The Hatchet: Lizzie Borden's Journal of Murder, Mystery & Victorian History

Is The Hatchet only available in PDF format? I want a printed version.
How often is The Hatchet published?
If the magazine is meant to be read on-screen, why is it laid out on a letter-sized page?
What are those triangle and square buttons along the bottom of the page?
The files are awfully big to download. Can't you make them smaller?
Why is the subscription cost for The Hatchet lower than some other printed magazines?
Can I share this PDF with my colleagues?
Can't you just e-mail the issue to me?
I have a Hatchet related book I'd like you to review. Will you?
I have a The Hatchet technical issue. Can you help?
How can I write an article for The Hatchet?

Is The Hatchet: Lizzie Borden's Journal of Murder, Mystery & Victorian History only available in PDF format? I want a printed version.

We want subscribers from around the world — from Japan to New York — to be able to read The Hatchet in a timely and affordable manner. By bypassing the need to print, warehouse, and ship a paper version of the magazine, we can keep our costs down and get you the best information as quickly as possible.

Another reason we chose PDF over print is that it allows us to insert interactive elements and hyperlinks in each issue, making it easy to access additional information on the Web or send e-mail to magazine contributors or advertisers. Some articles may include video clips or animations embedded into the text so you can watch how a technique is done.

We have been exploring ways to get the magazine in print and have finally found an affordable solution. Starting with the August 2005 issue, The Hatchet is now available for as a print magazine from our publishing partner LuLu.com. Subscribers can buy these issues at a discount, while all others can purchase them an issue at a time. Payment is made through LuLu.com and they send the issue directly to the customer.

How often is The Hatchet published?

For the first two years of The Hatchet (2004 and 2005) the journal was published every other month for a total of 6 issues a year. This production schedule proved to be a hectic one, and while the quality of the magazine has steadily increased with each issue, the ability to continue at this pace has become a tremendous challenge.

Consequently, starting in January 2006, The Hatchet began publishing four times a year on a quarterly basis. Subscription prices were lowered to reflect this new publication number.

The journal will be published in February, May, August, and November. On the same day as the online publication, the print version will be available on LuLu.com.

If the magazine is meant to be read on-screen, why is it laid out on a letter-sized page?

The feedback we've received is that while it's great to browse through The Hatchet on screen, when it comes to actually reading, most subscribers would rather print out just the articles they want. This is why the text isn't too big (like most on-screen docs) and isn't too small (like most for-print docs).

The page size prints reasonably well on both US Letter and A4 paper, and if you change it to facing-pages mode in Acrobat, the spreads are readable on most high-resolution screens.

What are those triangle and square buttons along the bottom of the page?

When viewing the 2005 year of The Hatchet in PDF format, you'll find four navigation buttons at the bottom of each page. The left and right arrows take you to the previous and next pages. The up arrow takes you to the top of the page (when you're zoomed in). The square button jumps to the table of contents.

The files are awfully big to download. Can't you make them smaller?

We run a number of optimization schemes to try to make the files as small as possible without compromising the quality of the graphics and the text. If you're on a slower connection, please note the size of the file before you download (it's stated on the download page). Then you can determine the best time to tie up your 'net connection!

Why is the subscription cost for The Hatchet lower than some other printed magazines?

Our subscription prices are significantly less than what many scholarly newsletters/magazines/journals charge. There are a number of publications that charge hundreds of dollars a year for hardly anything more than reprinting press releases and doing some analysis of current events.

A magazine like Newsweek can charge so little because of economy of scale: They have so many subscribers that they can easily cover their overhead and charge an enormous amount for advertising. The Hatchet has a select number of subscribers. If every person interested in Lizzie Borden subscribed, our price structure might be different.

Ultimately, we believe that the magazine's content is worth the money, or else we wouldn't be publishing it. It's like getting the value of a couple of good $10 books per year.

Can I share this PDF with my colleagues?

The Hatchet is based on the honor principle. We ask that you please don't share the issues with friends or colleagues. They can always download a free sample issue from the Web site and subscribe to the magazine if they think it will be valuable.

Can't you just e-mail the issue to me?

Unfortunately, many ISPs limit file size to prevent mailboxes getting full fast and many IT departments disallow attachments from entering their networks. We believe it is better that you control when and where to download the PDF file.

I have a Hatchet related book I'd like you to review. Will you?

We'll try. Please send product info to HatchetOnline@cfl.rr.com

I have a Hatchet technical issue. Can you help?

The goal of The Hatchet is to provide as much information as possible to enable you to get the most from The Hatchet.

We highly recommend you get involved with The Lizzie Borden Society Forum. Hatchet contributors and editors are active on this forum. Chances are someone will have the information you need.

How can I write an article for The Hatchet?

Contact our editor-in-chief, Stefani Koorey, at HatchetOnline@cfl.rr.com