"Every man knows what it feels like to perform fine. To say “I'm good” when he is not. To sit across from the people he loves most and feel completely unreachable. To carry something heavy for so long that he has forgotten what it felt like before the weight."
-Scott Wiederhold
In Small Town Has-Been: F@ck Silence, I Choose Happiness, Scott takes you on a brutally honest journey through fatherlessness, infertility, emotional suppression, and the long road back to himself. This is not a book of polished answers. It is a record of what it actually looks like when a man decides to stop performing fine and start choosing happiness instead.
For the man who has been shutting down for years, this book will feel like someone finally said the thing out loud. For the woman who loves him, this book will feel like a map to reach him.
I did not write this book because I had it all figured out. I wrote it because for most of my life I did not. And I spent decades watching men around me, men I respected, men I loved, disappear behind the same performance I was putting on. Capable on the outside. Completely unreachable on the inside.
If you are the man who is still waiting for permission to speak up, this book is that permission. If you are the woman who loves him and does not know how to reach him, this book is the bridge. Thank you for being here. And if you know someone who needs this, please do not keep this book to yourself.
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Quit telling everyone you're fine.
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Say the thing you've been sitting on for years.
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Figure out where the silence came from, and stop handing it down.
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See what keeping your mouth shut has cost you at home, at work, and in your own head.
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Speak up instead of shutting down.
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Sit across from the people you love and actually be there.
This book will help you:
PAPERBACK + DIGITAL ACCESS TO THE FIRST 3 CHAPTERS
The paperback does not arrive until January 2027, but you don't have to wait to start reading. Pre-order a copy today and get immediate digital access to the first three chapters of Small Town Has-Been right now. Start reading today while the rest of the world waits.
FOR FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND PROFESSIONALS
I wrote this book because I was tired of men suffering in silence and calling it strength. The 90-Day Journal that comes with your package is built the same way. No affirmations. No gratitude prompts. Just six pillars, your handwriting, and the truth about what you are actually afraid of. Name the fear. Do the thing. Check what happened against what you thought would happen. That is the whole game.
If you know a man who needs this - and I think you do - this is the most practical and powerful gift you can give him.
Order your package today.
SILVER (5 copies)
Share the story with the people closest to you and give them a copy of their own.
Includes these bonuses:
First 3 Chapters Digitally
1 Signed Copy from Scott Wiederhold
Early Access to the 90-Day Journal
GOLD (10 copies)
Share the experience even further—with more copies, more connection, and a few added extras.
Includes everything in silver, plus:
Invitation to a Live Group Zoom Q&A with Scott Wiederhold
1 Small Town Has-Been T-Shirt
PLATINUM (30 copies)
Take the story further with more copies, special extras, and more ways to share it.
Includes everything in gold, plus:
An exclusive virtual session with Scott. Bring 10 people to discuss the book and its application to the group.
DIAMOND (100 copies)
For companies, organizations, HR leaders, men's groups, therapists, and event hosts who want to bring this message to an entire room.
Includes everything in platinum, plus:
100 total copies of
Small Town Has-Been
A private workshop with Scott tailored to your team.
A private session with Scott to customize the message and application for your group.
Priority scheduling before Scott's speaking fee increases post-publication
*Limited offer only
WHAT EARLY READERS ARE SAYING
MARINA
“Small Town Has-Been does something I did not know I needed: it gives the male experience of infertility and fatherlessness back to the men who lived it, truthfully, without armor and without apology. Scott Wiederhold writes in a way that the best memoirists do, in scenes so specific and true they stop being his and become yours. When you reach Idaho, you will have carried this book for three quarters of the journey without even noticing the weight. That is how good it is.”
JOSEPH
“I am 40,000 words in, and the word that describes it best for me is gripping. Honest is up there too. You have taken a very painful subject, presented it from a perspective that almost never gets represented, and shared it without an ounce of self-pity, which is something that afflicts too many memoirs. Your narrative voice is strong, and your story is one that can touch a lot of people.”
DEB