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Lofi | Playlist for Foxes (only) ~𝕱𝖔𝖝𝖊𝖘~ only | 🅕'd
Lofi for falling in love with wolves and seducing queens. FOXES ONLY. Non-vulpines may be subject to hypnotism that reveals their true desires. Playlist by Ivic Wulfe, Editing&Mixing by Arrkay THE ARTISTS & TRACKS: Fox Amoore "Talking With Ghosts" https://foxamoore.bandcamp.com/track/talking-with-ghosts-rescuing-ghosts-edition Kevin North "The Crystal Caverns" https://soundcloud.com/audiblade/tracks Soundtrack from "La Roman de Renard" 1930 (public domain) Pepper Coyote "At Lease Not Yet" https://peppercoyote.bandcamp.com/track/at-least-not-yet-instrumental Teddy Wyinton "Timely Indecisive" https://www.furaffinity.net/view/12077432/ Sho Jinpa "Until Another Time" https://shojinpa.bandcamp.com/track/007-until-another-time Fox Amoore "City of Azure Light" https://foxamoore.bandcamp.com/track/city-of-azure-lights Watch the unedited original 1930 film (in french) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9y1a2gl2OM Merch, Sweet Tees and stuff: http://www.culturallyfd.com https://teespring.com/stores/culturally-fd-merchandise Support Culturally F'd: https://www.patreon.com/culturallyfd Plus a Newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/gsz8us7 Listen in on TEMPO TALKS with Tempe O'Kun https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIPk-itLl1jPyIK2c7mK-LpbvfDNqfcSW Check out Tempe O'Kun's books "Sixes Wild" and "Windfall" here: http://furplanet.com/shop/?affillink=YOUTU2907 Here's a playlist of his other Culturally F'd videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIPk-itLl1jPS7tnT4hdJwBI-CeLF8Kb_
(IVÁN): Isaac’s SACRED-FLESH was born from our FATHER for you to see eternal life without sin on earth forever:
夏日祭典——FancxyFox《Foxy’s Summertime》
這幾天幾乎是全臺暴雨呢，望著灰濛濛的天空以及忽大忽小的雨，好像又沒有夏天的感覺了。沒關係，今天帶來了FancxyFox的作品，烈日與沙灘、搖曳的風鈴與清涼的冰品，絕對會讓大家回到那個眾所熟悉的夏天！
作者：FancxyFox
作品名稱：Foxy’s Summertime
Re: slowcat and vt100 animations
夏日祭典——Attism Ender 《深川八幡祭》
連續兩張圖都是日式風格的作品呢，今天的圖是由Attism Ender帶來，名為《深川八幡祭》的作品，嗯……光是聽作品名稱就非常的和風呢～那麼今天也繼續享受夏季夜晚的涼風以及人群的熱鬧吧！這種看似平常的畫面其實也非常幸福的呢uwu
作者：Attism Ender
作品名稱：深川八幡祭
Interview With FuzziMutt - Black Women, Animation Industry, & Stuffed Plush
Resources, Social Media & Donation Links
Follow FuzziMutt
FuzziMutt's Website
Join The Rhyner's Telegram Channel
(Follow @whatsthefuzz_ that's my SFW account SORRYI'MDUMB)
On August 25th I sat down with FuzziMutt! A most peculiar black woman born in Okinawa, Japan and sacrificed to a Shisa. Her fursona, in fact, is a Shisa, and given this is the official 10th episode of the show we've been blessed with her luck!
As a former industry artist, she tells all about her experiences breaking her back in the industry. It's no surprise she went independent after hearing her story. She's also a jack of all trades not limited to just plushies or art.
Needless to say we get into a discussion of how black women are treated in the industry as well. Implicit biases find ways to sneak their way down from systems into our everyday lives.
Tune in to find out if black women can really save The United States of America!
TigerTails Radio Season 12 Episode 37
The Zoo Crew When They Were New
More out-of-nowhere projects we’ve learned about — in this case from Dreamworks. It’s Madagascar: A Little Wild, a new animated series coming to Hulu and Peacock on September 7th. Everyone’s favorite zoo animal quartet return for new adventures… as youngsters. Animation Scoop had this to say: “Filled with original music and dance worthy songs, the lovable foursome Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, and Gloria the Hippo steal the show in Madagascar: A Little Wild. Capturing the iconic personalities of the four dynamos, Madagascar: A Little Wild showcases the team as kids residing in their rescue habitat at the Central Park Zoo. They might be small, but like everybody who lands in New York City, these little guys have big dreams.” There’s more information and a trailer at Animation Scoop too.
image c. 2020 Dreamworks Animation
“Very surprised and very grateful”: fursuit maker Beauty of the Bass talks about a $14,000 sale.
