Laurel Johnson of Midwest Book Review - Interview of Patrick Seaman of Timberwolf Press

I wanted to interview Patrick Seaman, founder of Timberwolf Press, because of his clearcut philosophy, submission guidelines, and unique business model.

LJ for MBR: I simply must say first off that the review packet I received from Timberwolf Press was most impressive from a professional standpoint, as if you run a very tight and efficient ship. That mailing made an indelible impression on me. It was an excellent marketing tool. Who plans and expedites your marketing strategies at Timberwolf?

Patrick: Thanks! It is a collaborative effort, and one that has evolved over the last couple of years based on feedback and liberal study of other publishers marketing materials. It also stems from our extensive and varied background in the business world outside of publishing. The bottom line is that we're always re-evaluating, tweaking and changing our marketing materials.

LJ for MBR: Timberwolf not only publishes print versions in paperback and e-book, but also creates dramatizations on cassette, audio CD, and MP3 CD. If there are other small presses offering such choices, I am unaware of them. Tell our readers why you offer so many options, and which versions are most popular.

Patrick: To my knowledge, Timberwolf is the only U.S. publisher that dramatizes original fiction books. You see, Timberwolf officially launched back in 2000, when we opened our office and built our recording studio. However, back in 1995, I was helping start-up a company called AudioNet which later became Broadcast.com. We needed content, so I talked (conned) a friend of mine into creating an audio adaption of his then unpublished science fiction novel (A SMALL PERCENTAGE, by Jim Cline). He decided to produce it as an audio drama with amateur talent and we broadcast it on-line in 16 abridged "episodes." It was insanely popular and quickly built a global fan-base. In 1999 we re-recorded ASP and released it in 42 unabridged weekly episodes -- breaking audience records every week. The market-data we gathered from ASP taught us a great deal. Listeners were used to "single reader" audiobooks and were totally blown away by our (amateur!) dramatic production.

After Yahoo! bought-out Broadcast.com, I left to launch Timberwolf Press. We've incorporated the lessons-learned from ASP by dramatizing our titles instead of doing the "traditional" single-reader audiobook adaptions. In 2000 we released our first title on paperback, CD, tape, MP3 CD and digital download. The MP3 CDs are popular with the "palm-top" demographic (who also download audio in MP3 and Windows Media formats). The tapes seem to go to the more traditional audiobook consumers, while CDs are currently the most popular audio format. We release the titles in multiple formats because we believe that each format corresponds to a different (overlapping) customer demographic.

LJ for MBR: Your website also says you use webcasts as a marketing tool. I thought that was an intriguing idea. Tell our readers how that works.

Patrick: Rather than 5 minute "clips," we put up half-hour "episode" samples. Listeners can either listen to a streaming-media version, or download nine to ten megabyte MP3 file. (http://timberwolfpress.com/titles/audio_samples.shtml)

Lots of publishers produce audiobooks, however, since Timberwolf is unique in producing dramatized editions of its books (with a cast of twenty to twenty-five actors), one of our biggest problems is getting customers to understand the "Timberwolf difference." Longtime audiobook listeners are "indoctrinated" to the idea of a "reader." The on-line audio helps listeners better understand what we do. Generally, once they listen and hear the difference for themselves, they're hooked!

LJ for MBR: Now that we've covered the technology you use to publicize your books, tell us what Timberwolf looks for in a writer and manuscript. Your website clearly states submission requirements as to genre. I'd like you to go beyond that and tell us what grabs you in a query or a manuscript submission.

Patrick: Well, the packages that look as though they're from a Unibomber wannabe can be a little scary sometimes -- as are the query letters that look as if they could stand-in as a TV prop for a ransom note. It is somewhat depressing how many queries make it to our "hall of shame." For example, the following is an excerpt from a query letter we received:

"We observe as Powers moves about the country with his 'gypsy like' family. His social status and comfort zones altering with every mile, every city, every faucet of American culture." or, "This is a first novel.... I am a member of the . League and have attended many of their workshops on creative writhing."

While these examples make you groan, frankly, I'm happy when I see a query letter from someone who has done their homework and knows what we're looking for. I'm thrilled when they can actually communicate in one or two sentences what their book is about, then go on to convince me of why I should care! Honestly, there is no magic trick. The query needs to be clean and lucid, then, if it is something that sounds interesting, we'll go to the next step.

As far as manuscripts go, we look for material that will translate well to the dramatic. We will create an audio script and in some cases a screenplay, based on the manuscript. Things need to happen in the story. I don't want to just be told about it. We look for stories with lots of good dialog, solid research, and characters that are more than just three-dimensional. We want interesting characters that we care about -- love them or hate them, but I never want to be indifferent about them.

LJ for MBR: So you seem to have your priorities in order, and Timberwolf Press presents as an efficient business model. Do you have any goals for changes or additions in the near future, or is that a secret?

