THE GREAT AMERICAN WESTERN YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Short Story and Historical Article Guidelines for Submissions

The Great American Western publishes work written entirely by human authors. AI-generated or AI-assisted submissions will not be considered.

Western Fiction Submission Guidelines

The Great American Western is dedicated to preserving and promoting the Western genre by publishing original fiction from today’s writers. We welcome stories that celebrate the history, spirit, and traditions of the American West while exploring fresh voices and perspectives. Both established and first-time writers are encouraged to submit.

Submission Period

To ensure every submission receives careful consideration, we accept submissions only during designated reading periods.

Current Reading Period

• Opens: September 1, 2026
• Closes: October 31, 2026

Payment

• Payment: $0.01 USD per word, payable upon publication. Payment is based on the final edited word count of the work as published. Maximum length: 5,000 words.
• Payment is made upon publication via PayPal.
• One featured story will be published each month.
• After our reading period is concluded, authors of the selected stories will be notified. Payment will be made on the 5^th of the month in which your story is published.

Story Requirements

• Original, unpublished fiction only.
• Maximum 5,000 words.
• Must be set in the any era of the opening of the American West from colonial days until 1910 – no contemporary Westerns.
• Traditional, frontier gothic, Western noir, historical, steampunk, Weird Western, fur trade era or other Western subgenres are all welcome as long as they are set in the designated time period.
• Stories should be complete, self-contained works.
• At this time, we are not publishing serialized stories, though it is a possibility in the future as we grow.

We Are Looking For:

• Memorable characters.
• Strong storytelling.
• Authentic settings.
• Historically grounded fiction.
• Fresh takes on Western traditions.
• Action, adventure, mystery, humor, romance, or suspense.

We Are Not Looking For:

• Fan fiction.
• Previously published stories.
• AI-generated or AI-assisted fiction.
• Excessive graphic violence or explicit sexual content.
• Stories that are not clearly Western.

Submission Format (Use the Shunn Manuscript Format)

Simultaneous Submissions

Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please notify us immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere so we can remove it from consideration.

Rights

We request First Electronic Publication Rights. All rights revert to the author upon publication.

Response Time

We strive to respond within 30–60 days after the submission period closes.

How to Submit

• Email: submissions@thegreatamericanwestern.com
• Subject line: Western Fiction Submission – Story Title

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Historical Article Submission Guidelines

The Great American Western is committed to preserving the history, people, and legends of the American West. We are seeking well-researched, engaging articles that educate, entertain, and inspire readers while remaining historically accurate.

Whether you’re a historian, museum professional, author, reenactor, researcher, or simply passionate about the Old West, we encourage you to submit your work. Both established and first-time writers are encouraged to submit.

Current Reading Period

• Opens: September 1, 2026
• Closes: October 31, 2026

To ensure every submission receives careful consideration, we accept submissions only during designated reading periods.

Payment

• Payment: $0.01 USD per word, payable upon publication. Payment is based on the final edited word count of the work as published. Maximum length: 2,000 words.
• Payment is made upon publication via PayPal.
• One featured historical article will be published each month.
• After our reading period is concluded, authors of the selected stories will be notified. Payment will be made on the 15^th of the month in which your story is published.

Article Requirements

• Original, unpublished nonfiction only.
• Maximum 2,000 words.
• Articles should focus on the history of the American West.
• Writing should be accurate, engaging, and written for a general audience.
• Authors should fact-check all historical claims before submission.

We’re interested in a wide variety of subjects, including:

• Historical figures
• Lawmen and outlaws
• Native American history
• Frontier military history
• Ranching and cattle drives
• Railroads and stagecoaches
• Frontier towns and settlements
• Famous gunfights
• Lesser-known events and people
• Western women
• Cowboy life
• Western archaeology
• Historic sites
• Firearms, equipment, and frontier technology
• Western film history and the real history behind the movies

Unique or overlooked topics are especially encouraged.

We Are Not Looking For

• AI-generated or AI-assisted articles.
• Previously published material.
• Promotional content.
• Opinion pieces unsupported by historical evidence.
• Political commentary unrelated to Western history.
• Articles without adequate research.

Sources

While formal academic citations are not required, authors should provide a list of books, archival materials, websites, or other sources used in researching the article.