Previously: Furries support independent art with $14,000 and $15,600 fursuit auctions at The Dealers Den.
Ghatz fursuit by Beauty of the Bass, 2019
A creepy-cute aesthetic
“I prefer to work on scary, creepy, odd, gory and crazy designs,” said UK-based fursuit maker Beauty of the Bass in her recent Dealers Den auction.
Ghatz, the suit shown here, doesn’t belong to the lucky winner — theirs is waiting to start — but this completed work can show why her talent earns a price as high as $14,000.
The Krampus-like aesthetic stands out in a crowd of technicolor fluff. Imagine basking in the spookiness in person, then being chased by this creature through delightfully twisted nightmares. The maker’s vision is detailed in her FAQ that pairs her with compatible clients.
(BotB) — Things I look for in a design and application:
- A well written and thought out application form.
- A clear reference of the character in question with a strong idea of concept and direction the client wishes me to go in.
- On the other hand, I am looking for artistic liberty suits. These will be done on an ‘offer me a price’ basis.
- Interesting, scary, gory, unique, tricky and extravagant designs will have more of a chance to go through.
- I am wanting to do a belly suit, so will be looking for that opportunity!
- WEREWOLVES. MYTHICAL CREATURES. DEMONS.
- Silicone drool, skin and gore effects. This does not require lots of mold making, therefore I am more than happy to do this.
- Willingness to go the extra mile for the extra effects and will be happy to push the boat out with me, as i’m wanting to push myself.
- Unique species, uncommon species and hybrids.
- Mutations, extra parts, double jaws, double faces, scars.
- Long fur accents, manes and mohawks with the NFT fur upgrade.
It’s another example of unique vision seen in a 2017 story: Q&A with Kazul of Kazplay, first place winner for cosplay at Blizzcon. Kazul wanted to create a living illusion for her Hogger suit — to hide the human form and “look like he smelt like a wet, dirty dog” — and be more than a person wearing a rug.
(Kazul) — With all my work I strive to make convincing characters. When I hear people ask “how is it moving like that?” “How is a person inside that?” when I know that I’ve tricked their brain well enough that they can only see what is in front of them as a real creature, that’s when I win.
Vision like this inspires a comment I sent to a contributor working on an upcoming story. It’s about “the technology of the fursona”.
(Me) — I’ve noticed that fursuiting is kind of assumed to be a default for fursonas (even though only a small portion of fans use them) for how photogenic they are. Many artists seem to draw characters more as fursuiters than toons or other. Many suits are tailored to the wearer rather than the wearer adapting their performance to them… and the more they’re cranked out as a standard process, the more they share similar character. Their first material quality is being soft and tactile, above illusions with sound, light, unusual motion etc. Tech can change that. Some makers counter these trends.
Beauty of the Bass responds to a Q&A following the Dealers Den auction.
(BotB): Hey there! First of all, thank you for doing some research! It’s nice to be not asked the same questions this time.
(Dogpatch Press:) How do you feel about such a high priced auction? I see this went for around 3x the price of a usual full suit commission from you.
I’m over the moon! I got quite dizzy and overwhelmed when I saw the price rise to £6,000 within 20 mins of the auction going live. I just couldn’t believe that it was happening. I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure it’s 1000% worth it for them. I’ll be throwing in some extras too. But overall, I’m very surprised and very grateful. I wasn’t able to relax until the deposit was paid!
I really liked looking over your work… the best part is how it takes chances. Do you have a favorite costume you made, or a favorite commission? (Not necessarily the same. Being satisfying and easy could be different from best look.)
Well thank you very much! These past 3 years have been my first 3 years in business. Before that, this was all a hobby. (Not counting 2020 as I have been without a workshop so far! Long story.) So these past years have been a lot of experimenting and figuring out how to best make the costume quality and to look the way I wanted. I went through a phase of making the eyes too big and low down for my liking, the heads got a bit too big as well at some point. So there have been a lot of tweaks made during these years. However, 2019 was certainly the year where I really catapulted myself into a style I’m happy with. I really pushed myself, because of this, I’m at a level where I’m very happy with my current skill level and competence.
