The western is apparently a languishing genre in American publishing. Of the half million printed "Literature and Fiction" books listed on Amazon, a little more than 17,000 are categorized as "Westerns.” But that is Buchanan's forte. It's in her blood and the story of Montana's vigilante period was the story she wanted to tell. As she says, "Daddy was a cowboy!” Rather than struggle with finding an agent to try to sell her book to a publisher, Buchanan opted to self-publish. She was already the author of three traditionally published nonfiction books, so she knew what she was getting into.
Q: Your first novel, God's Thunderbolt, has already been a critical success, winning the Spur Award. Do you have any other criterion for considering the book a success?
A: Financial. I always knew publishing was a business and that once it was in print I would have to sell copies in order to break out of the "hobby" category.
Q: Did you self-publish primarily to establish yourself as a fiction writer, since your other books are nonfiction?
A: When I started to think about self-publishing, I had no expectations beyond hoping the book would do okay. I had a hunch it might because no really good historical novel about Montana's Vigilantes had ever been published, and our history is important to Montanans. I had no thoughts then that I recall anyway about establishing myself as a fiction writer. In my view, it's a financial success because the earnings are approaching the advances I made with two of my traditionally published nonfiction books. I had no expectation for financial success other than that it should make money and not lose it.
Q: Your book is targeted for people interested in Montana. What would you do differently if you wanted the book to sell to a more general audience?
Article comments
1 - Heidi M. Thomas
God's Thunderbolt is an excellent book, well-written and thought-provoking. I'm very proud to say I know Carol and congratulate her on her prestigious award!
Heidi