Saddlebag Dispatches

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If you like stories of the West, you’ve come to the right place. But we don’t just tell stories of the Old West. If a tale takes place west of the Mississippi and has the spirit of the Old West in it—even if it involves pickups and highways instead of horses and dusty trails—this is where it belongs. In addition to fiction, we publish the best nonfiction about the West as well as poetry, interviews, and…well, pretty much anything to do with the West. Are you getting the idea we like things western?
Saddlebag Dispatches is seeking original, previously-unpublished short stories, serial novels, poetry, and non-fiction articles about the West. These will have themes of open country, unforgiving nature, struggles to survive and settle the land, freedom from authority, cooperation with fellow adventurers, and other experiences that human beings encounter on the frontier. Traditional westerns are set west of the Mississippi River between the end of the American Civil War and the turn of the twentieth century. The western is not limited to that time, however. The essence is openness and struggle. These things are happening now as much as they were in the years gone by.

Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2014

Publication Media & Frequency

Electronic Publication	Electronic Publication	Published 3 x per year.
Print Publication	Print Publication	Published 3 x per year.

Fiction Open

Dates:

Rolling Deadlines: Check cutoff dates.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Americans, People in a specific region.

Genres:

Genre	Subgenres
Western Western	Open to all/most Subgenres.

Lengths:

Short Story

2,000 - 4,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.

Topics:

Agriculture/Agricultural Sciences (See guidelines), History (History of countries/regions), Nature/Environment (Nature, See guidelines), Place/Regions (Specific region), Other (May vary).

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) Token payment. Details: USD $10-$20.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Nonfiction Open

Dates:

Rolling Deadlines: Check cutoff dates.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Americans, People in a specific region.

Lengths:

Article

1,500 - 2,500 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.

Topics:

Agriculture/Agricultural Sciences (See guidelines), History (History of countries/regions), Nature/Environment (Nature, See guidelines), Place/Regions (Specific region), Other (May vary).

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) Token payment. Details: USD $10-$20.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Poetry Open

Dates:

Rolling Deadlines: Check cutoff dates.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Americans, People in a specific region.

Genres:

Genre	Subgenres
Western Western	Open to all/most Subgenres.

Lengths:

Poem

Up to 30 lines.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.

Topics:

Agriculture/Agricultural Sciences (See guidelines), History (History of countries/regions), Nature/Environment (Nature, See guidelines), Place/Regions (Specific region), Other (May vary).

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Saddlebag Dispatches Submission Statistics — Free Preview!

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Accuracy	We have received 2 reports from 2 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Pending	2 responses are pending (23 min \| 106.5 mean avg \| 106.5 median \| 190 max days waiting \| 118.1 std dev) from 2 different members This only includes pending reports from users who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

Most recent response reported was received on 07 Sep 2024.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 30 Jul 2024.

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Dates

Last Updated: 03 Mar 2025
Last Audited: 15 Dec 2024. (We audit each active listing twice a year. Learn more at link.)
Date Added: 03 Mar 2015

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