Consequently, my favourite projects have come from 2019. My all time fave is the one you point out, Ghatz. They were also an incredible person to work for, so enthusiastic. I felt like they were cheering me on throughout the whole thing!
Your FAQ with “Things I look for” was nicely thought out. I can really see potential for working with clients with a unique character and not just cranking out a generic fox or whatever. Can you say more about creatively collaborating, or has a commission ever gone in an unexpected direction?
Yes, this is because I’m actually looking to deviate from the ‘fursuit’. I’m looking to create costume creatures, animatronics and performance suits. Rather than a generic ‘furry’ vibe. Therefore I will be looking for designs that steer my business into that direction. Glad you like the concept behind it!
As for a commission going in a different direction… no I haven’t had one go like that. They have all been very upfront about what they wanted!
I saw you talk about “scary, creepy, odd, gory and crazy designs”, and Ghatz looks like a Freddy Krueger cartoon dream demon. It makes me ask what influences you to make designs unlike popular cute animals?
They are just what piques my interest. I have always been a scary creature fan. Always drawing dragons and werewolves growing up. Never been a fan of acting cute or drawing cute things… so it’s just my personal interest really! As for coming up with ideas… It’s just stuff from my own head. The biggest inspiration I took was certainly from ‘The Smiler‘, [a roller coaster] for Bass’s colour scheme and markings. But apart from that I tend to give it some good old fashioned thought!
You went to animation school. Is fursuit making your main job now? How does it feel compared to mainstream animation work, and is it something that you have to explain as a job to people who might not take it seriously?
This is my main job yes. I never did animation, I left university and started my own business. I would have hated being stuck behind a screen all day. It does take a loonnggg time to properly explain what I do and who I cater to. I often just say I make full body costumes, werewolves and dragons kinda thing!
Can you talk about the business (besides the craft and art)… like acquiring a workshop, what’s it like to offer your work and put yourself out there and keep on track with supplies and meeting obligations… do you have any thoughts for other artists about making it a career?
Well, the first workshop was offered to me as part of a deal that fell through. So I had it for a few months and then was recommended to the second one. It was a BEAUTIFUL old roof space on the Lincoln high street. Couldn’t have asked for a more perfect place.
The next one, I found by walking around Liverpool on Google street view, and finding numbers for businesses that I could see have a few floors above ground level. It took a while, but I have found myself a fantastic space above a solicitors, above a pub! So as far as finding a workshop goes… you just have to not be afraid to put yourself out there and talk to people.
Being self employed will always come with it’s perks and drawbacks. Self discipline is a must have, and you have to learn a lot of lessons yourself. Instead of someone hovering over you, making sure you are doing things correctly. There is a lot to manage! I’m in charge of PR, Advertising, production, dispatch, sourcing, schedule… list goes on. But I wouldn’t have it any other way, I love being in control.
If I was to part with some wisdom for people looking to start on their own… make sure you have a backup plan. Make sure you have the demand, build it before you dive head first. Take risks of course, but be smart about it. Look after your name, because the reputation of your name is everything, especially in business. You must act professional with your customers, and remember to have respect for those who are interested in your work.
It’s easy to become jaded at some points with work, even with something you love doing. If that happens, try to look at why it’s happening, and try things from a new angle. Add something new into the mix, never stop trying to improve. Keep pushing, don’t get comfortable with your methods or stale.
Has the high priced auction gotten lots of attention, or hate or trolling? Do you have any thoughts about what high prices mean to the fandom?
I actually asked my friends if they had seen any bad reactions from it, as I have seen it happen to other makers. No bad reactions so far! In fact, I have been overwhelmed with the support that I have been getting from comments. A lot of them congratulating with ‘well done’ and ‘you deserve it.’ So I’ve been very very grateful to that as well.
I don’t really concern myself with other makers and their prices, apart from when I was scoping out how much I should be charging. I do struggle to price myself. But mostly, I go off what I feel is comfortable, the feedback, and the demand. Like I said, I need to pick which design will steer my business in the direction I want it to go into. Pricing is part of that. I’m thinking about this as a unique business move, not as a ‘fursuit maker’.
