Contribute

Submit Your Articles to the Journal or SaddleBag

Guidelines for Contributors

The Wild West History Association (WWHA) is dedicated to facilitating and encouraging research, study, writing, presentation, and preservation of the history of the Wild West, providing publications and forums for the enlightenment and enjoyment of its members, and to recognizing and honoring those individuals and institutions which make significant contributions to the knowledge and preservation of its history and lore.

To achieve and further these aims, WWHA actively supports and seeks to publish research into all aspects of the history of the people, events, and places that made the American West “wild” in the last half of the nineteenth century: the lawmen, outlaws, gunfighters, rustlers, vigilantes, feuds, shady ladies, saloons, cowtowns, and mining camps.

WWHA has two publications, the Journal, published four times a year, plus a newsletter called the SaddleBag. Articles on all aspects of the history of the Wild West are welcome. All submissions should be sent to Matthew Bernstein, editor of the Journal. They will then be reviewed and vetted by a WWHA member with expertise in the aspect of the Wild West covered in the article.

Editorial Board

• John Boessenecker
• Dan Buck
• Kurt House
• Gary Roberts
• Michael Wallis
• Roy B. Young

Letters of inquiry are welcome; advice and assistance always available. If you are writing or have completed an article on any aspect of western history and wish to submit it to WWHA for consideration, please read the guidelines which follow.

Getting It Right

Have you done some original research on frontier history that begs for a wider audience? Have you discovered facts, photographs, fresh insights into the lives and times of such famous figures as Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, Butch and Sundance or Wild Bill, or alternatively, unpublished details about some little-known but significant event in the colorful pageant of the American West? If so, the Wild West History Association wants to publish your findings.

Before you start writing, however, there are a few things you need to know. First and foremost, you must write clearly. Tell your story simply and without adornment. Keep your sentences relatively short and to the point, avoid using words whose meaning you are unsure of, and, unless you are quoting someone's actual words, avoid slang or profanity.

Critical or personal attacks of a hostile nature on another article or person will not be countenanced. Submissions must always be based on documented fact. Conjecture or supposition must be clearly stated as such. Always remember, when considering what to write and how to write it, that you are addressing a sophisticated readership who may already know a great deal about the subject you are addressing. You will need to convince them of the originality and comprehensiveness of your research and the validity of your conclusions by citing your sources either in the body text or in the form of footnotes.

To ensure that your work is presented properly and readably, WWHA's editorial board is and will be there to assist you, to help make your contribution as accurate, as literate and as accessible as possible. If you are contemplating writing an article or have a work in progress, but are uncertain of how to proceed or whether it would be suitable for publication, the editor will be happy to advise you or to refer your question to an appropriate member of the board. Our aim is and will be always to enhance and clarify your work; indeed, like no other publication of its kind, the WWHA Journal guarantees you will always be given a final opportunity to review the edited piece before it goes to press.

For instructions on how to prepare and to submit your manuscript, please contact the editor.

Submit Your Book Reviews to the WWHA Journal

Guidelines for WWHA Journal Book Reviews

1. Style: The style manual we use is Chicago Style.
2. Length: Shoot for 500 words; consider the importance of the book if you need to go longer. The editor may need to shorten longer reviews.
3. Review header: Title in italics and bold type, author, publisher, year, pages, price. E.g., Rodeo Madness by Charles Malty (Remuda Press, 2008), 328 pp., soft cover, $27.00.

   The review might be nothing more than a lucid summary of what the book is about. You might mention other titles on the subject, working around to where the book under review fits. Quoting an excerpt or two is often useful, especially if you wish to offer an example of the author's writing style or theme. Which leads me to: If the book presents a theme, makes an argument, or offers a revisionist point of view, explain it clearly, even if you disagree with it. If you wish to take issue, do so reasonably, which is to say, plausibly.

