Home improvement - American How-To - Magazine Watch: New Magazines - Column

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Feb 1, 1994 by Lori Marden

A membership-driven title addresses the needs of the do-it-yourselfer.

With the start-up of the Handyman Club of America, North American Outdoor Group, Inc., has launched American How-To, the company's third association-member-based publication.

The new title premiered as a bimonthly with a November/December issue, providing club members with the know-how to design, build, install, maintain, repair and improve their homes. Editorial is written by experts in the home-improvement arena under the guidance of Tom Sweeney, formerly with Home Mechanix and Practical Homeowner, and addresses the interests of the do-it-yourselfer: avoiding mistakes, doing more with less, keeping up with new products and technologies, and learning from the successes--or mistakes--of others. Articles examine everything from circular saw basics, house painting and the installation of molding, to floating wood floors, skylights and computer-designed decks. Regular departments provide tips and troubleshooting ideas, lending to the publication's overall tone of promoting craftsmanship, innovation, safety and value. Walter Christie, formerly advertising director of The Family Handyman, serves as the magazine's publisher.

North American Outdoor Group also publishes North American Hunter, member publication of the North American Hunting Club, and North American Fisherman, officially linked with the North American Fishing Club. With a combined circulation of nearly 970,000, the titles have been cited by the Audit Bureau of Circulations as the two fastest-growing outdoor magazines in the country. Like its sister titles, American How-To relies on heavy cold-mail campaigns from a large universe of strong lists. For $30 a year, club members receive the magazine as well as the opportunity to test new products (from caulking compounds to power tools) and qualify for discounts on goods and services.

Advertising rates and paid circulation guarantees change with each issue--starting with a rate base of 12,000 and a black-and-white page rate of $265 for the premier issue, to a projected rate base of 195,000 and an ad rate of $4,290 for the November/December '94 issue. Address: 12301 Whitewater Dr., Suite 260, Minnetonka, MN 55343. Telephone: 612-936-9506.