Hey, folks! I’m an assistant editor for Goal now, and we’re going to be taking submissions for a coffee-themed furry anthology starting in July!
Title: The Daily Grind
Imprint: Goal Publications (The Goal Publications imprint is only accepting work applicable for a general audience. Any work that would be marked 18+ will not be accepted by this imprint.)
Timeline for Receiving Submissions: July 1st, 2018 – November 14th, 2018
Release: The plan is to release at Pine Fur Con on April 5th, 2019
Lead Editor: Amy Clare Fontaine
Co-Editor: Madison Keller
Payment Rate: $0.0075/word + one copy of the anthology. Contributors/editors may buy additional copies at a 40% discount
Rights: We are asking for first rights on all stories for six months following the publication date. Reprints will be considered, but priority will be given to original works.
Introduction:
Coffee is synonymous with writers and readers, and is a staple for households all over the world. While your story may have a central theme that does not directly involve coffee, coffee must share the spotlight. Some ideas for stories:
- A romance featuring a coffee shop employee and a patron
- An action story about a war between coffee-lovers and tea-lovers
- A slice-of-life about someone who truly can’t begin their day without a cup or seven of coffee
- A comedy in space where someone in a shuttle only dreams of returning home to their one true love: coffee (because they only have crap coffee on board the ship and that just feels like cheating)
- A fantasy where you’re transported away to a far-away land, and the only common ground you can find are…grounds. You know, coffee? Get the joke?
As with all stories published by Goal Publications and Fanged Fiction, stories must utilize the anthropomorphism of their furry characters to a full extent. Despite the coffee theme, we are not looking for the “Fox in Starbucks” trope. For example, what are some of the health safety methods in the coffee shop to prevent fur from flying into food and drinks? How is armor modified to work with anthro characters? Do certain species have a stronger need for caffeine than others? How do a furred character and a scaled character find similarities stuck in a space ship with only bad coffee? Do these far-away inhabitants have different physical characteristics that let them grow special coffee in way-different environments? These are just some of the examples you can use.
Human characters are allowed, and can even be main characters. However, the above must shine through.
Submission Guidelines:
- 3,000-12,000 words (we can talk about shorter, but longer is very unlikely)
- Story must be in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format, and the document name must include both your name (pen name is fine) and the story title
- Font must be basic and readable (TNR, Garamond, Ariel, or something similar), single-spaced, 12pt font
- In your story document, preferably in the upper-righthand corner, should be your name, address, and email
- Submit all stories as an attachment to GPA002[at]goalpublications[dot]com
- Your subject line must read: “Submission - STORY TITLE”
- In the body of the email, you must include:
o Your legal name (and pen name if different, as this is what will show on the contract)
o A brief two or three-line synopsis about the story that gives us the main idea of the story
o One line each about how your story includes coffee, and an example of how your story utilizes the animal traits of your anthro characters
o If your story has been published elsewhere before (posting online does count). Please include specific publication names and dates if this story has been published before.
Responses: You will receive a response email letting you know that we have received your story. Please note: if you use a Hotmail, Outlook, or SBCGlobal email, our email server refuses to recognize these as valid. We can receive emails from those, but cannot send. If you do not have another email option, please include another method of contact (such as Telegram, Twitter, FWG Forum username, or something along those lines). While we will be talking about your stories and making comments as they are submitting, we will be making all final judgments on stories after the submission deadline has closed.
Submission Restrictions: We will only accept one story per author, but you may feel free to submit up to two. We do not accept simultaneous submissions.
I look forward to seeing what you brew for this! 
