In 2016, I wrote a Western. I primarily work in horror and that is indeed my favorite genre, but I grew up with Westerns and have always loved that genre as well. I had an idea bouncing around in my head since college and finally decided to put it on paper during the Big Snow of ‘16, when several snow days had me at home.
I’ve tried to find a publisher for it, but Westerns are a tough market right now. Even short stories are in limited demand. I know it’s going to be a very hard pitch for an agent, especially considering this Western has some elements not usually seen in the genre (gay and lesbian representation, mental health themes, and discussions of self-harm for the most part). I’ve submitted it to one publisher who was taking unagented submissions and they declined it. As I said, I know it’s a hard sell.
I was going to publish it for free on Royal Road, and for a few days it was available there. But this novel deserves to be in print, and it deserves to have the potential to make me money. I’m proud of it. I think it’s good. I don’t want to just give it away. I spent days upon days with these characters in this setting and it deserves better treatment than simply being posted online on a free website.
So I’ve decided to publish it independently. It will release on November 11th. The Kindle edition is up for pre-order now but there will also be a paperback and a hardback. If you’re only concerned with supporting me and have no preference of a physical book over a digital one, I get more royalties from the Kindle edition.
I hope you read it. I hope you enjoy it. I’d love to hear what you think of it.