Weekly Roundup: February 28, 2020

Welcome to Paper Cat Press’s Weekly Roundup! In the Weekly Roundup, I provide links and summarized information about the crowdfunded projects, creator opportunities, and resources that have caught my eye over the week. I hope you enjoy!

WARNING! Some content below may feature NSFW content. Links will be marked NSFW! when the content identifies itself as adult material.

As a note: I am not sponsored by any company, group, or individual listed below or elsewhere on this site unless otherwise listed.

Want to jump to a specific section? Use the links below:

News || Helping Others || Awards || Recent Webcomic Debuts || Crowdfunded Projects || General || Animation || Comics, Illustration, and More || Conventions and Events || Designers || Fan Zines || Games || Mentorships & Fellowships || Residencies, Retreats, and Workshops || Scholarships, Sponsorships, and Grants || Teaching || Voice Acting || Writing and Editing || Youth and Internships || Resources || Deals || Giveaways


News

  • Paper Cat Press now has an official mailing list! Sign up here and get notified whenever a new Weekly Roundup goes live.
  • button_new3 Etsy is forcing sellers who made more than $10,000 last year participate in advertising that costs a 15% additional fee on each sale. Sellers cannot opt out.
  • Kickstarter employees voted to form a union. Congratulations!!
  • SPX has created a legal aid fund in support of 11 indie artists and an indie publisher who are faced with a defamation lawsuit because they spoke out against another creator’s alleged pattern of sexual abuse. Please support their cause and send the message that survivors of sexual assault do not feel afraid to speak out against their abusers and supporters of victims should not pay for an abuser’s crimes.

Social Resources

Remember to rest, eat, and drink water when you can. Take care of yourself the best that you can. You, your presence, and your work have an incredible impact on the people around you. You should be here.

Awards and Prizes

Nilah Magruder shared this Illustration Awards Masterlist. Scroll down to the Resources section to see even more that Nilah has contributed to the community for free. Thank you so much, Nilah!

The Penguin Random House Library Award for Innovation Through Adversity is accepting applications from US libraries and staff who overcome adversity and create lasting innovative community service programs that successfully inspire and connect with new readers. A $10,000 cash award will be given to a US library, and four runners-up will receive $1,000 in Penguin Random House books.

endingbutton_4 The Myriad First Graphic Novel Competition is accepting submissions of graphic novels in process from creators who have not yet published a full-length graphic work until February 28.

The 2020 Comedy Women in Print Prize is accepting submissions of published comedy, unpublished comedy, and humorous graphic novels by “female (identified) authors including non-binary” published in the UK and Ireland until March 3. There is no cost for entry, but for shortlisted books, £50 will be required from the publisher and a further £50 for the winning book.

Nominations for the 2020 Hugo Awards, 1945 Retro Hugo Awards, Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and Astounding Award for Best New Writer are now open until March 13.

The 2020 Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards is accepting entry submissions until March 13.

button_new3 The 4th annual Prism Awards are accepting submissions of LGBTQAI+ comics until March 18. Submitted works must have been created or first published between January 1 and December 31, 2019, either online or in print.

The 2020 World Fantasy Awards are accepting submissions of fantasy books and magazines published in 2019. Materials should be received before May 31 (as soon as possible).


Crowdfunded Projects

alchemistaurilliaendingbutton_4 Comic creator Melissa J Massey is currently raising funds to publish The Alchemist of Aurillia, both a standalone story and the opener for a full length series. In an alternate world version of the Ottoman Empire, wizard-in-training Nuriye summons a weak lantern sprite to serve as her familiar, but they need to learn to get along if they want to survive the night. Tier options include a wallpaper pack, digital and physical copies of The Alchemist of Aurillia, an exclusive print, a sticker, Vatican Assassins Chapter 1Black Ball #1, an illustrated bookplate, and a commission. The campaign ends on February 29.


mandm2Kristen Kiomall-Evans is currently raising funds to publish Magic and Muses Volume 2: Mischief. Following the events of the first volume (available to read for free online), the five magical protagonists find their newly developed abilities further complicating their lives. Tier options include digital and physical copies of Magic and Muses 2, digital and physical copies of Magic and Muses 1, acrylic standees, and a necklace button. The campaign ends on March 6.