4. Smiled on: Fresh, lively writing. Frowned on: Excessive nit-picking, snarkiness, and cliches. Avoid cliches like the plague, as Churchill once said, such as: This book belongs on the shelf of every/This book is required reading for. The review should make your commendation clear without dinging the reader on the head. Also frowned on, qualifiers and superlatives such as fascinating, iconic, amazing, infamous, and so on. If you think the book is full of fascinating anecdotes, give the reader an example. Show don't tell, as the adage goes.
5. Advice from E.B. White: Omit needless words.
6. Smiled on: Fresh, lively writing.
7. Frowned on: Excessive nit-picking, snarkiness, and cliches. Cliches especially frowned on: This book belongs on the shelf of every/This book is required reading for. The review should make your commendation clear without dinging the reader on the head. Also frowned on, qualifiers and superlatives such as fascinating, iconic, amazing, infamous, and so on. If you think the book is full of fascinating anecdotes, give the reader an example. Show don't tell, as the adage goes.
8. Advice from E.B. White: Omit needless words.
9. Conflicts: If there's a potential conflict of interest, negative or positive, let me know so we can resolve it. For example, the author of the book you have been assigned had previously written a harsh review of your book; the author is a personal friend of yours. You should not review a book because you are acknowledged in it or wrote a blurb for it.
10. Inspiration: Check out reviews — especially the difficult art of the brief review — in the book section of The New Yorker, newyorker.com; The Atlantic, theatlantic.com; Financial Times, ft.com; and Publishers Weekly, publishersweekly.com.
11. Finally, and most importantly, when you're finished writing the review, print it out and put it aside. A day or two later, read it over slowly. If it passes muster, send it on.
12. There are exceptions to every guideline, just make certain you have a good reason.
13. Please do not use your review as an opportunity to excessively recapitulate what you have written on the same topic.

P.S. You retain the copyright to your review, though we would appreciate it if you did not republish it elsewhere until three months after it appears in the WWHA Journal.

Make certain you contact the book review editor if you have a book in mind that you'd like to review. That way you can be certain he hasn't already assigned the review, and that the book falls within the subject matter of the Wild West History Association.

Advertise in the WWHA Journal

Reach the readers who keep every issue

What is the Journal of the Wild West History Association?

One never knew what they would find when opening a newspaper published in a rip-roaring cow-town like Dodge City or a mining camp like the “Town Too Tough To Die” — Tombstone. There were stories of stage hold-ups, train robberies, assorted shootings and enough mayhem to keep a lawman and judge busy for months. There were stories of saloon openings, new mineral strikes, land disputes, and the comings and goings of the famous and the infamous — exciting reading to be sure!

The Journal of the Wild West History Association reads much the same way! It is a unique look into a time and place; and a state-of-mind that is truly part of the American landscape, and the fabric of American culture. With articles written by some of the best historians and researchers working in the field today, the WWHA Journal helps preserve, for present and future generations, the events and places that made the wild-west wild!

Each issue is 72–80 pages of exciting reading; well-researched articles that depict true stories of a colorful period. Each issue is sure to be read cover-to-cover by avid wild-west fans and retained for future reference which means an advertiser's message will be seen again and again.

In addition to the great articles, each issue will feature a book review section, divided into four parts. “Reading The West” will feature reviews on the latest books of the genre, “Off The Press” will be a list of books just released or about to be released, “The Book That”, a personal essay from a WWHA member about a book fondly recalled, and “Reviewed Elsewhere” a report on what other periodicals are saying about the literature of the West.

Who Will You Reach With A Journal Ad?

The Journal of the Wild West History Association is sent quarterly to each WWHA member, some of the best authors, researchers and personalities involved with Wild West research and lore. Many are experienced actors, re-enactors, speakers, consultants and writers; all share the love of reading about the Wild West.

Take Advantage of the Get Acquainted Bonus

To help us get acquainted, all charter advertisers will get a link from the WWHA web site to their own web site for the term of the advertising period, no matter what size ad is purchased; greatly enhancing the number of potential customers reached.

Please contact us today to place your ad and take advantage of the “Get Acquainted Bonus” offer.