A reader in Australia writes,

"I do enjoy your website very much and it is a part of my morning-ritual, coffee, toast and cheese and planet waves. I would love to receive next weeks planet waves. I would subscribe, but money is too tight. I love the way you are so involved in your writing."

One of our long-standing business policies since beginning Planet Waves Weekly has been to not discriminate against those who can't afford the subscription fee. We offer a range of discount categories, and we offer comp (that is, free) subscriptions to those who are entirely too short on cash to subscribe. As someone who has made my living as a freelance writer since 1989, I am no stranger to tight finances, and I am happy to be in a position to make this offer. The way the comp works is we sign you up for three or six months. At the end of that time, we contact you and ask if you want to come in as a paying subscriber, or stay on the comp list.

Comp subscribers have been very helpful at spreading the word, giving us feedback, providing story ideas, and directly recruiting other subscribers -- so all in all, it's a healthy part of our plan to create a socially responsible business.

Trust me, the world would work fine if more businesses did this, and we could work together to take a lot of pressure off of people who feel they must miss out on something basic because they're in a difficult financial pinch. We have learned that people use this option responsibly, and they have been surprised to find that in actual fact we offer it graciously and without judgment. And at the same time, we've been the recipient of the generosity of many of our readers who have happily subscribed, or donated considerably in excess of the subscription fee to help our work (as sustainers or supporters).

Note that we have a PayPal option that gets you the full service for 6.95 US per month. We can also set up recurring small payments on a non-Paypal credit card basis, but this must be done by phone. If you are interested in taking advantage of any one of these options, please drop a note to me at francis@planetwaves.net along with your request for a sample issue. I'll respond personally, and forward your subscription request to Chelsea.

For all subscription options, please see this link:

http://www.planetwavesweekly.com/sales/home.html

Subscription fees support the weekly (actually twice-weekly) publication, as well as the regular Planet Waves homepage and my Q & A column at Cainer.com (linked above).

Good to be with you,

    Eric Francis