bostonpowers

button_new3 Dan Mazur is currently raising funds to publish Boston Powers: All-ages, Boston-based Superhero Comics. The series will consist of three 40-page issues featuring fun, positive superhero comics to Boston-area neighborhoods, and is suited for readers of all ages, but especially young readers. Tier options include digital and physical copies of Boston Powers #1, physical copies of issues 2 and 3 of In A Single Bound, and a hand-drawn sketch card. The campaign ends on March 12.

sandlesbiansSamn Judge is currently raising funds on Kickstarter to publish Myths and Lesbians: A WLW Comic Anthology. The 32-page full-color comic collections features four lesbian retellings of myth and legend. Tier options include digital and physical copies of the book, bookmark sets, sticker sets, and a tarot print. The Kickstarter ends on March 14.

rootnbranc4Artist Pink Pitcher is currently raising funds to publish Root & Branch Volume 4. In the fourth volume of this hand-painted epic fantasy, Jayoda has pledged his aid to Ariana in her quest to find the Tree of Life, but if they are to make progress through these dangerous lands, both will need to use all their skills, intuitions, and perhaps some magic. Tier options include digital and physical copies of the fourth volume, digital and physical copies of back issues, and a giclee art print. The Kickstarter ends on March 15.

votesforwomenLittle Red Bird Press is currently raising funds to publish comic anthology Votes for Women: The Battle for the 19th Amendment. Through 200+ pages of comics and illustrations created by 32 womxn artistsVotes for Women reflects on the fight for female suffrage. Tier options include digital and physical copies of the Votes for Women book, a sticker, a canvas patch, a tote bag, and a study guide for educators and book clubs. The Kickstarter closes on March 17.

General


Animation

Check this list of animation and gaming jobs worldwide that’s updated daily. You can find a directory of currently open animation jobs at animatedjobs.comSee Entertainment Careers for more listings.


Comics, Illustration, and More



Check out Arts for LA, Call for Entry, College Art Opportunities, or Graphic Competitions for more exhibition, residency, and grant opportunities. Check Chris Arrant’s #ComicJobs hashtag on Twitter.


Conventions and Events

Con or Bust is seeking volunteers to join their Board as a an Interim President and Treasurer, as well as seasonal volunteers. Con or Bust aims to provide free tickets and travel grants to fans of color who want to attend SFF cons.

Here’s a list of international zine fests brought to you by ZINES!


Designers


Fan Zines

Looking for fan zines to submit to? Check out this spreadsheet created by magicalzombie or the FindAnthologies twitter page for more!


Games

Check this list of animation and gaming jobs worldwide that’s updated daily. Mitch Dyer shared a doc full of Game Dev jobs.


Mentorships & Fellowships

  • Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and ASU Gammage are accepting applications for the Mellon Projecting All Voices Fellowship from artists living in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado, and Native American artists within the geographic Southwest. The fellowships supports underrepresented artists from the Southwest who are interested in exploring issues of racial equity in the arts, engaging with an educational institution and participating in an intergenerational mentorship cohort. Applications are due by March 15. Selected fellows will receive a stipend of $38,000 and travel funds.
  • The 2020 Kundiman Mentorship Lab is accepting applications from emerging writers who self-identify as Asian-American until March 15. Writers must not have published a full-length book by the conclusion of the Lab, and cannot be enrolled in a degree-granting program during the time of the Mentorship Lab. Writers must be residents of the five boroughs of New York City, and be living in NYC for the full period of the Mentorship Lab. 
  • button_new3 Gale Gillman is accepting applications to their online comics mentorship until March 20. Their portfolio review request form is also available.
  • button_new3 The Disruptors, an inaugural fellowship for emerging television writers of color who identify as trans and/or non-binary, disabled, undocumented and/or formerly undocumented immigrants, is accepting applications until March 23. Selected fellows will receive master instruction and mentorship, a $5,000 stipend, the opportunity to create a TV pilot, and more.
  • University of Texas Press is accepting applications for its 2020-2021 Fellowship Program from applicants interested in a career in book publishing until March 31. The Fellowship will last from September 1, 2020 until August 31, 2021, and the selected Fellow will receive a total stipend of $30,000.
  • button_new3 The Emerging Writer Fellowship program, sponsored by The Miami Book Fair at Miami Dade College, is accepting applications from writers working to complete a book-length project within a year until April 30. Selected fellows will receive a $41,000 stipend, mentorship opportunities in Miami, FL, and more.
  • VS Books is accepting applications from unpublished writers who are Indigenous, Black or a person of color and who are 50 or older living in Canada until January 4, 2021.