Patrick: As a young publisher, we're focused on developing a reputation for quality and innovation. We began that by being the first (back in 1995) to broadcast an audiobook on-line and later by being the first (that we know of) to put an audiobook on a CD-ROM in MP3 (& Windows Media). The two recent Book of the Year Awards (Bronwyn: Palaces & Prisons, ISBN 1-58752-059-1 and our Writing Exciting! seminar series) were immensely gratifying and helped provide some confirmation that we're on the right path.

We've also begun to diversify the business by adding a production services wing (http://www.timberwolfproductions.com). When we're not using our editors, engineers and studio for our own work (the fun stuff!), we're doing audio production work for other publishers and businesses.

LJ for MBR: Tell us more about the Writing Exciting! seminars. What exactly does it entail as related to the authors who may be considering a Timberwolf submission?

Patrick: The Writing Exciting! seminars started out as events we were doing at bookstores and writer's conferences. It occurred to us to go ahead and start recording some of them, with the thought that we might sell a few "back of the room" copies. We've packaged individual seminars individually, or, more recently, in a "six-pack" combining #1 through #6.

We cover a lot of ground in the seminars, ranging from legal and copyright issues to research, plot design, how to build characters, getting published, distribution, and promotion. We originally planned it as a nine-part series, however, future seminars are scheduled to include more topics and I think at last count we were planning twelve editions. We bring in one or two published writers on each seminar panel to provide a writer's practical perspective. We also add one or more editors, the occasional attorney, and others, as needed. I've participated in several of the seminars and we have a lot of fun with them. Probably the hardest part, for us, is editing it down to fit the 74 minute format (that's the length you can put on a standard audio CD).

We wanted to keep the price low and make the series convenient for writers, so we put individual seminars on CD in a sturdy DVD-style vinyl package. We distribute the series alongside our books and audio titles. You can imagine that it came as quite a pleasant surprise when the series won our other Book of the Year Award (audio nonfiction).

Of course, prospective Timberwolf authors aren't expected to buy the series. Someone from Timberwolf participates in one capacity or another in each seminar, so the series certainly reflects our editorial "bias." Anyone who wants to know how we feel about a particular issue can get an earful from it!

LJ for MBR: You've mentioned the awards and nominations Timberwolf books and authors received, and also awards won by Timberwolf Press. Tell us about those in greater detail.

Patrick: Sure, the audio editions of Calculated Risk (mystery/thriller, based on our paperback by Denise Tiller) and All The Tea (techno-thriller, based on our paperback by Ken Carodine) were both finalists for the 2001 Golden Headset Award. Calculated Risk audio was also a finalist for the 2001 Violet Crown Award for best fiction audiobook, which Bradamant: The Iron Tempest won. Both Calculated Risk and Bradamantfeatured a full cast and starred Kathy Garver, http://www.kathygarver.com/, (numerous Hollywood movies ranging from Ten Commandments to Apollo 13 as well as numerous TV shows including Family Affair ("Cissy"), Nash Bridges, Matlock, etc.). All The Tea's full cast starred Walter Koenig, http://www.walterkoenig.com/, ("Chekov" - Star TrekT Paramount and "Bester" - Babylon 5T Warner Brothers, etc.).

Our two Book of the Year Award (Foreword Magazine) winners were the paperback fantasy novel by Ron Miller, Bronwyn: Palaces & Prisons and the non-fiction audio series edition Writing Exciting! #1 Writing 101. Bronwyn is the first in a 4-book series, beautifully illustrated by the Hugo Award nominated author and artist Ron Miller. The Writing Exciting! seminar series features panelists that include Timberwolf editors and authors as well as the New York Times bestselling author Bill Baldwin (the Helmsman series) and Lillian Stewart Carl (Wings of Power, Garden of Thorns, and Along the Rim of Time). I should note that the 2nd book in the Bronwyn series, Bronwyn: Silk & Steel, is hot off the press. Production on the dramatic audio edition of Bronwyn: Palaces & Prisons is scheduled to wrap up in November.

LJ for MBR: That was an impressive list of awards for one year! I wish the same for Timberwolf this year.

I really appreciate you taking time out of your no doubt hectic schedule to participate in this interview, Patrick. Is there any other question you wish I had asked, or any other information you would like to share with our readers before I bring our time together to an end?

Patrick: It's been a pleasure, Laurel. When we were contemplating the launch of Timberwolf, we wanted to find a way to distinguish our products from the crowd. When we did our web broadcasts of the dramatized audiobook back in 1995 we discovered that whole generations had never experienced audio drama of any kind -- including Old Time Radio which seemed to be known more by reputation than by experience. We decided to differentiate the audio adaptions of our books by dramatizing them with an eye to tap into this largely unexplored market. My opinion on this has been strengthened as Audio Publisher's Association statistics have shown that around 11% of audiobook consumers prefer a full-cast production. Since no other domestic publisher, that I'm aware of, is doing full-cast audiobooks for contemporary adult genre fiction, it seemed like a huge opportunity for Timberwolf. My mission in life these days is to spread the word that "we're here!"

LJ for MBR: And thank you, Patrick, for allowing me to help "spread the word" in some small way.

Readers can learn more about Patrick Seaman, Timberwolf Press, and submission information by checking www.timberwolfpress.com.