Backwoods Home Magazine

What Backwoods Home Magazine does

Backwoods Home Magazine is a privately held bimonthly publication operated by Self-Reliance Publications LLC, founded in 1989 and based in Oregon, USA. The company produces a niche consumer magazine and digital content library serving individuals and families interested in self-reliant living, with editorial coverage spanning farm and garden, building, animals, firearms, self-reliance, food and recipes, energy, science and education, and Americana/History. The audience is composed primarily of homesteaders and self-reliance enthusiasts seeking practical, hands-on guidance rather than theoretical or mainstream lifestyle content, and the publication leans on recognized practitioner-authors such as Jackie Clay-Atkinson (a 120-acre off-grid homesteading operator) and Massad Ayoob (firearms and self-defense expert) as a key differentiator.

The core technology stack is a standard web-based content management and digital publishing platform running the backwoodshome.com website; the company does not expose any public APIs, SDKs, or mobile applications, and no AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. Product surface consists of the flagship bimonthly magazine (available in print and digital), a Digital Library for archived issue and individual-article access, BHM Yearly Anthologies (compiled annual editions), and a general online store. The company has accumulated over 177 issues of archived content, which functions as the primary intangible asset.

Revenue is generated entirely through direct-to-consumer channels: recurring subscriptions (with auto-renewal), digital library purchases, and one-time product sales from the online store. The go-to-market is self-serve via the company website, supplemented by organic content marketing through the article library, an active Facebook page (facebook.com/bhmag), and author-driven blogs. No B2B contracts, enterprise customers, or large advertising anchors are disclosed, and pricing is not publicly listed. The company has no disclosed funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no recorded M&A activity, consistent with a stable, founder- or family-controlled niche publishing operation with 1-10 employees.

Name

Backwoods Home Magazine

Legal name

Self-Reliance Publications LLC

Website

https://backwoodshome.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Backwoods Home Magazine is a privately held bimonthly consumer magazine and digital content publisher serving homesteaders and self-reliant living enthusiasts with practical articles on farming, building, food preservation, firearms, and energy. The Oregon-based company sells subscriptions, a digital library, and yearly anthologies direct-to-consumer via its website.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hobbyist Lifestyle Publishing

akta.pro primary industry

Home, Garden & DIY Magazines (MPAJAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Home & Garden Hobbies (Gardening, Floral Design, Home Decor) (EDAAAGAL)

Keywords

• Self-reliance publishing
• Homesteading content
• Magazine subscription
• Digital library access
• Practical lifestyle content

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue model providing access to the magazine's print and/or digital content. The site offers subscription options with auto-renewal capability for ongoing revenue.
2. Digital Library Access: Sale of digital content including archived issues and articles through the digital library shop section.
3. Product Store: Sale of physical products including yearly anthology compilations through the online store.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Backwoods Home Magazine is a bimonthly publication providing practical, hands-on ideas for self-reliant living across topics including farm and garden, building, animals, firearms, self-reliance, food and recipes, energy, and Americana/History. The magazine is delivered through print and digital subscriptions with auto-renewal, supplemented by a Digital Library of archived content, annual anthology compilations, and an online store. Content is authored by experienced practitioners and is targeted at homesteaders and self-sufficient-living enthusiasts.

Product overview

Backwoods Home Magazine is a single bimonthly publication focused on self-reliant living. The magazine is available through print and digital subscriptions, with a Digital Library for archived content access and BHM Yearly Anthologies for compiled annual content. An online store supports purchases of subscriptions and merchandise. The publication covers diverse homesteading topics including farm and garden, building, animals, firearms, self-reliance, food and recipes, energy, and Americana/History.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Backwoods Home Magazine Subscription A bimonthly print and digital magazine providing practical ideas for self-reliant living, covering topics such as farm and garden, building, animals, firearms, self-reliance, food and recipes, energy, and Americana/History, targeted at homesteaders and self-reliance enthusiasts.
• Backwoods Home Digital Library A digital subscription service providing access to the magazine's archived and current issue content for self-reliance enthusiasts and homesteaders seeking the full content library online.
• BHM Yearly Anthologies Annual print compilations of magazine articles organized by publication year, sold as physical anthologies to readers seeking consolidated reference volumes of homesteading and self-reliance content.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Mother Earth News: Long-running magazine and digital publication devoted to self-sufficient living, organic gardening, homesteading, and rural skills. It is the most direct content competitor to Backwoods Home, covering essentially the same homesteading/self-reliant living audience through overlapping topics (gardening, animals, food preservation, energy, building).
• Acres USA: Monthly publication focused on organic and sustainable agriculture. Targets an overlapping audience of small-scale farmers and homesteaders with practical, practitioner-driven content in a similar subscription-publishing model.
• Countryside & Small Stock Journal: Niche homesteading magazine focused on small-scale farming, animal husbandry, and rural self-sufficiency. Targets the same homesteading enthusiast reader with practical, how-to content very similar in tone and depth to Backwoods Home.
• Hobby Farms Magazine: Magazine and digital publication aimed at small-acreage and hobby farmers, covering livestock, gardening, and rural lifestyle. Sits in the same niche media segment as Backwoods Home with overlapping audience and editorial formats.
• Grit Magazine: Rural American lifestyle magazine covering homesteading, gardening, country cooking, and self-reliance. Published by the same Ogden/Recirculating News network as Mother Earth News and Hobby Farms and competes directly for the rural self-reliant living subscriber.
• Old Farmer's Almanac: Iconic annual almanac and digital publication covering weather, gardening, astronomy, and rural living since 1792. Comparable as a long-running rural/homesteader reference publication with a recurring print + digital subscription model similar to Backwoods Home's.

Broad incumbents

• Bauer Media Group: Global consumer magazine publisher with deep portfolios in lifestyle, hobby, and home categories across many geographies. A broad incumbent in consumer magazine publishing that illustrates the scale advantages and competitive pressure large publishers bring to the niche Backwoods Home occupies.
• Make Magazine: Flagship publication of the Maker Media brand covering DIY, building, and hands-on skills. Broader in scope than Backwoods Home (technology- and maker-focused) but comparable in DIY practical publishing format and subscription-based monetization.
• Dotdash Meredith: Large multi-title lifestyle and home publisher operating brands such as Better Homes & Gardens, Martha Stewart, and People. A broad incumbent that competes indirectly for home/garden/DIY audience attention and advertising dollars against Backwoods Home's niche.

Emerging players

• The Prepared: Digital-first publication and product review site covering emergency preparedness, homesteading, and self-reliance topics. An emerging, more digital-native player competing for the same preparedness-leaning segment of Backwoods Home's audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bhmag
• Xx.com/backwoodshome
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/backwoods-home-magazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Backwoods Home Magazine