Residencies, Retreats, and Workshops

Check out the Alliance of Art CommunitiesArts for LA, College Art Opportunities for exhibition, residency, and grant opportunities.


Scholarships, Sponsorships, and Grants

  • endingbutton_4 button_new3 Sirens (Denver, CO; October 22-25) is accepting applications for a number of scholarships for registrations costs and other expenses until February 29.
  • endingbutton_4 The Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards Program in Partnership with We Need Diverse Books is accepting applications from high school seniors set to graduate in spring 2020. Scholarships of up to $10,000 will be awarded to five high school students nationwide. Applications will close on March 2, or when 900 applications are received.
  • endingbutton_4 button_new3 The Weekend of Comics and Illustration, taking place at Hikayat from March 27-29, is offering a sponsored placement with complimentary workshops, accommodation, and funds towards transport. Students or professional practitioners of illustration and/or comics under age 35 who are a citizen of a Southeast Asian country can apply until March 4.
  • Koyama Press is offering a scholarship to the May 2020 Sequential Artists Workshop in Gainesville, FL. Apply by March 11 for consideration.
  • Cow House Press is accepting applications for the Cow Pie microgrant until May. The Cow Pie microgrant provides one creator (or creator duo/group) with mentorship, printing of their work, and covers the table fee for one 2020 exhibitor event.
  • The Awesome Foundation offers $1000 grants on a rolling basis.
  • Black Rainbow offers microgrants of $300 to LGBQTI people of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community that includes $200 to assist with hosting Indigenous LGBTQI community events.
  • The Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism is accepting applications from artists on a rolling basis. Artists covering data privacy, the 2018/2020 elections, the role of technology in society, political influence campaigns, harmful technologies, countering disinformation, and artificial intelligence may receive $500 to $5,000 in grants.
  • Gumroad’s Creators Fund is accepting applications on a rolling basis. Gumroad will be allocating $50,000 in creative grants of $500 to $5,000 throughout the year.
  • Mel Gillman shared this list of Grants, Fellowships, and Residencies for Cartoonists! Thanks, Mel!
  • My Documented Life maintains a list of scholarships for undocumented students.
  • Canadian artists and cultural connectors are welcome to apply for grant funds through the Professional Development for Arts Professionals of Supporting Artistic Practice. Details on how and when you can apply are available on the page.
  • Are you a professional freelancer experiencing financial duress? The Haven Foundation offers grants and assistance to applicants with chronic illness or injury or other career-threatening emergencies.
  • Springboard for the arts offers an Emergency Relief Fund for personal and community disasters that affect artists in Minnesota.
  • Tulsa Remote is accepting applications from remote workers who are willing to relocate to Tulsa, OK in exchange for reduced rent and a total of $10,000 over the course of a year. Read more about the program here.

Check out Arts for LA, College Art Opportunities, or this list by ProFellow for grant opportunities.


Teaching

Sign up to teach at Skillshare to earn royalties based on the premium member students in your class. See here for additional information.

Voice Acting

Check the Casting Call Club for more voice acting and audio opportunities.


