In Print: The Paper
The full-color, 32-page paper publishes quarterly. Printed in Bozeman, Montana, it ships directly to your address of choice as part of our annual Substack subscription.
We collaborate with some of the best outdoor writers today to create long-form narratives, reported stories, columns, and more in an effort to resuscitate the fun of traditional publications with the ease of online communities.
You can also buy individual copies via The Westrn Store:
Get The Spring Issue and/or pre-order the Summer Issue today!
Meet The Westrn in Print
We’re excited to stand out on Substack as a publication that combines digital long reads with a print offering. Our 32-page quarterly newspaper includes:
Long-form writing, reported stories, photo essays, and digital long reads in print
The “Dear Dirtbag” advice column
A nationwide outdoor events calendar
Classified ads where you can sell gear, amplify your work, or write one hell of a personal ad
A down-and-dirty outdoor '“Crosswrd” worthy of the New York Times
Photos, art, and writing by and for outdoorsy kids
An interview with a standout member of our community
Outdoor gear information, reviews, and stories
Seasonally themed issues, including our Holiday Issue that doubles as gift wrap
Looking for solutions to The Western crossword from our print quarterly?
Newspaper FAQs
How do I subscribe or purchase the paper?
You can purchase individual issues for $10 in our store.
Subscribe annually to our Substack and receive all four issues published in the next 12 months, in addition to supporting and receiving our digital content.
When will The Westrn arrive?
Our 2025 ship dates are April 1, July 1, October 1, and December 1.
I’m a subscriber! Why haven’t I received my paper?
If you’re an annual or founding subscriber, you’ll need to fill out our mailing form in order to receive your paper!
Is The Westrn tied to geography?
No. We serve the outdoor community writ large, regardless of our namesake. We have editors in Montana, Texas, and New York, and we welcome any outdoorsperson into our circle — whether they live in a Brooklyn studio, a remote yurt in Alaska, or a beachside hut in Hawaii.
How does distribution and privacy work?
We’re keeping it simple. The print product will be available to all annual paid and founding subscribers as a perk of their subscription.
Annual paid subscribers must fill out this Google Form to submit a mailing address. If you want to receive the newspaper and are not currently a yearly paid subscriber, we recommend upgrading your subscription.
We’re abiding by Substack’s terms of service, and we’ll make you a certifiable, undeniable, absolutely positive promise that we will never sell any of your personal data to anyone. Ever. We are not a lead list generator; we are a community builder.
Can I buy extra copies or bulk copies for my business, friends, etc.?
Yes! You can preorder individual copies on our online store. And if you’d like to buy more than 15 copies, reach out to nicole@thewestrn.com and she’ll get you our handy dandy bulk discount.
How will this connect me more deeply to an in-person outdoor community?
Our Community Board section will feature a 90-day event calendar, classified and personal ads, a place to celebrate outdoor achievements, a youth section, and other community-building elements. We’re also negotiating discounts for TW subscribers with advertisers, events, and more.
We hope people and organizations from across the country will help us build robust opportunities for people to get together in like-minded and in-person spaces.
How can I contribute as an individual?
You can find examples, breakdowns, links, and more on our Community Board page.
How can I contribute as a professional freelance writer?
Submissions for the summer issue are currently closed.
We’ll open pitches for both the fall and holiday issue in mid-July. Please review our pitch guide here.
Executive Editor Kestrel Keller oversees the freelance content side of The Westrn. We pay fair market rates for writing, but we’re limited in scope with just four issues of the paper in 2025. If we reject your pitch, we’re ready to hear your next idea. Please keep us posted.
Sorry, we’re not interested in free writing, pieces that have published or are in consideration elsewhere (yes, that includes Substack), articles written on spec, or completed work.
How does advertising work?
We have dedicated space for paid advertising — like every newspaper that’s come before us and every newspaper that will follow. We believe in the power of organizations to foster community between humans, and we want to create new avenues of partnership in that vein.
Ad space will be limited, however, as our main focus is quality writing and community building. Discounted rates for display ads will be available for nonprofits, small businesses, and tax-exempt organizations. These rates start at just $200 for 1/8 page ads. We want to create affordable and accessible advertising opportunities for every business serving our community.
We also occasionally work with partners on The Roundup, our monthly newsletter, if they offer something directly to our online community.
Please contact Editor-in-Chief Nicole Qualtieri for an ad rate card at nicole@thewestrn.com.
You’re still publishing on Substack, right?
Yes! You will still receive at least two long reads and one newsletter per month. Despite our gripes about digital media, we still hope to reach as many interested readers as possible. This is the great upside of being on Substack. We love it here.
Will monthly Substack subscribers receive the newspaper as part of their subscription, too?
Unfortunately, no. We absolutely love our monthly subscribers, but we need a baseline amount of income to cover print, shipping, and production costs for the year. We think $50 is a pretty good deal for what we’re offering.
And if you’re a yearly subscriber but don’t want the newspaper, you are always welcome to opt out while still enjoying our online content. Just ignore the Google Form.
Is everything mentioned above set in stone?
Simply put, no. We’re taking a leap and trying something new, which we feel emboldened to do thanks to our amazing readership. In that sense, we’ll ask for some grace as we get underway and work the kinks out.
Our core, unwavering promises to you are as follows:
We will continue to publish two long reads and one newsletter each month online. These are always accessible to everyone for the first two weeks and then stored in a paid archive.
Yearly paid subscribers will have the opportunity to receive all 2025 newspaper issues, free of additional charge. That includes current annual subscribers.
We will never sell or share your personal information to anyone.
Our reporting and storytelling will never be influenced by third-party interests. We believe in the clear separation of editorial and advertorial content, and our work will continue to reflect that belief.
All monetary support goes directly to the dream of building fair wages for our team, the freelancers we hope to work with, and the many needs of a budding small business. Your financial support means the world to us.
Recap the publishing timeline, please?
Spring Issue ships April 1
Summer Issue ships July 1
Fall Issue ships Oct. 1
Winter/Holiday Issue ships Dec. 1
Any more questions? Please add them in the comments section below!
Or, if you’d like to reach out directly, please email us at editor@thewestrn.com.