Art for personal character by Parsonsda on Furaffinity
Here’s a few extra questions from readers.
Kattywampus (@Feanyx): I noticed a lot of times, these high-priced auctions are “anything goes”. I wonder if these artists are prepared to deal with things other artists wouldn’t deal with, and if that’s what drives the price. I.e., questionable fetish material, etc.?
It depends what they ask for. I’m open to creating fetish material, especially for the price it went for! I would feel very cheeky declining that. Plus, I’m not bothered by fetish gear in the slightest. There are a few things that I would draw the line at, but I can’t outline them all here. Normally I would most likely decline, unless I really liked the idea. But in this case I would certainly open the options up more.
Renato Santos@Dracontes): Does the amount reached by the winning bid put pressure on the costume maker to provide a service they feel is commensurate with it? How will that affect the artist’s usual commission process?
Not much will change, as I put everything into the costumes I produce. They can have just about anything they want for that price! Within reason of course. I will however be offering to make some extras from them, I will have so see what I can offer! I have already been rethinking my price list in time for reopening, so this has given me a confidence boost really!
Thanks to Beauty of the Bass for talking about her work. Coming up next is a followup with the fursuit buyer.
- “Our way of giving back”: Glitzy Fox talks about buying a gift fursuit from Beauty of the Bass.
Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Use these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. (Content Policy.)
夏日祭典——塔吉風《三位好友》
今天又是日式祭典風的圖呢～是由塔吉風帶來的《三位好友》。在熱鬧的人群中，三位相約好的朋友一通漫步於祭典的攤商之間，配著夏日夜晚的涼風、閃爍的裝飾燈光、以及陪襯的吵雜人聲，享受著與好友們一同逛街的樂趣是最好不過的了！
作者：塔奇風
作品名稱：三位好友
For A Comfy Hibernation
Bear & Breakfast is a new video game developed by Gummi Cat for Armor Games Studios. The basic idea seems simple: “Bear and Breakfast is a laid-back management adventure game where you build and run a bed and breakfast…but you’re a bear.” Okay. A little more detail, please: “Join Hank, a well-meaning bear, as he and his friends find an abandoned shack and turn it into a money-making bed and breakfast scheme for unsuspecting tourists. As your business expands so do the mysteries of the forest, and Hank soon finds himself uncovering a plot deeper than the wilderness itself.” Ooo, mysteries too! Check out the trailer over at furry.today, or the preview over at the Steam Store. It’s “coming soon”.
image c. 2020 Armor Games Studios
夏日祭典——穹夜《要來杯特調嗎？》
八月不知不覺也快接近尾聲了呢！不知道各獸在這炎熱的夏日中是不是很常來上一杯爪搖飲(?)解解渴呢？今天時報要為各位帶來的，是由穹夜為我們調製的一杯特調！看著那冰涼的特調飲品，不只暑氣全消，連眼睛也跟著清涼了起來呢(X
就讓我們一起欣賞穹夜帶給各獸的《要來杯特調嗎？》吧！
作者：穹夜
作品名稱：要來杯特調嗎？
[Live] Walkies of Shame
A quick roundup, then we read fan emails.
FurCast is sponsored by Twin Tail Creations. Use coupon codes REDWOLF or BLUEFOX to save up to 20% on silicone products during checkout. Free FurCast Themed Colorations are also available which can be applied as a color choice to your toy purchase.
Link Roundup:- NordicFuzzCon will not happen in 2021
- FurrySkiWeekend will not happen in 2021
- Walkies could become the law in Germany
- Kerian gets noticed by Microsoft
- VirtualFurence trailer
- VirtualFurence Dance Comp
- IndieFurCon live on August 28th
- BBC thinking of yourself as a separate entity can reduce anxiety
- Wolves eating blueberries
- Dee Otter — A Technical Question
- Hiroji — Furcast email: Update on how I am and question topic
- Brite — Fanmail from a newer Fur (you can read on air.)
- Azure — A story to share
- Ziggy — California Wildlifes
- Brite — Brite Greetings
Bearly Furcasting #17 - Albejorn's Journey, New Song Beginnings, Mailbag
MOOBARKFLUFF! Click here to send us a comment or message about the show!
This week we talk to furry photographer Albejorn and her transition journey from male to female. Taebyn has the beginning of a new song, we read some fan questions and learn about general Taebyn things.
