Dollars and Cents

So, I publish Cross Quarterly tomorrow.  I will dash over to a copy place after school, print out a bunch of copies to donate to my church's annual fundraiser, pop by a Dia de los muertos event, and then make it home in time to light my first flame for Brighid at sundown. 





It will be a hectic and beautiful day.


I am happy to say that I will be paying all my contributors for their work.  Originally, I wasn't going to pay anyone for contributions this first issue, but I decided to do it myself, even though we don't have any income yet.  I am glad to pay.  Unfortunately, I am only paying $5 per piece plus some copies of the zine to my fabulous writers.  I am paying out of pocket.  I don't know how much I will make from CQ yet, and I don't have a ton of extra money to spend as a new teacher.  Still, writers and artists deserve to have their time, thought, energy, and creativity compensated, so I am paying this paltry pittance to these wonderful people until I can afford to pay more.

I want to be as upfront about this as possible.  CQ is for profit.  I consider it a small business.  I don't expect to make a ton of money; mostly, I just want to give people a place to discuss interesting issues, and I want to pay them.  That's why I publish in print and charge for the zine.