Linux Format Magazine Team Quits, Launches New Profit-Donating Mag

An anonymous reader writes "What happens when the editorial team of the biggest-selling English Linux magazine gets frustrated? They leave their company and start a new one. Most of the writers behind Linux Format have jumped ship and started Linux Voice, a social enterprise magazine which will donate 50% of its profits back to the community, and freely license its content under Creative Commons after 9 months. They're running a fundraiser on Indiegogo with already a quarter of their funding goal reached. Will this shake up the whole publishing industry?"

Note To Management

[Anonymous Coward]

Dear Management,
Feedback isn't just the noise Jimmy Hendricks made with his guitar. It's a vital part of maintaining a quality workforce. If you fail at employee morale you will fail at keeping your staff.

Sincerely,
Your Non-Mechanized Employees

Afraid not

[mackil]

These days, all it takes to shake up the whole publishing industry is to be successful. The whole industry is in sharp decline and everyone knows it, especially those within.

I'd like to think they have a chance. Their goals are certainly noble. But I wouldn't be too optimistic.

Re:Will this shake up the whole publishing industr

[jellomizer]

Chances are probably even more minor. After they go in operation for a while and experience a lot of the decisions they need to do to stay operational, they will probably start making the same "Stupid" decisions their bosses made, that caused them to quite in disgust.

Re:No, but the Age of Information will.

[EvilSS]

Get paid for that work once. Ask for enough up front to cover your expenses for the work just like in ANY other market: See also, Mechanics. Bid, do the work, get paid; No fee each time you start the car and benefit from the work. You want more money? Do more work.

OK, I'm an author who self publishes. How, exactly, in your utopia do I get paid for my work? Who pays me? People off the street walk up and ask me to write a book they never thought of? Or in your world, and I beholden to big publishing to pay me to do "work". In that case, WHY ARE THEY PAYING ME? For a book that they will then give away? Not a very sound business practice that. The usual answer to this question from your type is "They sell the hard copy of course!" except that makes no sense either. For one, hard copy book sales are not exactly trending up. For another, their competition can go, buy one copy, wholesale copy it, and print their own version, for less since they didn't pay me to write it, so their costs are lower. That is a quick and terminal race to the bottom.

Or do you propose that I just write for free and get a job at McDonald's to keep a roof over my head?

Re:Note To Management

[bmcage]

Actually, if you read LF, you would see that indeed, those 3 write most of the articles. A 4th one also quit, but can't join Voice till January due to some contract clause.

Other good articles typically are from independents. If you look on the idiegogo page, you will see they also need a budget for such articles, based on a fixed fee per page.