Hacker Monthly Shuts Down

[jacquesm]

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 yourself don't feel like it any more.

[bearwithclaws]

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.

[SpacemanSpiff]

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!

[bearwithclaws]

Thank you so much. That meant a lot to me.

[biot]

Have you considered an "Ask HN" where you solicit someone who is passionate about it to take over running it?

[samstave]

Good idea

[Udo]

I'm sorry to hear that it's closing down, hearing this for the first time. I get why you're moving on.

Overall, I think there is still an opportunity for a "best of HN" publication, and I would probably subscribe if it wasn't too expensive. I just think it would have to be an entirely online-based format, maybe with an optional PDF, but certainly not something that needs a dead tree version.

[duck]

I've been running Hacker Newsletter (http://hackernewsletter.com), a weekly best of HN, for the last 5+ years if that helps any.

That said, Lim Cheng Soon really put in some effort to make the print magazine really nice. I'm not a magazine type person, but loved getting them as they were really well made and a nice way to step away from a screen. I've had a chance to work with him over the years and I know whatever he does next will have just as much heart poured into it... I wish him the best!

[RBerenguel]

Thanks, it was a wonderful reading experience, and I always looked forward receiving my subscription at the beginning of each month. I was lucky to have 2 posts featured in the magazine (nums 11 and 14), and the layout, composition and all else related to it was great.

Good luck with your next project(s)!

[mooreds]

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.

[bearwithclaws]

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.

[blisterpeanuts]

The blog mentioned that he had received several solicitations to buy the business, but he wasn't comfortable sharing the subscription list.

[kika]

That's really sad. I loved the mag and it was my favourite read once a month. Good luck, I'm sure we'll see something interesting from you in the future, you can discard the project you've lost the passion to, but you can't discard the passion itself :-)

[patio11]

Best of luck on the next adventure!

[bearwithclaws]

Thanks, Patrick. Now I finally have the time to get my hands on Stockfighter!

[amelius]

> Why? You might ask. The main reason is I’m not motivated anymore. To be more precise, I ran out of creative juices.

Perhaps now is the time to start "hacking the brain" :) Lots of good nootropic supplements to be tried that could boost creativity :)

Of course, I'm only joking.

[TeMPOraL]

I wish you were not. Sadly, most of the nootropics are little more than glorified aspirin. There's nothing even remotely resembling NZT :(.

[jrgifford]

Thank you so much! I was an ebook subscriber, and I was really sad to hear that it was no longer going to be around. I see your comment about open sourcing the template you have.

Will there be an archive of back issues available in press-ready PDF form?

[bearwithclaws]

You still buy individual issues from the website. I'm thinking of offering a bundle of every back issues for sale.

Update: Now you can get all the back issues here https://gum.co/hm-back-issues

[xylon]

never knew it existed until today

[kqr]

It had way too weak marketing. It was a top quality publication, always interesting and with great design, and it deserved way more readers.

I myself only heard of it when one of my articles got featured in it. They were nice enough to give me a free year of the digital subscription and it was one of the highlights every month.

[jayzalowitz]

My friend and I just started hacker daily (https://medium.com/hacker-daily) If you open source it we could potentially help out whoever picks up the mantle with content.

[dave2000]

Hacker Daily? Keep up, grandpa! I'll be launching Hacker Hourly in about 20 minutes. Enjoy your retirement!

[archibaldJ]

Damn it looks interesting. Wish that I have known it earlier.

[fluxic]

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.

[bstanfield]

You're thinking of HackerCanon: https://medium.com/swlh/best-of-2015-pfffffffft-79d9b014f4de

[aristus]

Thank you for HM. It was the first magazine I was published in. Always admired your creativity and drive to make it happen.

[eneveu]

Is there a way to order a bundle with printed copies of multiple back-issues? Or do I have to buy them one-by-one on Magcloud for 9$ each?

I have the first 16 issues, which I bought all at once a few years ago, to lower shipping costs (I live in Europe).

I really liked Hacker Monthly and I'd love to have the other issues in a printed form :)

[cbeach]

Out of curiosity, did Hacker Monthly print articles from the web? With permission of the source websites?

[trevmckendrick]

Hacker Monthly put together a physical magazine (it looked gorgeous) full of articles from Hacker News.

(Source: he asked my permission for a post of mine that got some attention back in 2013.)

[RBerenguel]

As trevmckendrick says, HM printed the articles from the web, always with the permission (at least, I was asked and I'm pretty sure all others were asked). Thanks to it now I can find me on Amazon.com :D

[guiambros]

Thanks Lim for such an amazing work over the years. It was always a great experience to receive HM on the mail every month, and read (or re-read) the carefully selected articles.

Any plans to let old subscribers download the PDF for past issues? I should have done it before it expired.

[bearwithclaws]

Yes! I'll make sure subscribers with subscription until the final issue stay active at least for few more months. Drop me an email cheng.soon at hackermonthly dot com and I'll reactivate your account to download the back issues.

[dewyatt]

What a shame, I didn't know Hacker Monthly was even a thing until today. Now I want a subscription so badly.

A magazine of HN delivered to my door would be amazing! Wish I knew about it before, and I hope someone continues with it.

[madebysquares]

I echo these sentiments. Wish I had heard of it sooner.

[cponeill]

This is a bummer as I really love the idea and have bought quite a few issues. Super well done. But I completely understand the lack of creative juices after a while. Best of luck in your next venture.