It was my mistake for not mentioning the upcoming digital issue will be paid. We've exchanged a few email from 13th August till 26th August while I've made the announcement (for subscription and charging for upcoming digital issue) on 18th August, so I assumed you already know by then.
The main focus of Hacker Monthly is always the print edition. It is the reason I've created Hacker Monthly in first place. Because the print edition remains the same (it's actually cheaper), that's another reason I didn't mention in the email.
Still, I regret these assumptions and for that, I sincerely apologize to you. I'm sorry.
Since this is the first non-free issue, it will give you a good idea of what your revenue/profit is (including advertising), so you have an option on the next issue to provide the authors with the option of accepting a nominal sum for their work.
That would remove any ambiguity and provide an additional incentive for writers.
The main focus of Hacker Monthly is always the print edition. It is the reason I've created Hacker Monthly in first place. Because the print edition remains the same (it's actually cheaper), that's another reason I didn't mention in the email.
Still, I regret these assumptions and for that, I sincerely apologize to you. I'm sorry.