Writing and Editing

  • We Need Diverse Books is looking to fill three contractual team positions: Webmaster for WordPress Site; Assistant Editor for YouTube Content; and Contributing Writers for the blog.
  • endingbutton_4 The Tenth Annual Pitchapalooza is accepting 250-word pitches until February 29. On March 14, twenty pitches will be randomly selected and critiqued. One pitch from that group will be introduced to an agent or publisher appropriate for their pitch.
  • endingbutton_4 Autostraddle is seeking pieces based on the theme “fire in the belly” until March 1.
  • endingbutton_4 Mattilda B Sycamore is accepting submissions for Between Certain Death and a Possible Future: Queer Writing on Growing Up with the AIDS Crisis until March 1 (but earlier is better). Submissions should be under 5,000 words.
  • endingbutton_4 The 2020 Comedy Women in Print Prize is accepting submissions of published and unpublished comedy novels published in the UK and Ireland by “female (identified) authors including non-binary” until March 3. There is no cost for entry, but for shortlisted books, £50 will be required from the publisher and a further £50 for the winning book.
  • button_new3 Color Bloq is accepting pitches to their Summer Collection, “BOUNDARY: Creating, Maintaining, and Exploring the Invisible Lines Between Us” until March 11.
  • (San Francisco, CA) Chronicle Books is seeking three Editorial Fellows. Apply by March 31 for consideration.
  • #DVPit’s next dates will be April 22 for Childrens/YA, and April 23 for Adult and #DVArt.
  • NSFW! Cleis Press is accepting submissions based on the theme “surprise” for the anthology Best Women’s Erotica of the Year: Volume 5 until May 1.
  • Speculative City is seeking  fiction, poetry, and essays with the theme of Afrofuturism written by authors who are specifically of Black and/or African descent until June 1. Submit pieces under 5,500 words to submissions@speculativecity.com.
  • Nerve Endings: Smut and Nerve Endings: Romance are accepting submissions of short fiction addressing trans and non-binary experiences of sex, sexuality, and relationships. Submissions for Smut are due by July 5, and submissions for Romance are due by July 5, 2021.

