Bad Dog Books
From WikiFur, the furry encyclopedia.
Bad Dog Books is a publishing house founded by Alex Vance which employs modern print-on-demand technology to publish anthropomorphic fiction.
Originally named Osfer's Joint Publications, its flagship product was FANG, a serial anthology of furry fiction intended to reinvigorate widespread interest in printed anthropomorphic fiction. To emphasize its focus on imagination over imagery, FANG featured no artwork whatsoever, with the exception of the iconic BDB logo by Kamui.
Ben Goodridge joined in spring of 2006, as Alex's health did not allow him to continue serving as FANG's editor and when the anthology was restarted in July 2006, Bad Dog Books was created to continue and expand OJP's original vision.
Beside FANG, BDB produces a line of novels by authors hand-picked by the staff. Currently, four novels are available, including White Crusade by Ben Goodridge.
BDB produces its books in paperback, black and white with a full-color cover, in trade paperback, typically for a cover price of $19.99. As of 2007, BDB's books are available directly through the Bad Dog Bookstore as well as through FurPlanet.
This is more expensive than most paperbacks, which is due to the print-on-demand method of publication. This has a very high unit price, doesn't require the bulk printing and significant initial investment of traditional publishing. This allows BDB a substantial measure of freedom in the products it produces, since there is large initial investment to be made for the mass-printing of any particular book.
It also allows the manufacture of books with a very fast turnaround. FANG was first conceived in June 2005 and was released to the public three months later -- in these three months, a website was created, authors were attracted, submissions were reviewed and later edited, and the book was proofed for printing.
Considering the speed and efficiency of print-on-demand publication and the absence of up-front investments, the actual conversion of a print-ready text into a publishable document is a comparatively swift process, owing primarily to BDB's experience in publishing.
For this reason, BDB offers assisted self-publishing to any interested author. The author is expected to supply all the necessary materials (the text itself, copyright information, cover art, interior and cover copy) and BDB prepares the book and makes it available for sale.
Because royalties are paid out per-sale, the author can elect to grant BDB a portion of each sold copy's royalties in place of a fixed fee, thus making the entire publication process completely free.
BDB is characterized by this freedom from large financial concerns; the risks involved with any particular project are minimal, allowing unusual degrees of freedom and flexibility in the selection of projects.
[edit] Logo
In early 2006, Kamui was contracted to design a logo for Bad Dog Books. The logo was to bring to mind the sleek black premium style of the FANG books that were BDB's flagship product, as well as the gritty, mature energy of BDB's other books.
By fusing the stark geometry of the first with the rough-edged energy of the second,, the final design was achieved. This logo graces all BDB products.
The canine character depicted (also informally known as Jules Reve or, more commonly, as the Bad Dog) is not an existing character or representation thereof.
