diff --git a/tarpc/examples/pubsub.rs b/tarpc/examples/pubsub.rs
index 2bdcb4e..af65265 100644
--- a/tarpc/examples/pubsub.rs
+++ b/tarpc/examples/pubsub.rs
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 /// T9        |-----(Receive OK)------------------------------------------------->|
 /// T10       |                                 |                                 |
 /// T11       |                                 |<--------------(Publish OK)------|
+use anyhow::anyhow;
 use futures::{
     channel::oneshot,
     future::{self, AbortHandle},
@@ -39,7 +40,6 @@ use std::{
     io,
     net::SocketAddr,
     sync::{Arc, Mutex, RwLock},
-    time::Duration,
 };
 use subscriber::Subscriber as _;
 use tarpc::{
@@ -59,7 +59,6 @@ pub mod subscriber {
 }
 
 pub mod publisher {
-
     #[tarpc::service]
     pub trait Publisher {
         async fn publish(topic: String, message: String);
@@ -98,14 +97,22 @@ impl Subscriber {
     async fn connect(
         publisher_addr: impl ToSocketAddrs,
         topics: Vec<String>,
-    ) -> io::Result<SubscriberHandle> {
+    ) -> anyhow::Result<SubscriberHandle> {
         let publisher = tcp::connect(publisher_addr, Json::default()).await?;
         let local_addr = publisher.local_addr()?;
-        let (handler, abort_handle) = future::abortable(
-            server::BaseChannel::with_defaults(publisher)
-                .respond_with(Subscriber { local_addr, topics }.serve())
-                .execute(),
-        );
+        let mut handler = server::BaseChannel::with_defaults(publisher)
+            .respond_with(Subscriber { local_addr, topics }.serve());
+        // The first request is for the topics being subscriibed to.
+        match handler.next().await {
+            Some(init_topics) => init_topics?.await,
+            None => {
+                return Err(anyhow!(
+                    "[{}] Server never initialized the subscriber.",
+                    local_addr
+                ))
+            }
+        };
+        let (handler, abort_handle) = future::abortable(handler.execute());
         tokio::spawn(async move {
             match handler.await {
                 Ok(()) | Err(future::Aborted) => info!("[{}] subscriber shutdown.", local_addr),
@@ -168,7 +175,6 @@ impl Publisher {
         tokio::spawn(async move {
             while let Some(conn) = connecting_subscribers.next().await {
                 let subscriber_addr = conn.peer_addr().unwrap();
-                info!("[{}] subscriber connected.", subscriber_addr);
 
                 let tarpc::client::NewClient {
                     client: mut subscriber,
@@ -183,32 +189,12 @@ impl Publisher {
                 );
 
                 let (ready_tx, ready) = oneshot::channel();
-                let me = self.clone();
-                tokio::spawn(async move {
-                    match dispatch.await {
-                        Ok(()) => info!("[{:?}] subscriber connection closed", subscriber_addr),
-                        Err(e) => info!(
-                            "[{:?}] subscriber connection broken: {:?}",
-                            subscriber_addr, e
-                        ),
-                    }
-                    // Don't clean up the subscriber until initialization is done.
-                    let _ = ready.await;
-                    if let Some(subscription) = me.clients.lock().unwrap().remove(&subscriber_addr)
-                    {
-                        let mut subscriptions = me.subscriptions.write().unwrap();
-                        for topic in subscription.topics {
-                            let subscribers = subscriptions.get_mut(&topic).unwrap();
-                            subscribers.remove(&subscriber_addr);
-                            if subscribers.is_empty() {
-                                subscriptions.remove(&topic);
-                            }
-                        }
-                    }
-                });
+                self.clone()
+                    .start_subscriber_gc(subscriber_addr, dispatch, ready);
 
                 // Populate the topics
                 if let Ok(topics) = subscriber.topics(context::current()).await {
+                    info!("[{}] subscribed to topics: {:?}", subscriber_addr, topics);
                     let mut subscriptions = self.subscriptions.write().unwrap();
                     for topic in topics {
                         subscriptions
@@ -224,6 +210,35 @@ impl Publisher {
 
         Ok(new_subscriber_addr)
     }
+
+    fn start_subscriber_gc(
+        self,
+        subscriber_addr: SocketAddr,
+        client_dispatch: impl Future<Output = anyhow::Result<()>> + Send + 'static,
+        subscriber_ready: oneshot::Receiver<()>,
+    ) {
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            match client_dispatch.await {
+                Ok(()) => info!("[{:?}] subscriber connection closed", subscriber_addr),
+                Err(e) => info!(
+                    "[{:?}] subscriber connection broken: {:?}",
+                    subscriber_addr, e
+                ),
+            }
+            // Don't clean up the subscriber until initialization is done.
+            let _ = subscriber_ready.await;
+            if let Some(subscription) = self.clients.lock().unwrap().remove(&subscriber_addr) {
+                let mut subscriptions = self.subscriptions.write().unwrap();
+                for topic in subscription.topics {
+                    let subscribers = subscriptions.get_mut(&topic).unwrap();
+                    subscribers.remove(&subscriber_addr);
+                    if subscribers.is_empty() {
+                        subscriptions.remove(&topic);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        });
+    }
 }
 
 #[tarpc::server]
@@ -234,19 +249,13 @@ impl publisher::Publisher for Publisher {
             None => return,
             Some(subscriptions) => subscriptions.clone(),
         };
-        tokio::spawn(async move {
-            let mut publications = Vec::new();
-            for client in subscribers.values_mut() {
-                publications.push(client.receive(
-                    context::current(),
-                    topic.clone(),
-                    message.clone(),
-                ));
-            }
-            // Ignore failing subscribers. In a real pubsub, you'd want to continually retry until
-            // subscribers ack. Of course, a lot would be different in a real pubsub :)
-            future::join_all(publications).await;
-        });
+        let mut publications = Vec::new();
+        for client in subscribers.values_mut() {
+            publications.push(client.receive(context::current(), topic.clone(), message.clone()));
+        }
+        // Ignore failing subscribers. In a real pubsub, you'd want to continually retry until
+        // subscribers ack. Of course, a lot would be different in a real pubsub :)
+        future::join_all(publications).await;
     }
 }
 
@@ -280,9 +289,6 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     )
     .spawn()?;
 
-    // Wait a moment for subscribers to get set up.
-    tokio::time::delay_for(Duration::from_millis(25)).await;
-
     publisher
         .publish(context::current(), "calculus".into(), "sqrt(2)".into())
         .await?;
@@ -299,9 +305,6 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         .publish(context::current(), "history".into(), "napoleon".to_string())
         .await?;
 
-    // Wait a moment for the last publication.
-    tokio::time::delay_for(Duration::from_millis(25)).await;
-
     info!("done.");
 
     Ok(())