It's small, but I like what you've written about it

Dynamic Resource Group (DRG) in Berne, Indiana, will begin publishing a new bi-monthly magazine in mid-January called Town Square, which will circulate in the United States and Canada to celebrate life in small towns. It will be almost entirely reader-written.

Who, you may well ask, is DRG? It is a well established, family publishing and printing company that operates somewhat below the radar of the magazine publishing world. Wholly owned by the Musselman family, it has been in business since 1925 and publishes an astonishing range of 14 very profitable craft magazines, as well as books and catalogues, catering to those interested in knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, and related handcrafts. And they do contract publishing as well as operating a fulfillment service out of a 60,000 square foot facility in Big Sandy, Texas.

DRG will promote the new magazine in its existing magazines and in electronic newsletters (the company also operates 40 (!) public websites. Other DRG magazines (all of which can be found on Canadian newsstands) include Quilter's World, Creative Knitting, Good Old Days, Simply Beads, Paper Works and Home Cooking. The magazines are published under five different brands: Annie's Attic; American School of Needlework; House of White Birches; Clotilde; and the Needlecraft Shop.

The company hasn't said how large the circulation of Town Square will be, but makes the somewhat overblown claim that this is a brand new idea (which will come as a surprise to magazines like Our Canada, from Reader's Digest). Here is the promotional copy from the Town Square website.

Town Square is the first and only magazine that celebrates life in the smaller North American communities, where you count your neighbors as friends and you can count on them in a pinch. It's a world of laughter and surprises, friendship and caring.

There's a more relaxed pace in smaller towns, and yet, these friendly places are filled with enough activity and fun to rival anything found in big cities. Those who live in small communities know it, and Town Square is being published to prove it.

So many magazines these days are published to highlight city life, we felt it was high time small towns received a little recognition, too. And if you agree, you can be published in this exciting new magazine, and give your town some well-deserved notice, too!