I have been a contributor in two issues. Before an article you have written gets published there you are asked for your permission (and given a few months free of charge of subscription.) Also, the layout design, images and all this is work someone has done, and is an awesome work. After my free months expired, I subscribed. There are always things I miss in Hacker News, reading Hacker Monthly makes sure I read the best (or what the collective intelligence+editors in HM deem the best) in the best reading outline