Here are the two links we discussed in the podcast:
Furry Survey
Furry Music Anthology vol.2
If you want to email us you can do so by clicking here
Thanks to all our listeners and to our staff: Bearly Normal, Rayne Raccoon, Taebyn, Cheetaro, TickTock, and Ziggy the Meme Weasel.
You can send us a message on Telegram at BFFT Chat, or via email at: bearlyfurcasting@gmail.com
Furries support independent art with $14,000 and $15,600 fursuit auctions at The Dealers Den
Wow! Another high-flying auction on https://t.co/beKi9MUjvO!
10,700 GBP is nearly $14,000 USD.
Congratulations @Beautyofthebass!@DogpatchPress pic.twitter.com/0TPfgo3ndB
— The Dealers Den (@TheDealersDen) August 7, 2020
Sweet success for MixedCandy and Beauty of the Bass
Beauty of the Bass, a Britain-based fursuit maker and performer, felt the love from fans when a commission auction sold for £10,700 this month. That’s $14,025 USD at current exchange rate, and over three times the full fursuit price quoted on her website.
There’s no suit yet. The winner gets to have it created. Her auction lists some conditions — certain tech options aren’t possible and “I prefer to work on scary, creepy, odd, gory and crazy designs” — but there’s one benefit only an auction winner can get. No denial. Direct commissioners may not be accepted depending on the maker’s discretion for what she wants to make; but this winner enters the queue unconditionally after current customers.
An auction like this makes a premium option for artists and customers who really want their work. The price proves the demand. It’s near the highest records for any fursuit auction, which was $17,017 achieved by MixedCandy in July 2018 (beating a $13,500 auction by Made Fur You in January 2018.)
MixedCandy herself received a new $15,600 price just days after this $14,000 price for Beauty of the Bass. These outstanding prices can help to show the state of the Furry Economy and its artists.
Of course this isn’t a fursuit-selling competition. It’s support that lets makers keep directly serving fans, a rare and special opportunity to go “pro fan” as a career. That’s not get-rich-quick work, and there can be a lot of turnover. (Many makers serve commissioners with smaller wallets). Fursuits aren’t really investments either — they’re functional art that adds photogenic magic to events for all furries. You can have an open fandom and well-supported artists too.
Independence of the Furry Economy
Key support for these auctions comes from The Dealers Den. It’s a premiere option for furries after the demise of Furbuy (2000-2019), which itself outlasted Furbid (1999-2014). As a service to fans, it’s run as close to free as possible and keeps control in the fandom while providing direct reach to a niche, unlike Ebay. But sites don’t run for free, so it’s worth pointing out how The Dealers Den was slow or dormant for years from its 2009 founding, and took work to raise to equal activity next to Furbuy (when it was acquired by Vitai Slade in 2018). Now fans are lucky to have it as the lone standing service of its kind.
A look at furry personal ad sites can show how a subculture’s well-being can tie to support for its independent sites. Pounced was taken down by government interference that made it too hard to operate. For many fans it was irreplaceable, and fake furry dating sites leave them with a buyer beware situation (with bans for the sites advertising on FurAffinity.)
Furries have some of the deepest roots of any internet subculture. Small, weird, independent websites used to host more communities that died with consolidation by big corporations. Social media makes us all more beholden to the algorithms and their hidden corporate profit motives (which can include depressing users and tracking if they shop more!)
This 2019 article was inspired by Tumblr’s purging, and it helps to show the stakes for independent artists who depend on communities like furry to work with full time devotion:
For fursuit makers and lovers, in a turbulent year of Covid-19 shutdowns, there’s little opportunity for live fursuiting events and a notable slowdown of media about them. Online activity connects everyone more than ever. Time will tell for how the effects may continue. That makes it interesting to see high prices and support for some makers. In the next story, maker Beauty of The Bass can tell you how The Dealers Den auction affected her.
- Next — “Very surprised and very grateful”: Fursuit maker Beauty of the Bass talks about a $14,000 auction.
- Then — “Our way of giving back”: Glitzy Fox talks about buying a gift fursuit from Beauty of the Bass.
We are the proud winners! Me and my boyfriend @azurethefoxbat who is the one getting the suit.
— 
Glitzy Fox blm 
(@Glitzy_Fox) August 11, 2020
Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Use these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. (Content Policy.)
