Linn's Stamp News To Go All Digital.

Some time in the early sixties (1961/62) I started with an annual subscription
to Linn's Weekly for I believe $5.
Those were the days when a dollar was a dollar.
Linn's was just about the only place I received any kind of info about stamps.
And I remember each issue was thick and not just pages of adds but lots
of interesting articles and of course lists of new issues.
I would look forward to receiving each issue like a kid waiting for Christmas.

I still check out the Scott Stamp Monthly from my library but I suppose that's
the end of that also.

Even though I love reading online especially stamp forums I still like the feel
of a hard copy.

Times are changing constantly but not always for the better.

Here is the text of the announcement from page 4 of the September 9 2004 Linn's.

P H I L A T E L I C
F O R E W O R D

BY JAY BIGALKE

Linn's to go digital only,

Scott Stamp Monthly in
print will continue

CHANGE IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY

This week's issue of Linn's Stamp News marks the
moment it will be produced only in a digital format.
The final print edition, the 5,000th issue [cover date Aug 26, 2004]
is currently with the printer and operating under a slight delay.

Scott Stamp Monthly, which resumed in March 2023,
will continue to be available as a print product with
a digital edition. Those with current Linn's print-only
subscriptions will have their SSM subscription extended,
or be given a credit toward purchases on
AmosAdvantage.com.

In a memo to staff members, Amos Media CEO Rick
Amos attributed this decision to a bigger focus on
digital and website content.

"It should not come as a surprise there has been
shift in readership and advertising from print to digital,"
Amos said. "Additionally, the increasing variable
costs of a weekly print magazine is unsustainable,
and as a result we are going to move to a digital
only future for the Linn's brand, which will allow us to
reach those seeking instant access to philatelic news,
interactive content, improved searchability, real-time updates,
as well as reach new audiences."

Just like the previous print issues, the digital-only issues will
continue to be loaded into our archive available to subscribers.
There, subscribers can view each issue and also download a PDF
copy from the digital reading platform.

Future Linn's issues will continue to report the news and happenings in
the philatelic marketplace, and some weekly columns
may move to the monthly print SSM.

We also plan to utilize some of the digital tools
available via the reading platform for use in our digital
editions. We are working on a future launch of
our website that will include new features and take
advantage of new options that are possible with a
digital-only platform. As we continue to develop
that platform, we are open to your suggestions at [Linn's website]. END

That is good news.
I enjoy reading the articles by Ken Lawrence which
are always interesting and informative.
Awhile back he wrote about single usage Prexis and even though
US stamps are not anywhere close to my main collecting interests,
I found the article a very good read.
Ken Lawrence is a great philatelic writer.

Gave up on Linn's a few years back after enjoying it for 45 years. They just do not have much content these days.

I ran my first ad in Linn's in 1974 or so. Quit subscribing when we closed our store in 2017. One of my good friends, as well as a good customer, willed me a complete or nearly so run of Weekly Philatelic Gossip he purchased from Leonard Hartmann a couple of decades ago. Have meant to start plodding through it. Will now do so in memory of Linn's. At 72, I may not complete the run however...

I looked at their ad rates (from Media Kit on their website)

As I read it, a full page digital ad in 52 issues costs almost $150K $2835 per issue.

It is interesting they charge subscription to readers and want these ad rates for something 100% digital.

Has anyone experienced missing print issues of the Scott Monthly? I renewed my Print editions of the monthly with a digital copy of the weekly. I have not received the September nor the October monthly print issue? I do not think I will be renewing in February of 2025 for either. I'll use other sources for updated Scott #s or Google if needed. I liked the articles but not a very satisfied customer with the printed issues not arriving. (Not really a fan of digital magazines or books). Another customer bites the dust due to lack of service as promised.

There was a report there was a printer problem so issue would be delayed, I could not find where it was mentioned on their website,

I did go to the digital site & retrieved the information needed. The fact that there has been a 'printer' problem for 2-months (and they are only printing the monthly magazines) sounds somewhat a lack of adequate resources to provide services paid for. Let's see what November brings (if anything). I follow Linn's on FB & there was nothing mentioned as to a heads-up to this issue.

