1977

29-year-old high level publisher (Managing Editor NEL; Editorial Manager Triad Paperbacks), Stephanie Dowrick, founds The Women’s Press with business backing from literary entrepreneur, Naim Attallah, within the Namara Group that also includes Quartet Books and the Literary Review. Backing is  in the form of conditional access to overdraft facility.  Dowrick owns 49% of TWP Ltd shares; Attallah (who is solely responsible for any financial losses) owns 51%.

1978                    

The first books are published (February 1978). The iconic Women’s Press logo and  witty “iron” branding are established. “Branding” is done by graphic artist Donna Muir. February launch includes full windows in London’s Hatchard’s Bookshop, and widespread media.

1978–1982/3  

Dowrick publishes (or contracts for later publishing) some of the most important 20^th century global writers, including Alice Walker, Toni Cade Bambara, Lisa Alther, Janet Frame, Angela Davis, Lucy Goodison, Marge Piercy, Andrea Dworkin, Mary Daly, Dale Spender, May Sarton, Cora Sandel, Michèle Roberts, Michèle Barrett (collecting the seminal feminist writings of Virginia Woolf), Colette, Patricia Grace, Casey Miller and Kate Swift, Kate Chopin, Louise Bernikow, Gillian Perry (the first-ever monograph on Paula Modersohn-Becker), Karen Petersen & J.J. Wilson, Sheila Ernst, Joanna Ryan, Flannery O’Conner (with an introduction by Lisa Alther), Shulamith Firestone, Susan Griffin, Rozsika Parker, Joan Barfoot and Rosalie Bertell. 

1980                    

TWP financial security depends primarily on book and rights’ sales. Dowrick creates The Women’s Press Book Club to benefit TWP authors, other feminist writers, and TWP cash flow (given the more precarious timeline of commissioning and publishing new books). The Book Club offers Women’s Press authors to a substantial and keen direct-mail readership, as well as buying in books by women from other publishing houses.  Costs are low and timescales fast. “Branding” provides reader confidence.

1981                    

December 1981, Dowrick steps away as the managing director of The Women’s Press, while retaining an active role as director, founder and co-owner. She remains in close touch on editorial and financial matters on both TWP and the  Book Club, whether she is in the UK or Australia. Dowrick continues in an active role until 1985, when she withdraws to focus on her children and her writing.  In that time, Dowrick commissions or contracts significant authors for The Women’s Press (Archive).

1981                    

Ros de Lanerolle is appointed Managing Director, taking up her post from late 1981 with close mentoring from Dowrick (Archive). 

1981-1990          

De Lanerolle publishes a range of books of political significance, including Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga, Ellen Kuzwayo’s Call Me Woman, Nawal El Sadaawi’s Memoirs from the Women’s Prison, Joan Riley’s The Unbelonging, Jenny Morris’ Able Lives and Lillian Faderman’s Surpassing the Love of Men.

Fiction writers include Caeia March, Stevie Davies, and Merle Collins. A feminist crime fiction series is established and publishes the first novels by Val McDermid among others.  A handbook series and a feminist science fiction series are launched.

APRIL 1986         

The Steven Spielberg film of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple is released globally.  Alice Walker (brought to The Women’s Press by Dowrick in 1981) has now become a major literary writer, propelling Women’s Press turnover.

JUNE 1988         

While turnover remains high – following the success of The Color Purple and the Alice Walker backlist, together with strong sales of some other (especially Dowrick’s) backlist authors – profitability is dropping. Profit in 1985, prior to The Color Purple film, was £53,285.  It rose to £91,165 in 1986 – the year of the film – and was £65,715 in 1987.  By y/e 30 June 1998 there is a profit of only £302 on a turnover of over £1m.

1989-1990          

In 1989, the TWP loss is £160,631. To  y/e June 1990, a further loss of £89,787 is recorded. Dowrick’s aim and understanding was always editorial independence via solvency. This is now threatened. Solely responsible to cover any debts, Attallah calls de Lanerolle to account.  (Spending is disproportionate to sales income and near non-existent rights income. Spending on freelancers, unearned advances, over-printing of “mass market” SF titles, books that failed to appeal and could not be marketed successfully, diminishing brand loyalty and recognition, far less commissioning/contracting of high-profile authors are all factors.) In August 1990, Attallah appoints Sales Director Mary Hemming as Deputy Managing Director to curb the financial crisis, while focusing on increasing sales.

NOV 1990           

de Lanerolle writes to her business advisor, Robert Oakeshott, requesting his opinion on a document she is preparing detailing her intention to set up a rival women’s publishing house, Miriam Books. The covering letter makes clear that the document has been in preparation for some time and that several  (unnamed) people have been involved in it.

The document includes the wording ‘The Women’s Press faces decline, if not demise, owing to problems developing out of its company structure and planning base; and, in addition, will be further weakened by the attracting of some of its key staff to Miriam Books.’