夏日祭典——奇塔《鯊拉》
在炎熱的夏天中，許多獸都會選擇吃清涼一點的食物來消消暑，比如刨冰、冰棒等等的，冰涼新鮮的蔬菜製成的沙拉也常常是選擇之一。然而，在夏天中，除了來上一盤清涼的沙拉解暑氣以外，眼睛也是需要吃點「鯊拉」來清涼一下的！(?)
今天要帶給各位的，是奇塔所繪製的《鯊拉》。看著這可口的「鯊拉」，不僅暑氣大消，連眼睛都清涼了起來呢！(誤
作者：奇塔
作品名稱：鯊拉
Welcome to Mutant Town
It seems like things never stop moving in the world of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Now the latest turtle, Jennika, has been granted a second comic miniseries — and it’s coming soon. Here’s the press release from IDW: “Due to overwhelming demand, the female breakout character of IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jennika, will return in a second solo adventure! Brahm Revel returns as writer-artist to kick off the first of two story arcs driving Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Jennika II, a six-issue miniseries debuting in November. While the first Jennika miniseries found the heroine still trying to acclimate to life as a mutant, the new story thrusts her into the dangerous underworld of Mutant Town, where mutants are turning into monsters and fear spreads rampant. There’s conspiracy afoot, and only Jennika can navigate the deepening divides of her new home to root out an evil conspiracy.” Comic Book Resources has an extensive interview with the creative team. Is this something Furry Fans might like? Check out that cover!
image c. 2020 IDW Publishing
BANDIT - "Trial" // wip #10
The following track is still being produced, previews are of the most recent exports. Went for a more videogame-like vibe with this one (think title screens/selection screens). Thanks for listening! TWITTER: http://www.Twitter.com/Bandit_Raccoon INSTAGRAM: http://www.Instagram.com/BanditRaccoon FACEBOOK: http://www.Facebook.com/BanditRaccoonMusic #Bandit #BDTRCCN #ElectronicaMusic
Interview: FuzzWolf on Furry Publishing
One of the biggest facets of getting a book published is, well, publishers! While many authors self-publish these days, the furry community is lucky to have several publishers and imprints focused on publishing anthropomorphic fiction.
Today we’re sharing an interview with FuzzWolf, an FWG member and the current owner of FurPlanet. We discuss many aspects of furry publishing, what drives book sales, and how to promote yourself as an author. Without further ado, let’s get to the interview!
FWG: For those that might not know you, please tell our readers a bit about yourself.
FuzzWolf: Hi. Well, my name’s FuzzWolf. Most people just call me Fuzz. I’ve been a furry since 1998. I’m originally from Scotland, but my family moved to the US when I was 8 so I don’t have the accent anymore.
In 2005 I moved to Dallas, TX to live with my boyfriend. It’s 15 years later and now we’re married and have a house so I’d say that worked out.
FWG: What do you think makes a good story?
FuzzWolf: Lots of different things, it depends. Characters you care about is the main one. You don’t always have to like them, but they have to be interesting and the reader has to be invested in whether they succeed or fail in what they’re trying to do.
There should be a clear goal, something the main character wants to do, and then there are obstacles in their way preventing them from that goal.
Another thing I enjoy in a good story is a degree of worldbuilding. It depends on the story whether the worldbuilding is very present, and the world itself is a character of sorts, or whether it’s more subtle worldbuilding where the story is more about the characters.
FWG: You work in publishing in the furry scene, so let’s dive into that! What got you into the publishing side of the fandom?
FuzzWolf: I had taken a “desktop publishing” class in college in the early 90s so there was some level of interest there long before I got into fandom publishing.
Like most publishers in the fandom, I started off as a writer. I was published in FurNation Magazine. FurNation was based here in Dallas so I picked up one of my contributor copies in person, and the owner showed me around the equipment he used to make the magazines. I was fascinated by it, and I started helping out. I volunteered with FN for a bit, doing layouts and making magazines and comics by hand.
After I was laid off in 2007, I decided I wanted to start my own publishing business. By the way, this is the exact opposite of what all the “start your own business” guides will tell you to do. Don’t start a business because you’re done with corporate America after getting laid off. You have few resources to work with and you’re not in the right headspace. I got a new job later that year, but the passion for publishing was still there so I moved forward.
Eventually, I ended up acquiring FurPlanet from its former owner and officially took over in March 2008.
