Our Philosophy
Quibble is built on curiosity, kindness, and creative exchange. We believe a literary magazine should give back — to its artists, its editors, and its readers. We’re here for the love of sharing great writing.
By being open about how we operate, we hope to answer a few questions, to show how we’ve come to where we are, and where we hope to go!
Small Press, Big Heart
Quibble Lit began in 2022 to build a space where art, authenticity, and community meet, in the goal to make writing mean more.
Like many small presses, we’ve learned by doing: designing, editing, web-building, and business-running all at once.
Our journey has been a mix of creativity, spreadsheets, and late-night formatting. We’re proud of how far it’s come.
This page is our way of opening the books and sharing what we’ve learned because we believe that when we’re transparent, others can learn and build right alongside us.
Why Share This?
We’re sharing our finances not for praise, but for perspective.
Transparency helps:
Demystify how small literary presses operate,
Encourage others to start their own creative projects, and
Model how honesty and growth can go hand in hand.
If this helps even one writer, editor, or artist feel more prepared — or a little braver — about starting something of their own, then it’s worth it
What’s Next
2025 has been a turning point. Our systems are improving (thanks to our team), our revenue and audience are growing, and our vision for Quibble’s future is brighter and clearer than ever.
We’re building toward a stronger, more sustainable future for Quibble - to be a platform that can Make Writing Mean More, for more - our artists, audience, and . Here’s what’s coming:
Adjust Pricing — Align retail and subscription costs with fair production margins
Grow Community Engagement — Expand access through giveaways, workshops, and live readings
Launch Crowdfund (2026) — to Pay our Artists, as we build capacity and a dedicated contributor fund
New Services, Prizes, and Opportunities to be announced soon!
Where The Money Goes
Print + Delivery Cost = ~$8 Per Issue per Contributor
Multipied Per Issue by # of artists
Average 40 Contributor copies = ~ $320 Cost Per Print Run
Our core yearly costs production costs (printing + delivery), publishing tools, web hosting CLMP-membership, and business software:
Annual Memberships
CLMP Membership — $480 / year
Monthly Tools + Services
Squarespace (Website hosting)— $36 / month
Canva Pro (Graphic Design) — $15 / month
QuickBooks (Accounting)— $38 / month
Rocket Money (Expense Tracking) — $6/month
We have a long ways to go to to get to where we want to be, but we’re learning and sharing along the way!
Spending by Catagory since 2024- Oct 2025
How We’ll Share Future Profits
Once we overcome our current deficit (around $761), we’ll begin outlining how to share future profits including payment for contributors and reinvestment into growth and access.
Paying Artists First - And Finding Balance
From the start, Quibble wanted to pay artists — even when it meant running at a loss.
Volume I: $20 per contributor
Volume II: $10 per contributor
Those payments weren’t sustainable long-term, but they represented what we value most: giving back to the people who make Quibble possible.
Now, as we stabilize and plan for 2026, our goal is to build a dedicated contributor fund so that paying artists isn’t an exception — it’s our norm.
Three-year Snapshot
Over three years, Quibble has invested roughly $5,500 in getting the press off the ground — covering everything from printing and web tools to artist payments and events.
Our yearly income and expenses since launch:
