About Selbst ist der Mann

Selbst ist der Mann

Selbst ist der Mann is a German monthly do-it-yourself magazine published by the Bauer Media Group. First issued on 1 November 1957, it is one of the oldest continuously published DIY titles in Europe, offering its readers step-by-step building instructions, tool tests, and material know-how for home and garden projects. With audited sales of around thirty-five thousand copies and a distributed circulation above forty-six thousand in early 2026, the magazine serves the classic German Heimwerker audience: homeowners and tenants who prefer to build, repair, and renovate themselves. Its website, selbst.de, extends the print offering with additional instructions and information.

Overview

Selbst ist der Mann appears once a month and is aimed at DIY enthusiasts of all skill levels. Each issue presents a mix of building projects with complete material lists and step-by-step instructions, practical tests of tools and machines, and advice on materials and working techniques. Recent issues illustrate the range: building an outdoor kitchen from stone, renovating a bathroom by painting over old tiles, constructing raised garden beds, insulating ceilings to cut heating costs, and testing robotic lawn mowers, vacuum robots, and smart-home systems.

The editorial formula addresses the reader as a capable maker. Professional tips from every trade accompany the projects, and the instructions are graded by difficulty so that beginners and experienced builders each find appropriate challenges. The goal, in the publisher's description, is to deepen readers' knowledge of materials and working steps sustainably while delivering the satisfaction of successful projects in house and garden. Tool advice is integral: the magazine does not neglect guidance on choosing and using the right equipment.

The magazine is sold at newsagents for 4.80 euros per issue, with an annual subscription at 57.60 euros. The IVW-audited figures for the first quarter of 2026 put sold circulation at 34,749 copies and distributed circulation at 46,353, with a historically reported reach of 0.85 million readers. The editorial office is in Cologne, while the publishing house, Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG, is headquartered at Burchardstrasse 11, 20077 Hamburg. Katja Fischborn became editor-in-chief in 2026.

History

The first issue of Selbst ist der Mann appeared on 1 November 1957 in the Brink & Herting publishing house of Hamburg. Its target audience was the postwar reconstruction generation: once basic needs were met, Germans could turn to interior decoration and furnishing, and DIY offered a way to do so at manageable cost. The timing captured a social transformation, as rising prosperity and homeownership created a mass market for home improvement. The magazine's early years coincided with the do-it-yourself wave that swept Western Europe in the late 1950s and 1960s, when new power tools brought professional capabilities into the home workshop for the first time.

Austrian and Swiss editions appeared from 1958 to 1962, published in Vienna and Zurich respectively, before the title consolidated on the German market. With issue 10/1963 the magazine moved to the Wort und Bild Verlagsgesellschaft of Darmstadt, where under editor-in-chief Günter Kyi it was merged with the titles ff, Frohe Freizeit, and Mach mit. With issue 1/1971 the Heinrich Bauer Fachzeitschriften-Verlag of Cologne took over the title, and it has belonged to the Bauer Media Group ever since.

The magazine absorbed the East German DIY journal Practic with its December 1992 issue following reunification, carrying the Practic name in its imprint until August 2003, a small but telling detail of how West German publishing integrated the East's media landscape. From 1990 to 2009 selected content appeared in book form through the Moewig Verlag, and in November 1996 the editorial website went online with magazine content and supplementary information, an early web presence for a German special-interest title.

Coverage and Content

The project instructions are the magazine's heart. Each issue's building projects span the home-improvement universe: masonry and garden construction, bathroom and kitchen renovation, furniture building, insulation and energy saving, garden design, and smart-home installation. Material lists, cutting plans, and sequential photographs or illustrations guide readers through every step, and difficulty ratings help them choose projects that match their skills.

Tool and product tests form the second pillar. The newsroom tests workshop vacuums, jigsaws, sanders, pruning shears, robotic mowers, and household appliances such as vacuum robots, comparing models on performance, handling, and value. These tests serve the purchasing decisions of readers who invest seriously in their equipment, and they give manufacturers a valued independent assessment. The testing methodology emphasizes practical use rather than laboratory values: how a tool feels in the hand, how it performs on real materials, and whether it justifies its price for the home workshop.

Advice content covers materials science for the lay builder: working with silicone, choosing mortar, protecting wood without chemicals, bending wood with steam, and understanding insulation materials. Energy topics have grown in prominence, from insulating ceilings to installing solar systems for the home, reflecting both reader interest and public policy. Garden coverage follows the seasons, with projects for planting, pond building, and outdoor living. Reader puzzles and prize competitions, often sponsored by garden and tool brands, add a playful interactive layer to the practical content.

Organization and Ownership

Selbst ist der Mann is published by the Bauer Media Group through the Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG of Hamburg, one of Germany's largest publishing houses. The editorial office is located in Cologne, and Katja Fischborn took over as editor-in-chief in 2026. The magazine carries the print ISSN 0037-1157.

Within Bauer's portfolio, the title belongs to the home, garden, and DIY segment, benefiting from the group's distribution, subscription marketing through Bauer Plus, and digital infrastructure. The business model combines newsstand sales, subscriptions, and advertising from tool manufacturers, building-material suppliers, garden companies, and DIY retailers. Special editions and bookazines extend the brand around seasonal topics.

Digital Presence

The magazine's website, selbst.de, has been online since November 1996, making it one of the longest-running magazine websites in the German DIY sector. It carries magazine content alongside supplementary instructions, tips, and information, serving both as a companion to the print issue and as a searchable archive of projects. E-paper editions are available through the publisher's digital channels and library platforms, and subscriptions are marketed through the Bauer Plus shop with premium incentives.

For a practical magazine, the website's function is primarily utilitarian: readers look up a project, check a material list, or find the right tool test. The long online history means the archive holds decades of accumulated DIY knowledge, a resource that keeps the brand relevant between monthly issues and introduces new readers to the title through search. Video tutorials and step-by-step galleries translate the print instructions into the visual formats younger makers expect.

The DIY Classic

Selbst ist der Mann has accompanied German home improvement through nearly seven decades: the reconstruction years, the homeownership boom, the garden culture of the suburbs, the energy-saving era, and the smart-home present. Its longevity reflects a durable insight about its audience: the satisfaction of building something with one's own hands does not go out of fashion, it only changes its projects. As long as Germans own homes and gardens, a magazine that teaches them to improve both will have readers, and the title's sixty-eighth year shows no sign of that changing anytime soon for this enduring DIY institution.