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FWG Newsletter September 2025

~ mercyfulkate

It’s September, and I just staggered back from Dragon Con with a (fortunately mild) case of con crud. I also just moved to another state, so if you have contacted the guild about something and haven’t heard back, please reach out again. It might have slipped between the cracks in all the chaos of moving.

We’re getting really close to October, which means Furry Book Month! That means we’re now collecting submissions for this year’s Furry Book Bundle! Please remember that you MUST be a current member of the FWG to submit your book. If you’re not, this might be a good time to apply.

We are taking submissions for both a general audiences and an 18+ book bundle until Sept. 27, 2025. To submit your novel for consideration, please keep the following qualifications in mind:

The author must be a member of the Furry Writers’ Guild.
The story must be self-published.
The story must be a novel.
The story must be a stand-alone or first in a series (no sequels).
The story must be furry.
The story cannot have been included in a previous bundle.

The bundles will be available on Gumroad for pay-what-you-want (minimum price of $10), with proceeds split evenly between all contributing authors and the FWG. Please get your entries in before September 26th, since we want the bundle to go live on October 1st. We would like to include around ten novels per bundle. Since we want to showcase as wide a variety of writers as possible, we are more likely to choose submissions by authors who have not been featured in a previous bundle.

To submit your book, use this link: https://forms.gle/6efvMSDVQTVpvqGu8

We’ll also be revving up for the Furry Novel Jam in October, for those of us who need a way to help reach our writing goals. Furry Novel Jam goes year-round for those who want to participate, though! You can find out more on the FWG Discord and join in. I took the opportunity of a new month to start my own daily writing goal yesterday. Only 400 words, but it’s progress! I hope your writing is going well too.

Here are the current open markets for your short stories:
Plott Hound – Deadline September 15, 2025
Indecent Exposure – Deadline December 22, 2025
This Is Halloween – Deadline When Full
Children Of The Night – Deadline When Full

Please also check out the latest book releases from our members:
Meeting Dominique, by Royce Day, Released May 1, 2025.
Dragon’s Soul, by J.F.R. Coates, Released June 7, 2025.
Two Strikes and I’m Out, by Michael H. Payne (poetry), Released June 16, 2025.
Tales from the Guild: Blood and Water, Released June 30, 2025.
A Portrait for Tomorrow, by Raynarde, Released June 30, 2025.
Winterfall, by Lauren Rivers, Released July 15, 2025.
The Bones Behind the Glass, by Renard Avec-Histoire, Released August 18, 2025.
Gravitational Pull, by Ty Fox, Released August 19, 2025.
Legend of Ahya: A Divinity Decayed [Book 5], by Matthew Colvath, Releasing Nov. 30, 2025.

Happy writing!
Kate Shaw

FWG Monthly Newsletter August 2025

~ mercyfulkate

August is here and that means Halloween is on its way (the best holiday, personally), along with October in general. October means Furry Book Month! We are planning to put together another furry book bundle this year, so if you have a book you’d like to submit, now is the time to do some last-minute revisions. We’ll post in a few weeks with details regarding submissions, so keep an eye out.

For me, August also means I’m moving to another city in another state. I’ll be very busy for the next few weeks, but if you have an issue or question that needs guild officer attention, feel free to email and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

I don’t know about you, but I’m really looking forward to autumn in my part of the world. I always feel more productive when the school supplies go on sale. I have editing and writing projects to finish, maybe even a new project to start for Furry Novel Jam! I hope you too are able to settle in with your seasonal drink of choice and a crisp new notebook and pen, and get some words written.

We have some new channels on the Discord server that might help you prepare for your next project, or help you get past a block. Our vice president Flash Kitterson started a weekly prompt–sorry, pawmt!–that’s a lot of fun, and we have a new worldbuilding channel too.

Here are the current open markets for your short stories:
Indecent Exposure – Deadline December 22, 2025
This Is Halloween – Deadline When Full
Children Of The Night – Deadline When Full

Please also check out the latest book releases from our members:
Tales of Scales, by Michael Miele, Released April 2, 2025.
Wind Singer: An Imbrium Novella, by Frances Pauli, Released April 19, 2025
Meeting Dominique, by Royce Day, Released May 1, 2025.
Dragon’s Soul, by J.F.R. Coates, Released June 7, 2025.
Two Strikes and I’m Out, by Michael H. Payne (poetry), Released June 16, 2025.
Tales from the Guild: Blood and Water, Released June 30, 2025.
A Portrait for Tomorrow, by Raynarde, Released June 30, 2025.
Legend of Ahya: A Divinity Decayed [Book 5], by Matthew Colvath, Releasing Nov. 30, 2025.

Happy writing!
Kate Shaw

Of The Wilds

~ mercyfulkate

Today we lost one of our own after a serious illness. Of The Wilds was a brilliant writer who especially liked to write about dragons, probably best known for his serialized novel The Dragon in the Dungeon.