Some, not all, of the staff at The Women’s Press appear aware of this plan.  Founding director and co-owner Dowrick is completely unaware.

Losses continue. By 30 June 1991, a further loss of £93,668 is recorded 

The cumulative losses during the last three years of de Lanerolle’s leadership are £344,086 (equivalent to £959,000 at the time of writing on 19 July 2026).

Attallah, as Chair of the Namara Group and the person solely responsible to the bank for TWP losses, asks de Lanerolle to step down as Managing Director but offers her the opportunity to continue as Chief Editor.  De Lanerolle chooses to leave. A management buy-out of TWP is proposed by de Lanerolle with the figure of £500,000 suggested in the media as her proposed financial offer (for stock, licences, “brand”, forward contracts – and the repayment of debts?). There is no evidence to date that this sum was ever raised, nor that a concrete financial offer was made to the TWP Board and the two co-owners, or refused.

MARCH 1991     

On 25 March 1991, Attallah announces de Lanerolle’s departure.  She accepts severance pay.  Attallah temporarily takes over management of the company, pending the appointment of a new publishing director. Dowrick returns to more active involvement at The Women’s Press and is appointed Chair.  She travels from Australia to London to appoint a new Publishing Director.

In an article published one month earlier in British Book News , February 1991, de Lanerolle is quoted as saying of Attallah, ‘His part of the firm is to guarantee the overdraft . . . He expects it to be a viable financial venture, obviously.  He owns all the shares (sic) but he doesn’t interfere [our emphasis] He might say these books don’t sell, but he wouldn’t say “Don’t publish that book [our emphasis].’  ‘Because of this,’ the article continues, ‘The Press has, in de Lanerolle’s words, “been protected from the cash-flow crises that threaten other growing enterprises. It has been a fortunate position to be in.” ‘

However, in the wake of ‘worker-controlled’ Miriam Books not eventuating, and with TWP losses becoming unsustainable, de Lanerolle now claims editorial and management interference at The Women’s Press by Attallah. She presents this to the media as wholly unacceptable in a “feminist” enterprise, accuses Attallah of censorship, and of ‘criticising’ TWP for publishing ‘too many Third World writers’.  She accuses colleagues who have been raising concerns as ‘scheming’ against her. Five members of staff walk out in protest at her ‘sacking’. Several authors write a letter to the Guardian protesting perceived racism at The Women’s Press. A press campaign is orchestrated.  Attallah is ridiculed and racially attacked (Archive).  Staff who chose to remain at The Women’s Press are accused of ‘doing his [Attallah’s] bidding’. 

JUNE 1991         

Kathy Gale, then an Editorial Director at Pan Books, is appointed Publishing Director by Stephanie Dowrick, now Chair of TWP.  Gale brings a combination of high-level publishing experience, financial acumen, and radical and feminist politics.  She publishes new books by Alice Walker, Val McDermid, bell hooks, Beatrix Campbell, Joan Riley, Manda Scott, Mary Daly, Drusilla Modjeska, Charlotte Watson Sherman, Shay Youngblood, May Sarton, Marcia Muller, Sue Woolf, and many more.  Issues covered expand to meet a new decade and include disability, race, sexuality, childhood sexual abuse (and how to protect children), the abuse of young gymnasts, sexuality, psychology and literature and the arts. She identifies key authors and areas of the list for revitalisation, with powerful repackaging and promotional initiatives to ensure authors receive as wide an audience as possible in ever-more-challenging times for publishers. Gale returns The Women’s Press to a sound financial footing within six months of her arrival.  Dowrick moves Australian distribution of TWP and Quartet books to Allen & Unwin, and works closely with Gale and Hemming, as well as with the TWP Board.

JUNE 1992         

Ros de Lanerolle and colleagues announce the launch of their new publishing venture, Open Letters.

NOV 1992           

Open Letters announces its closure: ‘ . . . the company’s finances … have reached a position where the burden of debt carried by the company can no longer be sustained . . . Today, after consultation with the company’s accountants, we have decided that we must cease trading with immediate effect.’ (Archive).

1998                

The Women’s Press celebrates 20 years of outstanding publishing, and its successful revival, with applause from many writers, readers, media commentators. View press release.

JUNE 1999         

After eight years at The Women’s Press, Kathy Gale (now Joint Managing Director with Mary Hemming), resigns to take up a post as a director of Simon & Schuster.  Mary Hemming decides not to start over with a new publisher. They write jointly to the board with suggestions for The Women’s Press going forward and offering to stay until a successor is found (Archive). They hand over to Elsbeth Lindner as Managing Director of The Women’s Press.  A  publishing professional, Lindner publishes new authors including Hester Kaplan, Elizabeth Stead, Shamim Sarif and Anchee Min, along with long-term key Women’s Press writers including Alice Walker, Caeia Marsh, Joan Barfoot, Stevie Davies.

2000                    

Elsbeth Lindner leaves The Women’s Press to live with her partner abroad.  The Women’s Press continues publishing, now as part of Quartet Books, until 2003.