FWG: What kind of unique challenges do you face as a publisher of what might be considered niche literature?
FuzzWolf: There are probably as many benefits as there are challenges. I suppose the biggest one is audience size. As with the rest of society, only a small percentage of people read books, and you cut that number down even more when working within a small niche like furry. So, a furry company is likely to hit a growth ceiling sooner because there are only so many furries out there.
However, like a lot of niche interests, the people who are into furry are really into furry. And the furries who buy books are super supportive of their publishers.
I wouldn’t call this a challenge so much as it is a difference between mainstream and furry publishers. For mainstream publishers, the majority of their book sales are going to be sold online at that big river dot com company, and maybe some through traditional bookstores. A minority of our sales are through those avenues. We sell almost all of our books directly to consumers without an intermediary, either via our website or face to face at conventions. That means more work for us, either packing and shipping online orders, or all the work that goes into dealing at a convention, but it means we interact with our customers directly and I think that’s a positive thing.
FWG: FurPlanet puts out several anthologies a year, but also several novels. Do you get a lot of pitches for novels? If so, do you publish many of them?
FuzzWolf: We have it on our website that we’re not officially open for novel submissions so we don’t get that many. Most of the novels we publish are new books from authors we have already been working with. I would like to open up to additional authors at some point. It’s just a matter of time being available to do so.
FWG: Going back to anthologies for a moment, how do these compare in sales to novels themselves?
FuzzWolf: A couple of years ago, I went through our sales data back to 2006 to answer that question. I found that in general, anthologies sell only about 1/3 what novels and novellas do.
FWG: There’s plenty of furry writers who focus on getting stories into anthologies. With those numbers, would you suggest writers consider focusing on getting their own novel out there to help increase their prestige or name recognition?
FuzzWolf: I enjoy short stories, and I think they serve an important function for writers. They give authors a chance to work with an editor and go through that process of having someone from outside their friend group review their work, and work with them to make it the best story it can be. Anthologies also give experience in writing and revising to a deadline and writing towards a specific theme. Submit stories to enough anthologies and you’ll get to write about a lot of different things. Broadening your writing beyond your preferred genre is a critical step in a writer’s development.
They also get your name in front of a publisher. I know I’ve personally advised authors I’ve seen write amazing short stories that I want to see their novel when they finish it.
Also, in both mainstream and furry writing, short stories are how a lot of authors build an audience and get their name out there. You can also repurpose the stories after their exclusivity period has expired, depending on the particular contract. This gives you content for your various galleries (FA, SF, etc), and if a market is open to reprints and you happen to have a previously-published story which fits then you can get paid twice for it.
Even if you’re not submitting to anthologies, I still think writing short stories and posting online is good for building your skills and growing an audience. Even writing to a weekly prompt achieves some of that diversity of stories.
I’d recommend submitting short stories and posting them online while also working on a longer-term project, like having a novel idea brewing in your head.
FWG: FurPlanet puts out ROAR and FANG annually. Are there any challenges getting an anthology series out yearly? Differences between these anthologies and one-off anthologies?
FuzzWolf: There are definitely challenges with keeping a regular title going, especially if you’re trying to keep them releasing at the same time each year. We aim to release FANG and ROAR at Anthrocon every year, but this year we missed that mark due to COVID 19 throwing the world into chaos.
With a one-off anthology there is less of an issue if you have to postpone a release since there isn’t a second volume that has to come out in 12 months that may also be affected.
There is also the matter of editors. With our regular series, we have the advantage of working with an editor for several volumes over a period of time, and they improve their skill with each volume and learn our expectations. There can be a few bumps in the road early on in a working relationship so the one-off anthologies have that. We take a chance when we do a one-off because it doesn’t have name recognition going back years like our regular anthologies do. We just have to hope that the theme resonates with readers.
FWG:A lot of furries say you have to write or draw sex to be successful in the fandom. You’re in a unique position to know about this directly. Do adult novels sell better than those for general audiences?
FuzzWolf: Speaking very broadly, our adult books do sell better than our general audience books. However, there are a ton of caveats to that.
For one thing, in the mainstream book trade Adult Fiction simply means books for grownups, as opposed to Young Adult or children’s book categories. In the fandom, we label books as adult in part due to how conventions define them. If a book has a couple of explicit scenes, even if the sex is not the point of the book, we have to label that adult. But in an actual bookstore, they don’t have a big warning sticker plastered on American Gods, for example.
