Haynes Manuals won’t print any “new” DIY guides

Haynes Manuals, the constant companion of thousands of DIYers, says it will not print any new how-to books. Instead, get ready for a new digital how-to product.

That doesn’t mean it won’t print the titles in its existing lineup—on Twitter, Haynes said “Whilst we will no longer publish new print Workshop Manuals, we will continue to print and publish our huge back catalogue.” Whew! Mark will still be able to find a printed-off copy for his Harley, then.

Haynes went on to tweet that it would continue to develop DIY guides for new vehicles, but these guides would not be printed on paper. Instead, Haynes said it’s working on a “new automotive maintenance and repair product that covers around 95% of car makes and models.” Presumably, that will include motorcycles as well, although there’s no guarantee. 

Haynes Manuals has been in flux ever since founder John Haynes died in 2019. After his death, the publishing business was sold to Infopro Digital, a French outfit that focuses on automotive digital publishing. Obviously, this was the way of the future for Haynes as well.

Whatever this “new automotive maintenance and repair product” is that Haynes is working on, there’s certainly potential. Presumable, it’ll be some sort of e-reader that’s intended to take the punishment of a workshop—greasy fingers, etc. However, going digital allows for many new possibilities, particularly if we’re talking about an e-reader connected to the Internet. This could potentially allow for embedded demonstration videos, or easy click-through links to parts sources, or other possibilities.