09-03-2016, 05:17 PM
(09-01-2016, 08:07 PM)BobMcLain Wrote: Nuts & Bolts went out of business when I acquired it from Rich Buda, the owner, in 1983 (or thereabouts). Although N&B was the first publication to cover play-by-mail exclusively, it was more of a sideline hobby fanzine than a serious, money-making enterprise.
The magazine industry as a whole is in deep trouble these days. Circulations are down across the board. Why pony up subscription money when nearly everything is online, and available free?
Looks like we have come full circle back to a sideline hobby fanzine, eh? The more that things change, the more that they remain the same.
Free certainly doesn't seem to hurt the size of the Internet. It's certainly a hobby interest for me that drives Suspense & Decision to get published. Personally speaking, I rather like the free model. In fact, I built upon it by incorporating a free advertising model into the free magazine model. It doesn't appear as though all PBM companies necessarily value free advertising, although Suspense & Decision's relatively small readership base likely plays a factor in that.