When you look at the printing services industry as a whole you see the writing on the wall for hard copy publications such as Linn's. The number of these companies has declined almost 24% just in the last six years. Labor is by far the largest component of printing companies production cost but increased energy and paper costs exacerbate the situation. I have great nostalgia for print publications but love the ability to search a PDF or store great volumes of information on my devices. Of course, hard copies cannot be corrupted (water damage or deterioration vulnerabilities though) nor do they require power to view. Digital also does b not have those chemical smells that give some of us an endorphin rush.

This is what Ken Lawrence posted on another stamp forum that he received from Amos Media on Oct 3.. What are "internal...challenges"? I wonder what advertisers think. The print weekly is no more.

Unfortunately, due to internal administrative and print production challenges, your magazines will arrive later than usual. The digital versions continue to be available as scheduled. At this time, we do not have an anticipated reinstate date for mailing the print issues but hopefully it will not be much longer.

You have the following options:

Want to continue to wait and want the back issues? If yes, then provide us with your email address and we will notify you when we have reinstated the print mailing on schedule
Want to View the issue online until we reinstate the mailing– provide us with your email address and we will provide you with a link to the digital issues. We will also notify you when we have reinstated the print mailing
Do not want the back issues – then we will reinstate your print subscription once we are back on schedule
Convert your subscription entirely to digital -- this rate is $44.99/ year whereas the print weekly is $129.99/year – switching to digital, your subscription will last more than twice as long
Cancel your subscription – refunds will take at least 10-12 weeks for delivery


We'd like to offer you one of the following - complimentary access to the digital issues or a 10% discount on your next order with AmosAdvantage.com using discount code - 202409SL. (must be used by December 31, 2024) We hope this will make up for the delay and show how much we value your loyalty.

Those aren't options. Those are 'lump it, take it or leave it' choices. Sorry, I do not play that game. They have my mailing address they need to provide a cash credit for issues not received or extend the subscription to cover the missing issues, or send the missing issues. They will find themselves out of the business with the decrease in advertisers & increasing cancelled or non-renewed subscriptions.

Cancel your subscription – refunds will take at least 10-12 weeks for delivery

Cash strapped?

Imagine if you subscribed and said you would pay in 10 to 12 weeks.

I said this previously, but I'll say it again. I always subscribed to whatever good stamp publications interested me mainly as a contribution to the health of the hobby -- kind of a "donation" from which I received a nice publication regularly. For me, it was as simple as "Here's $25. Now go write about stamp collecting and keep supporting my hobby". It seemed as simple as that. Why would I want my hobby to have no publications? Hell, even doll collectors have magazines about their hobby.

I'm not rich, but even as a teenager, I never felt that the subscription price of "Stamps" magazine or "MeKeel's" or "Western Stamp Collector" (now all dead) or "Linn's" was in any way outrageous. I enjoyed looking through all of them, so it was worth it. What I'm saying is that I never thought of subscribing to a hobby publication as some kind of business arrangement. It was for fun and for supporting this hobby and I don't much care if I don't get the last nickel out of my subscription money.

I'd much rather have a paper publication, no doubt about it. But the world is changing, and doing that would make it so expensive to write, to print, and to mail, I bet they'd have to charge $250 a year for the print edition. Or more. This is happening to all magazines and newspapers, not just Linn's. I remember years ago when we got a morning newspaper delivered and an evening newspaper delivered and there were a couple other newspapers we didn't subscribe to, but sometimes looked at. As a kid, we got more than a dozen magazines weekly in my home, maybe more. Printing costs, labor, and so on are just too much to do that today. Apparently. But being upset isn't going to change anything.
Like an old friend, it's a good idea to appreciate things when they're alive because later you won't have them around.

Linn's has lost a ton of ad revenue. Even though you could say the current Linn's has a lot of ads (proportionally), the loss of so many ads has shrunk the "paper" to a small sliver of what it once was. I don't know - maybe the ad rates got out of control.