A Letter from the Publisher of Nautilus

313 点作者 juretriglav超过 7 年前

25 条评论

Might be an absurd proposition, but according to their website, the publisher is a non-profit called NautilusThink, meaning it's eligible for the Pineapple Fund (<a href="https://pineapplefund.org/" rel="nofollow">https://pineapplefund.org/</a>).Now I don't know what the odds are, but considering there's about $79m left, I'd say they aren't too far from the odds of the potential acquisition talks coming through.It won't solve the underlying issue, but it will make possible to at least think about better ways of solving it.

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brudgers超过 7 年前

This is what a company looks like when it runs out of money...except for the part of admitting it. I know it sucks for the writers that haven't been paid, but a business not paying $50,000 across more than a dozen contractors is hardly news.

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lunchladydoris超过 7 年前

Mr Steele is, on the surface at least, running Nautilus from his heart. For that, I am grateful, although I'm sure his freelancers see it quite differently. I've read a lot of excellent content there over the years. I hope that there is a way that they can pay off their debts and carry on in a similar fashion.

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monster_group超过 7 年前

Their annual digital Prime subscription is on sale for only $12. That's dirt cheap for such quality content. I just bought one. I encourage others to take advantage of this sale price and buy their subscription. (Note - I am not affiliated with them in anyway - just want to support good content.)

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tanto超过 7 年前

Just voted for Nautilus with <a href="http://nautil.us/primeuser" rel="nofollow">http://nautil.us/primeuser</a>Its definitely one of the best sources for long reads and tbh I never thought about it. They should display a support us banner like theguardian does.

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jawns超过 7 年前

I find Steele's argument that his staff never knowingly commissioned work that they knew the magazine couldn't pay for to be a total red herring.It may be true that his staff were in the dark, but he wasn't, and to the extent that he authorized them to commission that work, he permitted them to commission work that he knew the magazine couldn't pay for.Nautilus might be a first-rate science magazine, but it's only first-rate because it commissioned first-rate writers.Do you think it will ever be able to attract and retain that caliber of writers now? I certainly don't. Definitely not with Steele at the helm.EDIT: I looked up NautilusThink's 2015 IRS Form 990 (the latest available on GuideStar) and found an interesting line item. In that year, John Steele was paid $2,408,000 for "consulting fees" for the publication of the magazine. (The previous year he was paid a more modest $134,000.)

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zitterbewegung超过 7 年前

I find it very disturbing that other commentators on this post are encouraging to subscribe to this magazine. If you don’t pay your employees that’s pretty bad. If you actively mislead people into thinking that you can pay them that’s even more horrible. I find this behavior reprehensible and we should wait for this joke of a magazine to end.

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postit超过 7 年前

They stopped shipping my magazines to Europe. I believe I'm two numbers behind since august. I've sent a couple of emails complaining about it and got the same response all the times - "we're facing delays".Regardless, I believe I got at least 10 emails about donating to the magazine in the last 6 months.Maybe they're just broke, which is sad.

jocatalin超过 7 年前

I'm a prime member for nautilus for 2 years now. I can't support all the good journalism sites I visit. But that doesn't mean I (or you) shouldn't support any. Just pick one.

Rabei超过 7 年前

I find the publisher morally reprehensible, i understand that he had a dream a wanted to pursuit, but he gambled on unwilling parties money.Hope he solves it, not for his sake but that of the people he owes money.

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patkai超过 7 年前

We need an alternative to free content on the web. I often read Nautilus and never pay them anything, it's wrong. Any SV-based disruptors interested in this? These contributors are special, they contribute a lot to society and they are probably underpaid and under-appreciated.

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koliber超过 7 年前

Mr. Steele,thank you for being forthright and explaining the situation publicly. I am a reader and your open letter has prompted me to buy a subscription.I empathize with you. Making predictions about the future is difficult and there are times when they will be incorrect. When these predictions concern incoming cash and they fail to materialize, the situation becomes frustrating.I wish you all the best and hope that you will be able to overcome this challenge, as well as any future ones that come your way. I do so for the very selfish reason of being able to continue to read quality content in the future.

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reeteshv超过 7 年前

I have voted with my money! It is one of the best science magazines out there.

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chiefalchemist超过 7 年前

> "I want to again make clear that nobody on the Nautilus staff commissioned any work that they knowingly thought wouldn’t be paid for..."On one hand I feel for the guy. This is every dreamer's nightmare.On the other hand he sounds naive, if not a liar. To commission work on a deal that was still 100% unfinalized isn't exactly playing fair.Entrepreneurs are by definition optimistic. They see the opportunity as brighter and risk dim. That's great when things are going well. However, it's a dangerous trait when things go sideways.Perhaps he should have been more transparent sooner? Ya think?

maaark超过 7 年前

Why is he paying them in full, one at a time? "7 of you get to enjoy Christmas, Fuck the other 12?"

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4h53n超过 7 年前

As a reader and supporter, sad to read what's going on at Nautilus, one of the best science magazines ever. I hope they get over this in no time.

room271超过 7 年前

Is Mr Steele being paid himself during this period?

engi_nerd超过 7 年前

I am so disgusted that I have given this guy money. What a ridiculous non-apology.

tptacek超过 7 年前

If you don't know that you can pay for work that you contract, there's no high ground to seize over not knowing that you couldn't.

desireco42超过 7 年前

Some form of Kickstarter campaign would be nice. Only to bridge current situation. Nautilus is seriously good source, I would hate to lose it.

satyajeet23超过 7 年前

As a reader, this is sad to hear. Nautilus provides real quality content. One of the best magazines out there.

__strisk超过 7 年前

nautilus was the first publishing company that I subscribed to... Although I feel bad for the company, I feel worse to have given money to an organization whose owner is gambling the livelihoods of their employees.

a13n超过 7 年前

The deal's not done till it's done.

febin超过 7 年前

If they would accept bitcoin donations, I am sure a lot of people here would help.

acqq超过 7 年前

For those who ever read the articles of the magazine and wondered why the special flavor of doubt in scientific knowledge is often present there, as well as veiled "spiritual" agenda, see:<a href="http://nautil.us/about" rel="nofollow">http://nautil.us/about</a>Nautilus has received financial support from: "John Templeton Foundation"Which themselves state:"By supporting multi-disciplinary scientific, theological, and philosophical research, we aim to deepen our understanding of the possibility and purposes of the divine."<a href="https://www.templeton.org/funding-areas/science-big-questions" rel="nofollow">https://www.templeton.org/funding-areas/science-big-question...</a>

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