The loss of anyone in our community is painful, especially someone as young as Wilds. I only met him once in passing, when he leaned over his partner Resolute’s chair and waved at me via Zoom. I remember his smile and the happy mischief in his expression. While he was a quiet person, he left a positive impression on everyone he met.

His work lives on, a permanent window into his personality, humor, imagination, and skill as a writer. We will all miss him and grieve his loss, but we can also celebrate him by reading his stories. Like the last note of music that never quite fades, Of The Wilds will remain forever in his words.

FWG Monthly Newsletter July 2025

~ mercyfulkate

Sooner even than we’d hoped, Tales from the Guild: Blood and Water is available from Fenris Publishing! The anthology is available in paperback, ebook, or a bundle of both!

The new guidelines for guild membership are now in place, reflecting the recent guild vote. We decided to keep things simple, and changed “novel, short story, or poetry” to “fiction.” All other requirements remain the same.

It’s hard to believe we’re more than halfway through the year (and halfway through the decade). Pretty soon it’ll be time to look ahead to Furry Book Month in October, but until then those of us in the northern hemisphere can enjoy the lazy days of summer, relaxing in the sun and considering plot twists and character interactions. Or, of course, we can do the same inside in the air conditioning. Those writers in the southern hemisphere can sip cocoa and outline the next furry masterpiece.

Here are the current open markets for your short stories:
Digital Villainy Summit Con Book – Deadline July 9, 2025
The Second Hayven Celestia Anthology – Deadline July 15, 2025
Monsterf*ck – Deadline July 15, 2025
Furvana 2025 Conbook – Deadline July 21st, 2025
Indecent Exposure – Deadline December 22, 2025
This Is Halloween – Deadline When Full
Children Of The Night – Deadline When Full

Please also check out the latest book releases from our members:
My Remise, by Koda Copeland, Released March 25, 2025
Tales of Scales, by Michael Miele, Released April 2, 2025.
Wind Singer: An Imbrium Novella, by Frances Pauli, Released April 19, 2025
Meeting Dominique, by Royce Day, Released May 1, 2025.
Dragon’s Soul, by J.F.R. Coates, Released June 7, 2025.

Happy writing!

Kate Shaw

We heard you like anthologies…

~ mercyfulkate

…so we made you an anthology!

It’s been a long time in the making, but the Tales from the Guild: Blood and Water anthology is finished and off to the printers! We partnered with Fenris Publishing, who took on the hard work of layout, graphic design, and all the hidden steps of bringing a book to market. The amazing cover art is by Chum Basket.

The anthology is literally off to the printers, which means a wait of about a month for copies to be printed and bound, then probably a few more weeks for shipping. With luck Fenris will have copies in hand by August and the book will be available to order through their website or in person at your favorite convention!

We’ll keep you updated on the official release date and when preorders will be available. Thanks to Fenris, JFR Coates who spearheaded the project, the other editors, and of course all the authors!

FWG Monthly Newsletter June 2025

~ mercyfulkate

May was really busy for the guild, with the Cóyotl Award winners announced and guild officer elections! We’re settling into the middle of the year with some thoughts of how we should move ahead with changes to guild membership and also how we can get the word out about the guild to writers who might not know about us yet.

We’ve had some great new book releases over the last several months and I’ve been bad about updating the reading list at the bottom of the monthly newsletters. It’s updated now, so definitely take a look and grab copies of the books you’ve missed! I’ve also been bad about updating the open markets list below. Remember you can always check our Furry Writers’ Market page on the website to find new anthology calls and other open markets for your writing!

Our new VP has started a weekly writing ‘prawmt’ on the Discord server, if you’re looking for fun story prompts. If you hop on over to Sofawolf Academy and make an account (if you don’t already have one) you can watch an interview with me, your reluctant guild president.

Happy Pride Month! I hope your wordcounts soar this month and your troubles dwindle.

Here are the current open markets for your short stories:
The Morning After – Deadline June 1, 2025
Plott Hound Deadline June 15, 2025
Neo-Twiny Jam – Deadline July 1, 2025
The Second Hayven Celestia Anthology – Deadline July 15, 2025
Indecent Exposure – Deadline When Full
This Is Halloween – Deadline When Full
Children Of The Night – Deadline When Full

Please also check out the latest book releases from our members:
My Remise, by Koda Copeland, Released March 25, 2025
Tales of Scales, by Michael Miele, Released April 2, 2025.
Wind Singer: An Imbrium Novella, by Frances Pauli, Released April 19, 2025
Meeting Dominique, by Royce Day, Released May 1, 2025.
Dragon’s Soul, by J.F.R. Coates, Releasing June 7, 2025.

Officer Election Results

~ mercyfulkate

Voting has concluded in what we think may be the first actual vote needed for officer elections. 51 members voted.

