We’ve always been pretty transparent about what it is Halloween Love is all about. While we’re absolutely for-profit, that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s ever been any or that without it, we wouldn’t go on. We’ve always been a poor man’s entertainment site, a community for starving artists and weirdos, if you will.
While all the writing on HL comes from a place of passion, some writers that have come along are more hobby writers and others career writers (which I fully respect). I can only claim to be a hobbyist myself. I’m not sure I’m even comfortable calling myself a writer, more like a blogger that without this outlet, I can’t imagine anyone else would ever pay me to write for their site. And that’s fine, I’m comfortable knowing my place and doing what I love.
The fact of the matter is that it’s very hard to make money as an entertainment website period, let alone a niche horror site. Really, only the very top sites that get millions of readers make any real money (as they deserve — we’ve always shown love and support to other sites). I’ve put a lot of money out-of-pocket into HL, definitely over $20k at this point, but I have no regrets. It takes money to make money, but that’s not why I ever put a single dollar into HL. The primary focus of HL has NEVER been about making money, only making fun, having fun, and in that regard it’s been a success.
However, the reality is, without funding to pay writers, to host awesome giveaways like we do, the fun slows way down. I hate to admit it, but I seriously considered selling everything off recently, or hosting a GoFundMe campaign, or anything else to try and make something happen. But, honestly, I don’t even know if I would take on an investor if anyone was interested, because that seriously jeopardizes the integrity and freedom of a poor man’s entertainment site like HL. Not that something like the aforementioned ideas couldn’t work, but it all makes me a little sad just the same.
HL is different; HL is special. The readers know it, the writers know it, other content sites know it, and I know it. If you’re a regular reader of HL, you’ve no doubt noticed how slow things have gotten over the past several months, and before pushing forward for Halloween season 2016, I felt something needed to be said. Survival doesn’t have to come in the form of being absorbed into a bigger fish, asking for donations, finding investors, or just closing up shop because we’re struggling.
Maybe it comes in the form of just being still for awhile, writing when we can, inviting fellow Halloween and horror lovers in the community to write guest posts, and come up with some other fun prizes instead of the usual cash prize for this year’s annual Halloween costume contest.
Simply put: we’re not giving up. Like your favorite boogeyman, we just keep coming back.
— Love, Black
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