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The Steampunk Explorer Needs Your Support

I need your help to continue producing The Steampunk Explorer, an online magazine that I launched with my own funds in March 2018. Since then, it has become a popular online destination for steampunk enthusiasts.

When I launched the publication, I did not intend it as a money-making venture. I’ve had a long career as an editor, and I was looking for a personal project that would allow me to apply my journalistic skills while serving a genre and community I’ve come to love.

However, in May 2019, at age 60, I was laid off from my full-time job as an editor. The publishing business is imploding, and job opportunities are especially scarce for older journalists like me. Compounding the problem is a new law in California known as AB5 that makes it more difficult for writers to work as freelancers. I explained why in this blog post on my personal website.

Given my current financial situation, I can no longer fund the site on my own. So I've turned to GoFundMe. I originally launched this campaign to raise $350 to cover the site's annual web hosting expenses. Thanks to the generosity of readers, that effort succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. So now I'm trying to recoup some of the additional expenses I've incurred to produce the site. They total about $3000 for equipment, software, event participation, and more. Donations will also help cover my living expenses as I continue to seek work as a writer or editor.

The steampunk community is driven largely by independent event producers, authors, artisans, and musicians, and thus it cannot sustain a for-profit publication. I’ve been told that The Steampunk Explorer performs a valuable service by publicizing the work of these independent creators.

No donation is too small and all are appreciated.

Organizer

Stephen Beale
Organizer
El Cerrito, CA

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