I’ve seen books with a lot of sex sell moderately, and books we marketed as YA sell extremely well. You can be a non-adult writer and have successful books. You just have to tell a good story and find your audience.
FWG: How important is cover art to selling a furry novel? Do you think employing well-known artists in a fandom that tends to be visually focused helps sell books?
FuzzWolf: I cannot overstate how important cover art is to selling books, any books. The audience for each genre has certain expectations when it comes to covers. This is where things like minimalist typographic covers for science fiction and literary fiction, shirtless men in kilts in romance, and painted castles in fantasy come from.
In general, furry readers want to see a furry on the cover. Don’t go abstract, even if it’s beautiful. If you are trying to sell primarily to furries, you have to have furries on your book cover.
A well-known artist will help with sales. Not only for their highly developed skill, but because they will often assist with promoting the book. Here’s a tip, always credit your illustrators. Do so in the book, and also in your marketing material. If you tweet the cover of your book, include your artist’s Twitter handle. They will often retweet it, and very often their following will be bigger than yours.
I’ve heard writers complain sometimes about furry being such a visual community, but I’d like to stress that artists should be your friends when it comes to selling your book. Artists and writers can and should work together.
I’ll also add that you don’t have to go with the most popular artists if that is out of your budget. You can find a lot of skilled artists who are not that well known, and a book cover commission can offer less well-known artists access to a new audience.
To summarize my feelings on covers, they say you should never go cheap on a mattress or a pair of shoes. When it comes to books, put your budget into your cover. It will help.
FWG: What about books having interior pictures? Is this worth doing for most releases?
FuzzWolf: This has been a point of discussion among some of us before. I think what it comes down to is if you want interior illustrations because they’re cool, or you really want to see your characters illustrated then it can’t hurt.
In my experience, it doesn’t help sales though. If you have a set budget and are weighing between interior illustrations or a better cover then I’d put the money into the cover, another editor pass, or another type of marketing.
FWG: Can you give any insights on the process of getting artwork for books for our readers who might be curious or self publish?
FuzzWolf: Look at the books which have covers you really like or that drew you to the book. You can hire that same artist or someone with a style that appeals in the same way.
An important thing to remember is that a great piece of art and a great book cover are not the same things. Sometimes a piece will work as a standalone illustration, but won’t be appropriate for a book cover.
Another point to ask is if your artist has any experience with typography and design. Are they sending you a cover with your title and name on it already? Or are they just doing the art? If it’s the latter, you’ll want to find a graphic designer to work on the actual layout for you.
On that note, I’d also advise hiring a typographer for your interior layout. There are subtle nuances to typography that can affect the visual appeal and readability of your book. It seems easy, but a lot of time goes into it, and I consider a worthwhile investment.
FWG: What would you say is the one thing you wish all writers knew about publishers and publishing books?
FuzzWolf: While a deep love of books is usually what drives someone to publishing, you’ll have to deal with a lot of less fun things too. Contracts, accounting, taxes, printers, marketing. If you can accept that challenge, you’ll be in a better position to be successful.
FWG: Do you have any last thing you’d like to tell our readers?
FuzzWolf: Please continue to order books and comics from all the furry publishers and our community’s independent sellers. You can support furry-owned businesses and the post office at the same time!
We would like to thank FuzzWolf once again for answering all of our questions! FurPlanet will be having an online book launch for Kyell Gold’s final volume of Love Match. The book releases August 25th and the book launch will take place this coming weekend. You can read about the book and pre-order it on their website and find details on the book launch here.
We hope this insight into furry publishing was informative to all of our readers. If you have ideas or suggestions on what kinds of interviews we should feature next, please contact our Social Media Manager. Until next time, may your words flow like water.
小羅的獸/毛雜圖合集3
阿阿阿阿阿
喔 是嗎?
戴口罩拉
OwO
士郎我公(x
我不知道 求解釋
那我就不客氣了
這樣比較好解釋
心虛
G A Y
繪師 : https://twitter.com/dailyskyfox/status/1239684949378240513?s=20
肉球
不只20分鐘的冒險
骨折
繪師：https://twitter.com/sushifur
份量太大
這很重要!
繪師：https://twitter.com/fluffdarken/status/1242469203887587329?s=20