The contested officer position was Markets Manager, with Scribbles Cheetah (incumbent) receiving 62.7% of the vote and Chase Anderson receiving 37.3% of the vote. It was actually a much closer race than it sounds, with the percentage going back and forth repeatedly and at one point standing (for a long time) right at 50/50. Congratulations to Scribbles for continuing as the FWG Markets Manager for 2025-26!

The other half of the ballot regarded expanding the guild’s membership requirements to include written work in other formats/media (i.e. not just novels, short stories, and poetry). Members overwhelmingly voted in favor of this, with 92.2% of the votes. We also received 33 thoughtful responses about the change, both positive and negative. In the coming weeks, guild officers will take all comments into account and discuss how best to implement the change to benefit guild members and potential members. I hope to post our conclusions sometime in June so that members can make comments and suggestions before the change is adopted formally.

Thanks to everyone who voted and commented!

It looks like I’ll be staying on as president for the next year, and I’ll do my best. Flash Kitterson has stepped into the vice president role and is doing a fantastic job already! Resolute will also be staying on as public relations officer and is, as always, doing a great job. Remember that the treasurer and Coyotl Awards chair roles are still vacant, so if you’ve been thinking of volunteering, you don’t need to wait for guild elections next April. Just let us know.

In other news–
For the horror fans among us, check out the Kickstarter for a planned horror anthology, The Deer Is Messed Up, which will be paying pro rates. It’s not a furry anthology but Scribbles checked with the editor and they will consider furry/anthro stories. It needs to meet its goal by June 4 for the anthology to happen, so pre-order your copy through Kickstarter and support small publishers!

I’ll be back next week with the monthly newsletter!

FWG Monthly Newsletter May 2025

~ mercyfulkate

May has arrived after a very busy April! The Cóyotl Awards have concluded, and we’re working on an announcement venue to reveal the winners within a week or so.

The next big thing is guild officer elections. We have several guild members running for office this year, including one contested seat! That means we’ll have a guild-wide vote in mid-May. Until May 14, candidates will answer questions on the guild’s Discord server, in the “Guild Officer Elections” channel. If you have a question but want to remain anonymous, you can email it to furwritersguild [at] gmail.com and I will post it for you. On May 16, voting will start via online ballot, which I’ll announce here closer to the time. We will most likely make one of our rare guild-wide emails to alert members when voting is live, so this is a very good time to update your email address if you need to.

Convention season is well underway as spring and summer weather brings out furries like weird flowers in the northern hemisphere, and cooling weather in the southern hemisphere allows for suiting without too much risk of heat stroke. I hope you get a chance to attend a convention or furmeet in your area! Even if you can’t, hopefully you’ll get some time off work or school so you can do some writing.

Here are the current open markets for your short stories:
The Second Hayven Celestia Anthology – Deadline July 15, 2025
Indecent Exposure – Deadline When Full
This Is Halloween – Deadline When Full
Children Of The Night – Deadline When Full
Furry/Lovecraftian/Erotic/University Themed Anthology – Deadline When Full

Please also check out the latest book releases from our members:

Space Dragons: Luxorian’s Crew, by Veo Corva. Released November 12th 2024.
Catfish and Other Stories, by K.C. Shaw. Released November 30th 2024.
Wolf Tech 3: The Alphas, by Adam Webster. Released December 10th 2024.
Tales of Scales, by Michael Miele, Released April 2, 2025.
Meeting Dominique, by Royce Day, Released May 1, 2025.

Happy writing!

Kate Shaw

Voting for the 2024 Cóyotl Awards

~ mercyfulkate ~ 1 Comment

At last, voting begins! We had a lot of nominations this year and as a result, our ballot is a bit larger than usual to make room for those 2024 works with the most nominations.

Guild members can vote using this form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScRdFoobt62L0gSbJBECYDtIcakUTF9lT1qH1_98mBcuf4nmA/viewform?usp=header

Please remember to include the name and email address that we have on file for you in the guild records! Only guild members may vote.

Voting will continue through April 22, 2025. We’ll announce the winners sometime in early May, details to be announced.

2024 Cóyotl Award Nominations Open

~ mercyfulkate

Better late than never, the 2024 Cóyotl Awards are open for nominations!

Remember that you need to be a Furry Writers’ Guild member to nominate a work, but the author does not. Please also remember that works nominated must have been first published in 2024. Nominations will run through April 5, 2025.

Feel free to refer to the 2024 Cóyotl Awards reading list to help jog your memory about your favorite reads from last year. It’s a hard decision for sure, since so many amazing books, stories, and other works were published in 2024!

Please use this form to nominate a work published in 2024:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeCX_ImDPbzBmdieS5NuZnaaQ9TkBEdMKeuDVFDwQCaUmaY7g/viewform?usp=sf_link