Fun read, thanks Simon. One complaint: I've been a subscriber to Randy's list for so long that I had a vague recollection of the fact that This is True was NOT the original name of the newsletter. I kept waiting for that part of the story, if for no other reason than to be reminded what it was. I understand you deciding not to spend a bunch of words detailing the switch from This Just In to This is True, but it's clearly part of the interesting history of Randy's pioneering publication. As a journalist, you should have mentioned it 🤗
I don’t wanna be too much of a niggler. 3,000 books sold for net $10 would’ve meant a $20 book. A 32-page newsletter cost us $1.00 a copy to print and 70 cents to mail when Randy was starting up. A book would cost a lot more. Great model if you’ve got $15,000 in cash to risk. The printer gets paid first. It’s a great peek at how print readers jump started online audiences. Thanks for taking us small publishers down the memory lane of the 90s, though. Love your newsletter!
Fun read, thanks Simon. One complaint: I've been a subscriber to Randy's list for so long that I had a vague recollection of the fact that This is True was NOT the original name of the newsletter. I kept waiting for that part of the story, if for no other reason than to be reminded what it was. I understand you deciding not to spend a bunch of words detailing the switch from This Just In to This is True, but it's clearly part of the interesting history of Randy's pioneering publication. As a journalist, you should have mentioned it 🤗
I don’t wanna be too much of a niggler. 3,000 books sold for net $10 would’ve meant a $20 book. A 32-page newsletter cost us $1.00 a copy to print and 70 cents to mail when Randy was starting up. A book would cost a lot more. Great model if you’ve got $15,000 in cash to risk. The printer gets paid first. It’s a great peek at how print readers jump started online audiences. Thanks for taking us small publishers down the memory lane of the 90s, though. Love your newsletter!