Dogpatch Press

Welcome to guest poster Summercat – a great friend to Dogpatch Press, with a cool interest in Furry Comics and Zines History.

Publisher Dealer Table. Photo provided by Rabbit Valley

When I first joined the Furry Fandom, there weren’t many fandom publishers, and most printed works were vanity press or self-publishing. These days, it seems that the world of Furry Publishing has exploded in size, with many relatively new companies plowing ahead and looking strong.

However, there aren’t too many resources available for those looking to get their works published on whom to go with, and sites like Wikifur confusingly list long-dormant and dissolved companies under active publishers. So I went ahead and compiled a list of currently active fandom publishers looking at submissions, either regularly or periodically. I do not pretend this to be exhaustive, so these listed may not be the only options available.

A word of warning: What these publishers accept may change without notice. Some only publish through submissions to anthologies, while others may open or close their submissions for certain types of media. Many of these publishers are selective in what they publish under their imprint, and are often flooded with submissions and proposals. Always do your research before sending a submission in!

When discussing a contract with a publisher, keep special care to know what rights are being sold. While most publishers only require a period of exclusivity, some may be intending to purchase complete rights to the work. Make certain that you and the publisher are both clear on what is expected from either of you!

When it comes to publishing and compensation, there are four general approaches:

1. Flat payment. An up-front flat payment upon accepting your submission, sometimes per entry, sometimes per-word or per-page. There is no further compensation after this payment.
2. Royalties. A royalty is a percentage of the sales of your book – the more copies your book sells, the more money you make.
3. Product. Instead of cash, you receive a copy of the work, either for personal use or for you to sell yourself.
4. Vanity. Instead of being paid to have your work published, you instead pay the publisher to print your book or comic for you. You pay the full cost of printing and take the entire stock. Publishers may have a clause letting them purchase copies from you at a discount of the cover price.

And finally, if you know of a Furry Publisher that is not included on this list and is currently active, please feel free to drop a tip!

Rabbit Valley – Comics, Novels, Anthology Submissions, Vanity Publishing

The oldest active publisher on this list, Rabbit Valley is also a distributor for other publishers, having a table presence at conventions all around the world. Rabbit Valley offers vanity press printing for Comics and Novels, and is accepting submissions to publish Comics.

Furplanet – Comics, Novels, ‘Zines, Anthologies, Artbooks

Furplanet was founded in 2004 as an online store for Furnation, and as an independent company in 2008. It publishes a variety of novels, comics, anthologies, and more under it’s own imprint as well as the Bad Dog Books label. Furplanet is currently accepting submissions for comics, novels, ‘zines, anthologies, and artbooks.

Jarlidium Press – APA, Comics, Novels, Anthology Submissions

Jarlidium Press is a publisher of various anthologies, comics, and periodical ‘zines. Current regular titles include the APA North American Furs, Xformations (adult transformation art/comics/stories), and Squeak! (adult M/F or F/F comics and pinups). Jarlidium also offers the short-run “ArtZone” and “WebcomicArchive” lines, as well as their Royalty option for comics and novels.

Antarctic Press – Accepting Portfolio submissions

Antarctic Press is a comic publisher that originated many Furry titles over the years. A more traditional comic publisher than others, they take submissions of portfolios rather than works to be published.

Sofawolf Press – Novels, Graphic Novels

Another well-known Furry publisher, Sofawolf Press publishes many authors and artists, as well as the Heat periodical. They are currently closed for Novel and Graphic Novel submissions, but periodically open for anthology submissions.

Goal Publications – Novels, Novellas, Single-Author Collections

Another newer publisher, Goal Publications focuses on the written word, seeking novels and novellas in the 20,000 to 140,000 word range, and single-author collections.

United Publications – Novels, Comics

A UK-based publisher and distributor, United Publications has published many Furry titles in the past. They are currently accepting submissions of completed novels or comic-style books.

Thurston Howl Publications – Novels, Anthologies

Thurston Howl is another publisher that handles anthologies and novels. Their editors get involved with editing and preparing your novel for publication. In addition, Thurston Howl also offers marketing, distribution, and web design services.

Sanguine Games – Roleplaying Games

An oddball in the list, Sanguine is the publisher of the Ironclaw and Myriad Song tabletop RPGs. While mostly an in-house publisher, Sanguine sometimes considers outside submissions.

Weasel Press – Novels, Novellas, Poetry

A “Beat” publisher, Weasel Press say they specialize in the weird and the oddball. They specialize in the written word but say they would consider graphic novels or artbooks. Weasel Press publishes erotica under the Red Ferret Press imprint.

Armored Fox Press – Anthology Submissions

A publisher of anthologies, Armored Fox Press looks primarily for work relevant to the anthologies being worked on. They pay a half-penny a word for accepted submissions.

Furry Writers’ Guild

While not a publisher, the Furry Writers’ Guild is worth mentioning due to its collection of resources for authors, including a “Market” listing of publications or publishers currently accepting written submissions.

Radio Comix – Comics, Comic Anthologies

Once a powerhouse of the Furry Comic world, RadioComix has been dormant in recent years. However, the publisher is planning to come back into action late 2017, starting with a kickstarter for issue 194 of Furrlough, one of the longest running North American comic anthology titles and arguably THE longest running Furry comic title. RadioComix plans to have an updated submission guideline posted around that time for future issues.

– Summercat

For more like this, see also Fred Patten’s articles about furry publishing.

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