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I've been a print subscriber since May 2011 and I just wanted to say that my monthly issue of Hacker Monthly has consistently been a wonderful experience. The articles, the art, everything was very enjoyable. Thanks so much for having offered this service!
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Eh, this person doesn't want to do it anymore. They refunded people's money for the undelivered product. That's a pretty good way to handle it. Better than slagging along putting out a shitty product just because you can't quit. Time and energy is a resource just as much as money is. If your hobby project is sapping you of more than you get out of it, there's no shame in doing something else.
That's not really the point. Give it up and give the project to someone else or sell it. Now it's in limbo... What if someone else wants to do it? Will Lee sue? Is he really interested in litigation now? Who knows? It's a shame to end it like this.
I wod love to hear from the OP if he had explores transitioning, aka selling, this to someone. I think there is a market for the attention of people with money to spend, even in print magazines (especially in niche print magazines). But maybe he explored it and didn't find any takers, or maybe he doesn't want to deal with the hassle of such a transition. Would be nice to know.
I know it doesn't make business sense for someone to buy a business without any customers. That's why I never explore the option of selling it.
Best of luck on the next adventure!
With that said, I think there's still a healthy ecosystem of similar products. There was a post on the front page about a new newsletter that sent out one "classic" HN post a week, I think the article mentioned it was doing pretty well. Can't remember its name though haha.
Thank you Lim Cheng Soon for all the hard work. I ran the same website for well over a decade and I know how it feels when creativity drops away. Consider passing the mantle to someone else to keep the publication going (if there is any interest), I did this and I don't regret it. After an apprentice period that person could then run it by themselves. That way your baby would get another shot at life even if you your…
Thanks Jacques! I'm thinking of "open sourcing" Hacker Monthly. The process of making it, the InDesign template I use (and optimized throughout the years), the resources etc. That way, anyone can start their own "Best of HN" magazine or really, any "Best of" magazine.
A real shame. Hacker Monthly was a great product for the HN community and I'm going to miss it arriving in the post every month. With that said, I think there's still a healthy ecosystem of similar products. There was a post on the front page about a new newsletter that sent out one "classic" HN post a week, I think the article mentioned it was doing pretty well. Can't remember its name though haha.
Out of curiosity, did Hacker Monthly print articles from the web? With permission of the source websites?
(Source: he asked my permission for a post of mine that got some attention back in 2013.)
I wod love to hear from the OP if he had explores transitioning, aka selling, this to someone. I think there is a market for the attention of people with money to spend, even in print magazines (especially in niche print magazines). But maybe he explored it and didn't find any takers, or maybe he doesn't want to deal with the hassle of such a transition. Would be nice to know.
As other comments have pointed out, not having the subscribers list is my non-negotiable terms if someone wants to take over. In fact, after I refunded everyone, I'll reset my server and remove all my DB backups so I won't even have a copy of it. I know it doesn't make business sense for someone to buy a business without any customers. That's why I never explore the option of selling it.
I'm sure you've considered all the options, but may I ask why you didn't choose to offer current subscribers an 'opt-in' option for being contacted by a new publisher? That way those who were interested in continuing with a new owner would be able to, and those who were only interested in your product wouldn't be bothered. (Again, I wasn't able to find the blog post where you mentioned being approached by possible owners, so if you answered this question there, I apologize.)
But if you open source everything (as mentioned in another one of your comments), that'd be great too.