Has anyone heard anything about Penwomanship? Has it been published? I didn't order it because I thought I was getting a free copy for being published in it but I haven't heard anything.

I had ordered the May and June issue and have not received any.

I haven't received my contributors copies either.

All I know is that Penny's plans to have the first couple of issues in print by now fell through...she had some serious family illnesses to deal with too so things are behind. I believe she is still trying to get issues printed and out SOON. I have short stories and some of my artwork in several of the issues too and would love to receive copies. Hopefully she will have an update on the Penwomanship website soon!

Thanks for the update Pam. I hope Penny and her family are doing better now. I'm sorry to hear she had problems.

Penny communicated with those of us who are writing monthly columns. Since I know that all of you wish her the very best in her endeavors, I do not think she will mind my sharing part of what she shared with us. After all, this site is about women supporting women in their hopes, their dreams, their disappointments, and their struggles.

Before I share her words with you, just let me say that there has been such an outpouring of creative works in the direction of the magazine that it seems to me that everyone is expecting courtesy copies of the magazine and may be holding back from subscribing. I would encourage everyone to subscribe if you want this women's project to get off the ground.

Dannye


Below is an excerpt from her letter: the bolding is mine.


"printing is delayed due to a lack of funds.

I had a strong faith back in Oct. that I would get enough subscriptions to cover
printing costs. That is not the case.

Back in January, I began seeking funds to cover printing costs. I have asked family and friends for assistance to no avail. My friends and family simply do not have the funds to provide nor the means to acquire the funds.

I am working diligently on getting printing costs covered. At this point in time, a total of $6000 - $8000 would cover printing and mailing of April, May and June issues. That's for 100 copies of each - enough for subscribers AND
contributors. Believe it or not, this isactually a decent price ...considering the original printing costs were $30,000 for all three issues.

The low-down on subscriptions: we have 60. 25 of those are purchases of only one issue. So we are nowhere near where we need to be as far as subscribers are concerned.

I am contacting potential advertisers and researching every possibility. I am averaging about 3 hours of sleep each day and risking losing my job because I keep falling asleep behind the computer.

I am exhausted and I am open to any ideas or suggestions anyone may have.

I am offering subscribers a 3 month extension on their subscriptions plus $5 off their renewal at the current subscription rates.

I have not given up on getting the magazine to print. I won't give up until they
pry the mouse from my cold, dead fingers. I am, however, discouraged, disappointed and feel a little beaten down at the moment. Particularly in the spirit department.

I am not certain if all of this is due to God testing my determination, stamina and fortitude to accomplish this. Or if it is the work of Beelzebub himself to impede the progress.

I will admit that perhaps I should have started much sooner on getting the money together as far as researching loans and grants are concerned. But I held fast to the belief that all would fall into place and be provided, provided I did
what I needed to do. And I thought I was doing that.

I expect all of you are upset and disappointed. I can only ask your forgiveness.

They say it is always darkest before the dawn.

So I keep my eyes on the horizon, looking for the light of day.
Respectfully,
Penny"

I think you might have hit it on the head, Dannye, about the "courtesy" copies. I subscribed months ago, so I hadn't thought about that aspect. What can we do to get Penwomanship to press? It's a lovely magazine (I've seen the PDF version because I do the website). Ladies, any ideas?

I spoke with Penny last week and Dannye did an excellent job of communicating what is happening with Penwomanship. I'm encouraging her to get advertisers. That's how magazines pay for themselves. Unfortunately, it isn't the subscriptions that finance magazines. Formatting, printing and mailing a professional looking magazine is costly. Also, she can't do black and white because of the art work. I'm praying for her project o come to fruition.

I wrote her earlier to suggest that she use her website ONLY as an advertisement for the magazine. Only print excerpts from articles, columns, etc. - just to pique interest. Otherwise as she says, they get everything for free - why pay for it!

Dotsie, you are right about advertisers. Unfortunately, most advertisers want to know how large your subscriber base is. That's why we have to get out in droves and give her a place from which to work. When I subscribed for myself and a friend of mine, it was only $19.95 for a year I believe. That's not much. I imagine Penny would even be willing to work out a two installment situation for those who are financially pressed. It's worth asking her about anyway.

We all like to see ourselves in print, but when you're on the ground floor of a venture, more is required of you as a writer. Just think - someday you may be able to look back and say, "I was one of the first authors Penwomanship Magazine published. Today you have to fight tooth and nail to even be considered. I wouldn't trade the decision I made to stand behind Penny for anything! Now I'm a part of history!"

Dannye

I agree....Penny needs our support in the form of subscriptions AND hopefully she can get an advertising base to generate revenue too. I subscribed ages ago and frankly (!) didn't even KNOW I might be entitled to a copy for contributing my short stories and paintings. I subscribed because I think it's a unique magazine full of truly amazing material....