Ideas and Suggestions for the Guild Future

[Dwale]

[Ok, folks, that’s enough noise in the signal. Let’s try to keep posts on topic. Future posts deemed off topic may be removed without notice.]

Silver, I really do not understand what you’re trying to ask.

[Silver2075]

Well, the guild does take donations currently correct? My suggestion was to allow someone to sponsor the awards. For example, my books will never win an award but a mention of good will could be a justifiable investment to justify a larger sum for the donation. However, it was then refereed back to legal status of the group. I guess I’m not sure why, where, or when the line is drawn or if it is just a matter of we just don’t know.

[Dwale]

You would have to ask someone more knowledgeable in the legal minutiae than I, sorry.

[Silver2075]

Yeah, I have no idea either. lol That is why I asked. I guess someone can let me know if they want to kick around the Idea of a sponsor. Of course, next year would be better for me. I’m not publishing any books this year. lol

[Frank_LeRenard]

Guess it’s the new year, huh? And everyone’s vying for change.

I don’t have any suggestions, really, regarding what more the Guild could do. I have no expertise in writing (solidly classified as hobbyist, here), publishing, organizations, taxes, or any of that stuff. I do have expertise elsewhere, though, and I know many of our other members do as well (degrees, jobs, identity, etc.), so perhaps that’s an untapped resource that might also be tapped. Google only gets you so far when you want to research something while writing. Maybe have a list somewhere of who in the Guild is willing to be contacted for consultation on what subject?

But that’s all I got.

[Dwale]

That actually exists, although I do not believe it has been updated in quite some time.

[Frank_LeRenard]

Where is that, exactly? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it, which is maybe not a good sign for its utility…

[Dwale]

I just tried to find it and could not. Perhaps it is time to make a new one.

[Poetigress]

Member knowledge base

A thread for those of us willing to offer our skills, experience, or general knowledge in particular areas (horses, medicine, macrame, whatever) to writers needing questions answered or perhaps a beta read for that particular aspect. Post your particular areas of expertise here if you’re willing to have forum members contact you about them as needed.

[LiteralGrill]

Okay. So (deep breath): I don’t think having the FWG simultaneously be a writers’ group—however we define it—and a publisher is a good idea. At least in principle, it’s a conflict of interest on two levels: it puts us in at least indirect competition with other furry publishers, and it means we’re potentially giving our own prospective members the publishing credits they need to become members. In practice neither of those has come up as an issue yet, but the potential is there—especially if we ever seriously consider required membership dues, however nominal they might be. A Coyotl anthology series that by definition reprints previously-published work doesn’t run into this issue, but a magazine would.

I hadn’t considered it from this angle, I’m really glad you brought it up. You’re right, this might not be the good route to go but I do have other ideas I’ll get to in a moment because…

I can’t speak on any official terms since I’m not part of the administration, but a FWG anthology in the future is probably not going to happen unless an editor/president steps up (like I did) and pays for it out-of-pocket.

It seems to be the case here. I’ve tried talking to some of the other small furry authors, there seems to be things out there were you essentially print one book at a time as people order but it increases the price by a LOT. Either way with the potential conflict of interest above, I think I’m gonna say I agree now that publishing things outside of maybe Coyotl reprints might be a bad idea.

HOWEVER recently an exquisite corpse story was started through the FWG Telegram and I have to say things like this may be the way to go. It seems if anything, the most liked suggestions in this thread have either been about making us a more official organization (which seems complex but somebody should take on eventually it seems) or expanding the social aspects of the group, promote ourselves more, things like that.

I think things like this, maybe promoting some flash fiction challenges, things people can get into for fun maybe is how we should take it then! Of course making small groups in chats for encouraging submissions to anthologies and the like could be cool. Essentially a place more focused to bounce ideas off of other folks in potentially. I’ve already suggested getting a stronger beta reading program going. If this is the kinda stuff people wanna see more of we can always start there and get more ambitious as time goes on!

In terms of making things into a proper business at least, I do think it’s something that needs to be done. That being said I also understand completely why it hasn’t been attempted yet too. If things have been going by on a barely going volunteer basis filing complex tax forms might be a BIT above the pay grade. If I remember it’s literally over 25 pages of stuff to fill out to just make it happen.

Not sure what to suggest there, whoever has to try and do it has so much on their hands to make it happen, it’d be tough as heck.

(Oh jeez, and a quick googling suggests it’s gonna be at LEAST $400 bucks just to file… Which I’m going to guess is a BIT over the kind of budget anyone has.)