Word-o-Mat
was born out of a love affair between short stories, zines and clunky machinery.

Word-o-Mat aims to make reading a treat. Short pieces of new writing from all over the world are published in zine format and distributed from a vintage vending machine in Glasgow, Scotland, from our cigarette girl/boys at events and through the post.

does the design. She’s an architect based in Madrid, Spain and one half of blast!arch.

There’s also…
Antony Della Vecchia (Montréal, Canada): Programmer, zinemaker, beatmaker, driver
Johannes Holm (Malmö, Sweden): Machinemaker, programmer, hardware, coder
Robin Brill (Dunbar, Scotland): Boxmaker, beatmaker
Lizzie Potter (Dunbar, Scotland): Zinemaker, keeper of order
Granny Lawson (Dunbar, Scotland): Ironer
Viktor Nybom (Lund, Sweden): Machinemaker, programmer
Julie Huggan (Glasgow, Scotland): Screenprinter
Iona Zawinski (Edinburgh, Scotland): Van-driving teacher, zinemaker
Johnny Karhinen (Gothenburg, Sweden): Machinemaker, programmer, coder
Gracie Brill (Edinburgh, Scotland): Zinemaker
Gael Curren (East Lothian, Scotland): Zinemaker
G and Holly Wyatt (Edinburgh, Scotland): Zinemakers, teamakers
Jacob Algurén (Maldives / Malmö / Stockholm, Sweden): Film-maker, effect-maker, actor

The machine was born in Malmö, Sweden, and took a literary tour through Europe at the end of the summer 2016 to its new home in Glasgow, Scotland.

Wurlitzer is a legendary brand famed for making electric pianos, jukeboxes and electric organs as well as long-lasting vending machines.

WORD-O-MAT is an independent publisher of new, short, international writing;
plus a
zine
vending machine.

ANALOGUE ALL THE WAY.

“As a reader, writer and design journalist, I was delighted to discover Word o Mat. Edition #1 contains six miniature works of original literature wrapped in monochrome patterned covers and packed in a pleasingly utilitarian box. I can’t wait for Edition #2.” - Charlotte Abrahams, design writer/journalist

Charlotte Ormston

Cris Argüelles

Word-o-Mat is an indie publisher of new, short writing. Plus, it’s a zine vending machine. We gather amazing new, short writing from around the world and want to get it out to readers in a totally new, analogue way.

This machine sells Word-o-Mat editions: tiny, handmade boxes filled with tiny, handmade books (5 x 7cm). There are six books (zines) in each edition and each contains the work of a different international, emerging writer.

In each edition is published and unpublished writers. Mostly young, all new and all thrilled to be part of the project. Each edition combines the work of established and unpublished new writers to create an international writer network, fostering mutual support and inspiration.

Word-o-Mat publishes regularly (6 writers x 4 editions = 24 new writers published every year, ideally) and we crowdfunded the cost of modifying the machine with the help of two Swedish engineering magicians. We launched on the 15th June 2016, reached 25% of our funding goal in 24 hours and were selected as a Kickstarter “Project we Love”. With the support of 181 people in 11 countries, we reached 125% funding and have been going strong ever since.

The project was born out of a love affair between the DIY subversiveness of zine culture, the celebration of short writing and an appreciation of clunky machinery. We aim to make the experience of reading a treat and have designed the project around this: carefully selecting appropriate work; creating a cutting-edge design; hand-making and sewing each zine and box; only publishing offline (analogue all the way); and creating an amazing user experience with the Word-o-Mat machine, a Word-o-Mat event team that distributes editions as retro cigarette girls (and boys) at events and posting hardcopy editions around the world.

We’re a new kind of publisher that breaks the traditional mould. We nurture our writers, aim to publish a diversity of voices that are missing from the mainstream and engage new readers through thoughtful and fun product and experience design. We want to create a new generation of readers and writers. We want to change publishing. We want to make reading special through attention to detail.

Developed in Malmö, Sweden and based in Scotland, we have hubs and writer links in Montréal, Malmö, Scotland and Istanbul. We will be developing a collaborative relationship with African writers through a two day workshop in February 2018, resulting in a publication. This project is supported by The British Council in partnership with Writers Centre Norwich, UK as part of the International Literature Showcase. We successfully launched the Word-o-Mat Edition #1 at the Istanbul zine fair and have done a European Tour (2016) and a Canada/USA Tour (2017).

The EU Tour involved two members of the Word-o-Mat team, one Word-o-Mat machine, and one van. Over one month, we were on the road stopping to sell tiny books at events and venues on the way between Malmö, Sweden
and Glasgow, Scotland.

@WORD-O-MAT, 2017

'wants to get new writing out to new readers in a new way. Analogue all the way. She’s worked with literature festivals and cultural events all over the world as well as running her own nights of music and words. She knows what challenges new writers face and wants give them a hand up and out there. Holla.

- Ask Solomon

“F€ck the big stuff"

"The kind of publishing which reminds the rest of us to get off our arses and do something new."

- Alex Miller,
Executive Creative Director
VICE Media Group