever I can.

Thanks for reading until the end.
See you next week.

🦖 Come hang out with me on Instagram → @_nuts.tokyo_

🪐 New videos on zines & photography up on YouTube

🧃 Curious about Japanese and Asian zines? Visit FAR EAST DARKROOM.