Changes Ahead For “Arts & Crafts Homes”

Note:  After publication of the article below, editor-in-chief Patricia Poore asked if she could provide some additional information:

To all of our mutual colleagues,
The announcement that Arts & Crafts Homes has ceased publication was misleading. For those who did not read the entire article, here are the facts:
ACH continues to follow readers migrating to different publishing platforms. We are expanding our website, continuing publication of 26 eNewsletters per year, and printing a large annual Arts & Crafts Homes “bookazine,” which promises greater newsstand appeal in that changing marketplace. Social media partnerships continue.
Old House Journal, the group’s flagship publication, gets 24 additional pages per issue, largely devoted to early 20th-century homes, and recently saw a 30% increase in subscribers. Published 8x per year, OHJ will deliver more readers to our advertisers than the Arts & Crafts Homes quarterly did.
We continue our longstanding support of the Arts & Crafts Conference. All the staffers you know are still with the company, and many of us will see you in Asheville!
Patricia Poore, Editor-in-chief
Here, then, is the article:

Active Interest Media, the publisher of Arts & Crafts Homes and Old House Journal, has announced it will no longer publish Arts & Crafts Homes as a quarterly print publication.

Editor-in-chief Patricia Poore explained that “the publisher’s company-wide strategy is to put resources into flagship print products, in this case an expanded Old-House Journal, while migrating niche content to web publishing platforms. Our focus will keep print flourishing, while meeting the changing needs of current readers and attracting the next-generation audience.”

As she went on to explain, “Thirty or 40 years ago, the “old house niche” was Old-House Journal. Twenty-five to 10 years ago, that niche was large enough, and print was still strong enough, to support spinoff print products, including Arts & Crafts Homes.

“In the past decade, multiple cascading changes have become market givens: internet speed, smart-phone mobile, newsstand shakeups, bookstore closings, audience habits, pricing structures, the failure of direct mail for subscriber acquisition, digital content growth, YouTube—the list goes on. Evolving along with the audience, our niches are now delivered as websites, through social media, and as special interest annuals in “bookazine” format.”

Their plan is to grow Old House Journal, which is printed eight times per year, “from recent small issues (84-92 pages) to a minimum book size of 108 pages, with better paper and production values. The increased coverage largely covers Arts & Crafts and other 20th-century houses. We’re also integrating new work, such as authentic revival homes, back into Old House Journal.”

Arts & Crafts Homes print subscribers will receive Old-House Journal until their expiration date.

In addition, the company plans to continue publishing their annual Resource Guide, the website ArtsAndCraftsHomes.com, and their Arts & Crafts Homes newsletter.

Patricia Poore added, “There’s no erosion in the Arts & Crafts niche or interest in the revival. I want to be clear on that! Our new strategy addresses how people use media, that’s all. We’re going to focus on fewer, better print products, and digital and web-based information. Print is not the only platform we use. We have wide consensus that our digital and web strategies are paramount, both as ways to serve the audience migrating to non-print source—and the best way to reach the next generation.”

“As far as the market is concerned—that being our advertisers and readers — we are here for you! Revenues that keep publishing afloat are coming from integrated campaigns that include print, website, email, social media, and such marketing services as video, native content, and so on. We can help clients figure it all out.”

The former Arts & Crafts Homes magazine staff, now providing content for Old House Journal, will again be in their booth in the Books, Magazines & More Show at the National Arts and Crafts Conference (pictured) at the Grove Park Inn on February 16-18.

 

 

 

 

 

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