CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Inky Paws

You are welcome to submit:

• Short stories
• Microfiction
• Poetry
• Song lyrics
• Experimental fiction (fake newspapers, fake recipes, fake blogs, etc.)
• Mixed media
• Comics
  

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How to participate:
Email invisibleotherkin@gmail.com with your submission. With your submission, please include:

• A name or pen name to attribute the piece to,
• Any social media handle or personal website you'd like to be published alongside your piece (optional), and
• Any relevant author's notes or author biographical information (optional).
  

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Anonymous pieces are also welcome.

Once submissions have been collected and the deadline has passed, these submissions will be put into the zine and it will be posted online as a free PDF. Submissions are due by August 15th, 2021.

Please see the Submission Guidelines, and Submission FAQ, below.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Each individual or individual system may contribute up to 3 accepted submissions to be published in Inky Paws. Comics and similar multi-part pieces count as one submission.
Submissions must fit the thematic criteria of

• Being explicitly about or based on nonhumans, otherkin, therianthropes, fictionkin, alterhumans, or similar groups, or;
• Having strong themes or describing experiences strongly reminiscent of or related to nonhumans, otherkin, therianthropes, fictionkin, alterhumans, or similar such as (but not limited to):
•     Experiencing nonhumanity or alterhumanity as being a part of themselves/their identity,
•     Experiencing anything similar to a shift (including physical shifting),
•     Struggling with (emotionally, socially, or otherwise) being both human and nonhuman or alterhuman in some way,
•     Having a past-life as something nonhuman or alterhuman that strongly still impacts their current life, or
•     Desiring to be nonhuman or have nonhuman attributes.

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Written submissions must not exceed 15 pages, and if they are being submitted in a multi-font or multi-size format due to specifics unique to the piece or type of writing (experimental pieces trying to imitate a style such as a newspaper or blog, certain types of poetry, etc.), they must have the main body of text submitted in a legible 14 to 16 pt. font. Multi-part image submissions must not exceed 5 pages in length, and must also use a reader-friendly font with a text size of or exceeding 14 pt. Images larger than 8.5 x 11in. will be scaled down to an appropriate size; please take that into account when creating and submitting your images. It is also recommended that images be vertical or square in their orientation.

Written submissions should be submitted as a .docx file. Images and mixed media pieces should be submitted as either .jpg or .png files.

All submitted pieces should be your own work. Individuals caught plagiarizing within their submissions will be barred from participating in Inky Paws, including in any potential future volumes.

SUBMISSION FAQ:
Q: Where will this zine be hosted?
A: We are currently looking to host the zine on Issuu. If we are unable to host the zine on Issuu, it will be hosted on Gumroad. The zine will be completely free to download on whichever platform it ends up on. If this changes, we will inform everyone in future updates.

Q: What is the cap on submissions?
A: At this time, we are not looking to accept more than roughly 30 submissions at most, in order to keep numbers and expectations manageable. If that cap is reached before the deadline, we will announce so and proceed with formatting and publishing.

Q: Can I update my application after submitting?
A: Yes, so long as the updates are submitted before the submission deadline!

Q: What is your policy on content moderation and content warnings?
A: If you feel your piece needs content warnings, please include them in the submission, as we are hoping to include relevant content warnings and maturity ratings alongside all pieces. We are at this time accepting pieces of all tones and ratings. It should be noted that any items submitted with soapboxing intent and anti-nonhuman, anti-alterhuman, anti-fictionkin, or similar leans are largely not welcome, as this is a zine geared towards all aforementioned groups and then some.

Q: Can I submit an in-progress draft or sketch? Can I claim a spot in the zine before sending in my submission?
A: We are not currently accepting WIP pieces for submission at this time, though feel free to send us your WIP if you have questions related to its future submission. We also cannot reserve or guarantee a spot in the zine pre-submission, regardless of any existing drafts or WIPs.

Q: What is the projected timeline for this project?
A: Currently, our hopeful timeline is to have submissions closed by August 15th, to coincide with the end of Othercon, and then have the zine published online by mid-to-late October.

Q: Can I rescind my submission?
A: As long as you request to rescind your submission before the submission deadline, yes. After the deadline passes and the formatting and work towards publishing begins, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to remove your work from the zine due to time constraints and potential formatting issues. Please take this into account before submitting.

Q: Will there be any physical copies of this zine?
A: Due to cost restraints and a lack of printing experience on the part of the zine organizers, we have no physical copies of this zine planned for print. You are, however, welcome to download and print copies of the zine for personal use.

Q: Who are the organizers of this zine? Where can I reach out to ask further questions?
A: Who-is-Page and Noel Sol of the Sol System are organizing this zine. Feel free to send us any questions, comments, or concerns to invisibleotherkin@gmail.com.