  • AbleGamers is looking for pitches about disability in video games to be featured in our newsletter and on the AbleGamers website. Financial compensation available for accepted pieces.
  • button_new3 (New York, NY) Abrams is seeking a Senior Editor to acquire and edit books for its non-illustrated adult imprints.
  • endingbutton_4 The American Greetings Alternative Writing Studio is accepting applications for freelance card writers. They’re also accepting funny birthday cards with “easy laughs for everyone” until February 29.
  • Anathema accepts fiction and nonfiction submissions year-round from queer and nonwhite writers. They are open to portfolio submissions from illustrators for new/original and/or reprint cover art. They are currently seeking poetry submissions for their upcoming release.
  • Anime Feminist is looking for contributors. Read here for more information. Article writers will be paid $50 per article.
  • Anime News Network is looking for Convention Correspondents and Freelance Editorial Contributors.
  • Autostraddle is seeking personal essays, feature stories, and article submissions on fashion and beauty, sex and relationships, humor, and investigative journalism, particularly from butch/masculine-of-center women, people of color, people over age 45, and trans women.
  • beestung is accepting submissions from non-binary and two-spirit writers. Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, hybrids, and art with intracommunity sensibilities are welcome. Contributors will be paid a $20 honorarium.
  • Black Rainbow accepts pitches from LGBQTI people of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and pays $150 for selected articles.
  • (London, UK/REMOTE OKAY) Blue-Zoo Animation is seeking Speculative Script Writers.
  • Carina Press has a new call for Carina Adores, a new trope-driven LGBTQ+ contemporary romance line.
  • Carnation Press is seeking submissions of short stories from fanfiction writers seeking to transition into publishing their original writing content. 
  • CBR is seeking experienced writers to write on comic book news, analyses, and movie and tv show casting news. 
  • (Waterton, MA) Charlesbridge Publishing is seeking two full-time Editorial Assistants.
  • Clarksworld Magazine is looking for fiction and nonfiction contributors and pays up to $0.10 per word.
  • (New York, NY) Culture Trip is seeking a Commissioning Editor.
  • Online monthly magazine The Dark is accepting submissions from 2000 to 6000 words in length. Encouraged genres include horror and dark fantasy, but graphic, violent horror is not desired. Payment is $0.06/word for up to 6000 words. Republishing payment is $0.01/word.
  • (Burbank, CA) DC Entertainment is seeking an Associate Editor.
  • (New York, NY) Delacorte Press is seeking an Associate Editor.
  • The Drinking Gourd is accepting pitches from Black Muslims. They accept work across all genres with a particular fondness for Afrofuturism and speculative fiction. All contributors are paid a $50 flat rate.
  • GenderTerror is accepting submissions of LGBTQ+ horror from artists and writers.
  • (New York, NY) Hachette Book Group is seeking an Associate Production Editor.
  • Hashtag Blak is accepting submissions of YA or adult fiction from Black British writers.
  • Interlude Press is seeking LGBTQA+ contemporary, fantasy, and science fiction YA novels and LGBTQA+ contemporary, historical, romantic comedy, mystery/suspense, and romantic adult fiction. Manuscripts should be 60,000-80,000 words in length.
  • (San Francisco, CA) Insight Editions is seeking an Editorial Director.
  • Kotaku is seeking a Staff Editor (New York, NY or remote). They have a number of other positions open across their companies.
  • “Love Like Mine,” an ongoing column in Xtra, is seeking essays about queer love in all its forms – romantic, familial, platonic, and more.
  • The New York Times is seeking contributors, particularly contributors of color, for their Tiny Love Stories and Modern Love columns.
  • Panel Patter is looking for contributors, particularly from writers interested in manga and webcomics. They do not offer payment.
  • button_new3 (Atlanta, GA) Peachtree Publishing Company, Inc. is seeking an experienced acquisitions and development editor.
  • (New York, NY) Penguin Random House is seeking a Manga Editor.
  • button_new3 Podcastle, an SFWA short fiction market, is seeking Associate Editors. This is an unpaid, volunteer position.
  • POMEgranate Magazine is accepting pitches from artists and writers.
  • (New York, NY) The Quarto Group is seeking an Acquiring Editor.
  • Queerly Represent Me is seeking interviewees who are queer and work in games.
  • Radish Fiction is seeking a Freelance Fiction Writer and a Freelance Editor.
  • Rogue’s Portal is seeking contributors and columnists. They do not offer payment.
  • Scholastic Canada is currently interested in reviewing Indigenous material in all genres and at all levels. No other unsolicited submissions are being accepted at this time.
  • The SFWA blog is open to nonfiction submissions that might be of interest to new and/or established writers of science fiction and fantasy.
  • Slide Stories is seeking writers for their love and sex short fiction platform focused on underrepresented audiences. Applications are open here and here.
  • SOLRAD is now accepting pitches for comics criticism, essays, and interviews. They are especially interested in cartoonists writing about other cartoonists, as well as work from academics.
  • button_new3 (New York, NY) Sourcebooks is seeking an Editorial Assistant.
  • The Temper is seeking written works, particularly from marginalized writers, that relate to sobriety, addiction, or recovery.
  • Three-Lobed Burning Eye is seeking original speculative short stories and flash fiction. Accepted authors of short stories will receive $100 and for flash fiction authors will receive $30.
  • (New York, NY) W.W. Norton & Company is seeking an Ebook Production Assistant, an Editorial Assistant: Biologyand an Assistant Editor.
  • (New York, NY) Workman Publishing is seeking an Associate Editor/Editor for Algonquin Books.
  • Zooscape is accepting submissions of furry fiction up to 10,000 words. They pay 6 cents per word up to 1000 words, $60 for longer stories, and $20 for reprints.

Check out writingcareer.com for a list of calls for submission!


Youth & Internships

Resources

Deals

Remember to check ComiXologyDick Blick, Jerry’s Art-A-Rama, JoannMichael’s, and RightStuf for their weekly ads, coupons, and specials on comics and art supplies.

Giveaways


That’s it for this week! Look out for another post next week with these categories and possibly more. Is there something you’d like to see more of? Something you know about but don’t see here? Let me know! 

pcpat

Thank you to Steven, April, Chromophage, Indira, Nathan, SAWHAND, Elle, Geneva, Amanda, Andi, Annie, BlackHairedDemon, Catherine, Farid, Frannie, Grey, Lara, Laura, Maaike, Metouji, Michi, Myfanwy, and Ravi for your Patronage!

If you enjoy the Weekly Roundup, please consider supporting me through my PatreonPaypalor Ko-Fi.

Link to the previous Roundup: Weekly Roundup – February 21, 2020

 

 

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