six gun westerns is go

Mentioned here the other day was the new western fiction small press magazine being set up by Kerby Jackson. Well Six Gun Westerns are go but I'll let Kerby tell you all about it:




We are currently accepting submissions of western fiction, as well as non-fiction pertaining to the Old West, for our new anthology series SIX GUNS & SHOOTOUTS.

SIX GUNS is a periodic print anthology of Western fiction, interspersed with related non fiction. During 2009, we intend to publish at least two volumes of SIX GUNS & SHOOTOUTS and possibly as many as four.

If you would like to submit your work to SIX GUNS & SHOOTOUTS, please consider the following guidelines:


Genre: Western fiction set West of the Mississippi River between 1830 and 1915. We are seeking well written, short fiction with historical accuracy, compelling characters and fast moving plots. There are no word limitations and no set themes beyond the fact that your submission must be a Traditional Western. (Sorry, no space cowboys or time travelers, though we will accept stories with a supernatural element. Tales of ghosts were popular in the Old West). No excessive language, sex or gore beyond what is necessary to define the characters and to further the story. We are also seeking related non-fiction. Reprints are okay. We have no word count maximums.

Pay: If your story/article is accepted for publication in SIX GUNS & SHOOTOUTS, we are currently paying one contributor copy, plus an equal share of royalties from the profits of each sale.

Response Time: We try to respond to submissions as soon as possible, usually within 2 to 4 weeks.

Format: Please send your submission in .rtf format or in the body of an e-mail. We cannot accept submissions in MS Works. You know the drill: submissions should be proof read and free of spelling or punctuation errors, etc.



Longer Works: At this time, we are also accepting submissions of longer works in the guise of western fiction ranging from 30,000 to 40,000 words (about 120 to 140 pages), as well non fiction books (no word maximum), for stand alone publication. Short story collections or a mix of both fiction and non fiction are also welcome.

For Western fiction, we want fast moving stories with historical accuracy, believable settings and compelling characters.

Non fiction submissions can cover a wide range of topics, including local interest, just so long as it's about the period of the Old West. Photographs are considered a plus for non fiction projects.

At this time, we pay an advance of $75, plus five copies of your book for longer works upon publication. We also offer a royalty rate of 15% of all profits.


In addition to our titles being listed on Amazon.com and other online sellers, we will also actively be seeking brick and mortar distributors of our books, mostly in the guise of Western interest and book stores.

Please e-mail your submissions or queries to: kerby@western-stories.com


The Tainted Archive is excited about this - visit Kerby's blog for more details.