When I first started my blog I posted a Wild West Genre Piece. I've been reading through it and I smiled at the enthusiasm in the piece. It might not have been the best planned piece, knowing me written on the spur of the moment, but it is fun to read and most of the facts are correct...there also a passion there that is far better than an encyclopedic knowledge or a quick GOOGLE.
So what is the state of the genre at the start of 2009?
Well, for a genre that's been pronounced dead more times than Dracula, it's not doing too bad.
There are still a lot of great writers out there working in the genre and publishers like Pinnacle,Tor,Berkley, Robert Hale LTD and St. Martin's Press are still publishing new westerns as well as reprinting classics. The core audience are still there, stronger than ever, and judging by the comments on the recent Wild West Monday new people are inspired to try the genre for the first time.
Recently David Cramer and Elaine Ash's Beat to a Pulp published my western, A Man Called Masters and several people commented that it was nice to be able to read a western again. There are scores of webzines on the interweb but not that many that run western fiction so David and Elaine should get kudos for supporting the genre as well as publishing all manner of other pulp-style offerings. Check it out every week - they post one new story each week and although it won't always be a western, you can be assured it will be quality whatever the genre.
The tail end of last year saw the movie Appaloosa doing, if not spectacular, then good business at the box office. It's out in Feb on DVD in the UK. Okay the movie wasn't high profile but it's not that long ago since Jessie James and 3:10 to Yuma was keeping the westerns profile in the cinema goer's mind. And 2009 should see something from Quentin Tarantino's long awaited Italian western tribute which is in production.
On the fiction frot there are a slew of new titles upcoming from Robert Hale LTD and Dorchester Publishers as well as Tor, Pinnacle and St. Martin's Press .
All of the above publishers have some interesting titles in their upcoming lists.
The first Monday in March will be the date for the next WILD WEST MONDAY.
That's Monday 2nd March so please publicise this events on blogs, by word of mouth and smoke signals.
The way it works is that on Monday 2nd March anyone taking part pledges to visit their library or Bookshop and asks to see their western section. You don't have to buy a book but asking if they have a western section will do the trick. If the shop or libr
ary does not stock westerns then ask why, enquire if they could in the future.If we can get enough people doing this worldwide then this will show up somewhere and help bring the western genre back to mainstream prominence.
I need more people to coordinate our efforts - to encourage involvement so please anyone who cares about this very special and unique genre then please email and let me know what you're doing so I can keep TAINTED ARCHIVE readers informed. But please everyone do whatever you want to publicise the event and encourage the reading of western fiction.
Me - I'm getting interviewed by my local radio station and am hoping to be able to mention all the worldwide support for this initiative. I'm also writing and sending details of Wild West Monday to all of the print magazines that may be interested.
It would be great if anyone here could get THE WESTERN WRITERS OF AMERICAN involved in publicising the event.
The western is an important genre - a true American art form-but belonging to the world. It is a genre of excitement, romance, courage, danger, hope and above all nobility - these traits are universal.
Head over to Joanne Walpole's blog and see the side bar link to join the Black Horse Western Forum and take part in the planned author chat days.
12 comments:
Great idea - I'll give it a go. I did ask for the western section in our branch library and was shown it.
Pros:
They actually had one;
It had a reasonable selection of UK and US books;
Stock is circulated within the county so new books show up all the time.
Cons:
It was away from all the other fiction, between Large Print (of all kinds) and local history;
Not in alpha order so looking for authors is difficult.
There's a lot wrong with this picture (not uncommon I fear) and I intend to put together a silver-tongued explication of why the Westerns should be accorded the same respect as crime or SF, and not treated as a minority enthusiasm of the aged and infirm, with the assumption that readers don't care (or can't tell) who writes the stuff.
1. I love that sunset picture!
2. You don't mention the e-Book publishers in your list of those still championing the western. I had my first western published by an e-publisher and lots of the main ones Whiskey Creek Press, Wings ePress, etc. (even the erotica ones which I wouldn't touch) have good western sections. This could lead me into a discussion on the pros and cons of e-pub vs paper pubs but I'm not going there (no,sir - shaking my head frantically).
3. I'll make sure I get involved with Western Day. Your enthusiasm is annoyingly infectious (friend). :-)
Jo
To follow up on walkinghometo50's comment, it does seem a trend for westerns to be stocked and displayed in inferior ways at the public libraries.
For example, the library at Taupo, in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand, has recently re-opened in much-expanded and improved premises. But whereas the westerns were previously shelved with all other fiction, alphabetically by author, they are now in a separate section, between romance and war fiction (including, BTW, some of the Carlton pic lib collections), and they are no longer in alphabetical order.
What is the assumption here?
Western readers never learned their alphabet? (Well, it could be -- I didn't know my alphabet by rote until years after I'd begun reading; had to learn it for questions in the "intelligence" tests then included as part of the dreaded 11-plus exam.)
The assumption is readers don't care who a western is written by? This sounds more likely as an explanation and is possibly encouraged by publishers determined to sell their lines by imprints and house names only.
But is it true that western readers don't differentiate or have likes and dislikes? I once ran a Black Horse Extra Hoofprint from Martin, an archaeologist in Stockholm, who wrote, "I really don't understand what imprints are for. Or labels in the music industry. I can't even be bothered to check which publishers have put out a certain book: why would I pay any attention to the imprint? ...I keep track of writers. Is the idea that I might read and like a book from, say, the Snugglebunny imprint, and then blindly buy a lot of other Snugglebunny books?"
If like me you have an opinion on this topic (admittedly, I'm biased) maybe you could make it part of your Wild West Monday mission to check if your local library affords westerns and their readers the same consideration as they do other genres.
If they don't, follow walkinghometo50's example!
And be prepared -- don't let the assistants stump you with a question of their own like, "Well, aren't they all the same?"
I'm glad to see your "state of the western." Glad to see more is happening than I thought. I remember when westerns dominated.
Jo - yeah I'll have to post on the e book westerns available.
Everyone - let's get our thinking hats on and think how we can publicise our genre for this coming Wild West Monday. Already I've had emails from all over about the possibilites of television appearances, radio appearances, free adverts on book review web sites. WE REALLY NEED THE WESTERN WRITERS OF AMERICA'S INVOLVEMENT THOUGH.
Great post. I've definitely been wanting to get more in westerns. I've watched my share of westerns over the years, but never read a lot of western fiction though.
Monday, March 2. Got it.
Keith - there are some great westerns out there. Try and get Lonesome Dove to start out - something big and majestic
All - Visit the Broken Trails blog (link on the side bar of Tainted Archive) where the blogger makes a great comment about the state of bookshops regarding the masculine genres.
All - head over to Joanne Walpole's web for a link to join the black horse westerns forum and take part in the author chat days - http://joannewalpole.blogspot.com/
I love Western's in and on books, movies, DVDs, TV shows. It doesn't matter if they're old or new. I've got a YA Western started and I'm thinking of writing an adult one as well. I'll remember March 2.
Spectacular sunset picture on your blog. Terry Burns alerted me to your blog. I love westerns and write historical romance set in the West. Not sure if that is considered "a western" but it is too me. I'll definitely mark this on my calendar. Excellent idea!
Maggie
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