The Editor reserves the right to request additional source information when necessary.

Images

Authors are welcome to submit photographs or illustrations.

Please include only:

• Original images you own, or
• Public domain images, or
• Images you have written permission to publish.

Please identify each image and provide captions when appropriate.

Submission Format (Use Shunn Manuscript Format)

Simultaneous Submissions

Simultaneous submissions are welcome.

If your article is accepted elsewhere, please notify us immediately so we may withdraw it from consideration.

Rights

We request First Electronic Publication Rights.

All rights revert to the author immediately following publication.

Response Time

We strive to respond within 30–60 days after the submission period closes.

How to Submit

• Email your article to: submissions@thegreatamericanwestern.com
• Subject Line: Historical Article Submission – Article Title

Thank you for helping preserve the history of the American West. We look forward to reading your work.

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Publication Schedule

The Great American Western publishes new content throughout each month, giving every featured work its own dedicated publication rather than combining multiple pieces into a single issue. We plan to publish our first issue during Winter of 2026/2027.

Our regular publication schedule includes:

• Campfire Tales (fiction)— One original Western short story each month.
• Frontier Files (history)— One original Western historical article each month.
• The Monthly Dispatch (news)— Our monthly newsletter featuring channel updates, podcast news, upcoming guests and announcements. It will also include links to the Campfire Tales and Frontier Files.

Each story and article is published as its own individual feature.

For a typical month:

• Around the 5th – Campfire Tales (fiction)
• Around the 15th – Frontier Files (history)
• Around the 25th – The Pony Express (newsletter)

How Publication Works

Each story or article will be published on our Substack, an online publishing platform that combines a traditional website with an email newsletter.

Every accepted story or article receives:

• Its own dedicated webpage on The Great American Western Substack.
• Automatic delivery by email to every newsletter subscriber.
• Its own comments section where readers can discuss the work.
• A dedicated post on our Facebook page with 70,000+ followers with a sample of the opening paragraphs and link to the entire story.
• Promotion across our social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, X, Instagram, and other channels when appropriate.

Because each work is published individually, contributors receive far more visibility than if their work appeared as only one part of a larger magazine or newsletter.

Featured Author Section

Every published contributor will be introduced to our readers with a Featured Author section that includes:

• Author photograph
• Short biography (50–100 words)
• Website or social media links
• Links to published books or other writing
• A Featured Author post on our Facebook page with 70,000+ followers separate from the story post with a link to the author’s website. This will also appear in The Pony Express Newsletter.

Our goal is not simply to publish outstanding Western fiction and history, but also to introduce readers to the talented writers and historians helping keep the American West alive today.

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Plans for Future Expansion

As our reader list grows on Substack, we would like to publish serialized fiction. It would be a separate monthly post from the Campfire Tales story.

We also plan to increase the rates we pay our authors. We intend to stay with $0.01 USD per word for the immediate future but plan to eventually pay higher professional rates.

Our goal is simple: to build a publication that supports Western writers and historians for years to come. We believe it’s better to begin with a payment structure we can sustain and grow than to promise more than we can maintain.

At some point in the future, we may consider publishing an anthology of The Campfire Tales in eBook and paperback format. At such time a new contract will be negotiated with the writers we publish.

How Publishing on Substack Works

When published on Substack, a normal webpage is generated for each individual story or article. Each post is automatically emailed to our subscribers. However, a subscription is not required to read what we publish and never will be. Nothing will ever be hidden behind a paywall.

There is a free subscription tier and a paid tier. If you want to receive our posts in your email, then you are encouraged to subscribe to the free tier. If you wish to support what we are doing and the writers whose work we publish, then a pay option is available at $5 per month or $45 per year.

Paying subscribers will receive several perks that are still in the works, but will include behind the scenes looks at what we are working on and early access to major announcements.

Free to Read

All stories and articles published by The Great American Western are completely free to read. A subscription is not required to enjoy our featured fiction, history, or monthly newsletter.

If you’d like, you can subscribe for free to have every new story, article, and edition of The Pony Express delivered directly to your inbox so you never miss a new publication.

Your support helps us publish and pay Western writers and historians. Every paid subscription helps us publish original Western fiction, preserve Western history, and compensate the writers and historians who make this publication possible.