Success Is In The Mind Of The Creator: Ron Hanna

In the June 2009 issue of Kalkion, we have interviewed Ron Hanna, the man behind pulp fiction publication WCB or Wild Cat Books. Pulp fiction has played a pivotal role in the growth of the genre we deal in. But this segment has its own challenges and strengths. In this interview we will learn more about the pulp fiction industry. Also, we will learn a lot about the life of a publisher – someone who controls the threads of our careers. Ron Hanna is one of the most friendly and charismatic persons around. Now, read on...

Kalkion: Before we start with WCB, could you tell us a bit about your childhood -- what kind of stories/books you used to read back then?

Ron: I started reading when I was about three years old, mostly comic books of all kinds, and then as I got a bit older I discovered the Tarzan and John Carter books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Then I came across the Bantam reprints of the Doc Savage stories, and just continued from there. I would read anything, and books have always been a big part of my life. I was lucky that I had a family that encouraged me and indulged my passion for books. [Also read Why WIld Cat Books is popular amongst writers, click here]

Kalkion: How, why and when did you enter the publishing industry?

Ron: Back in 1997 I was browsing the Internet and meeting people on Forums and Discussion Groups that had the same interests that I did; a love of great adventure tales, an interest in the Golden Age of pulp fiction (which was from about 1930 to 1950), and I met a fellow fan who wanted to do a “fanzine” (of which there were many) of our own. There were several out there for years, but some died out, and we decided to create “Secret Sanctum”. That was my first endeavor in publishing, and like most fanzines at the time, was xeroxed and stapled together. We were fortunate in the fact that my co-creator worked at a printing company, and I believe we were the very first fan publication to have full-color pages in the interior. It was a really high quality production! Plus, being on the Internet, we were able to find some very talented writers and artists, a couple of which I still work with today. “Secret Sanctum” lasted 3 years and had a total of 17 issues. Then, we decided to go our separate ways, and it's at that time I created Wild Cat Books, and have been publishing under that imprint ever since.

Kalkion: How different is Pulp fiction from other forms -- please share your thoughts in terms of market, readers and nature/quality of work?

Ron:Pulp fiction was material that was churned out in masses, on cheap pulpwood paper (hence the term) that covered every genre imaginable: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Westerns, Mystery, even Romance. During the Great Depression, people needed a form of cheap entertainment, and the pulps generally sold for 5 or 10 cents, sometimes a little more, and even when people were destitute, they could always find a dime to purchase the latest pulp magazine. They provided an escape from the despair that engulfed America at the time, and were extremely popular.

Writers and artists were paid very cheaply, so they would crank out as many stories as they could to make a living. Some did very well, and many of today's best-known writers began their career in the “bloody pulps”. I will admit that not all of the fiction was of great quality, but much of it was, and it was characterized as being the “poor man's literature”. However, the list of names and characters that appeared in the pulps are still read today.

Tarzan first appeared in 1912, and he's still famous today. Doc Savage first appeared on the newsstands in 1933, and along with The Shadow, were major influences on the later creations of Superman and Batman. Doc Savage, especially, was way ahead of the times. A lot of the gadgets and inventions that first appeared in his tales later became a reality, such as the telephone recording machine... and it's no coincidence that Doc (whose first name was Clark) also had a “Fortress of Solitude” many years before Clark Kent appeared as Superman!

Kalkion: What inspired you to start WCB? Any story behind the name?

Ron: Well, as I mentioned earlier, I started Wild Cat Books when my partner and I had a major falling out in terms of how we wanted “Secret Sanctum” to continue. He wanted to make the magazine strictly as an “e-book”, a down-loadable PDF file which would cut our expenses and maximize profits, but I firmly believed that our publication should also be available in a printed format.

There's nothing like curling up with a good book or magazine on a cold winter night and feeling the texture of the paper, turning pages by hand rather than with a click of a “mouse”, and so that's when I branched out on my own. The name “Wild Cat” came from two sources: First, from my being somewhat eccentric and wanting to blaze my own trail, and secondly, it was to honor my cat, Babette, who was a very special feline. She was amazing!

Kalkion: What else do you do other than your involvement with WCB?

RH: Well, being a small-press independent publisher, I've never been able to make a living at what I do as a hobby, so I maintain that dreaded “day job” which pays the bills and allows me the freedom to continue publishing. Currently I work as a Biomedical Technician for a Dialysis Center, but I've also spent many years in the Medical Laboratory field as well. I've been involved in those areas for most of my life. As far as other hobbies, I really enjoy skiing, playing golf, and back-packing into wilderness areas.

Kalkion: Could you tell us a bit about some of the most popular titles at WCB?

Ron: One of our most popular titles is “The Rook” series by author Barry Reese. He's not only very talented, but extremely prolific. Right now we have 3 volumes of his series available, with plans for at least 2 more, plus a new “team-up” book with the character. He's also written numerous short stories in a variety of genres. Other favorites are the Non-Fiction reference books by Wooda “Nick” Carr, who personally knew and corresponded with many of the original pulp writers, artists and publishers.

“The Pulp Hero”, “Master Of The Pulps”, and “The Pulp Magazine Scrapbook” are collections of some of his best articles written about the history and characters that appeared in the original pulps. He's written so many articles that it was hard to choose just which ones I wanted to include! But all three of those books are perfect for anyone who has an interest in pulp fiction. He's an Award-winning Historian, and I'm proud that he still remains a close friend, and I plan on publishing even more material by him. Another popular title is “The Adventures Of The Scarlet Shroud” by William and Chris Carney, each of whom write and illustrate their own character.

Kalkion: What is the revenue generation model of pulps, especially WCB? Why would an author consider pulp/WCB as compared to other press?

Ron: Despite “pulp fiction” being a niche market, there are quite a few publishers out there. Some of them just do re-prints of old pulp stories, and some concentrate on new stories based on old pulp heroes that are in the Public Domain. And then there's WCB, which tries to do a variety of material: New stories, old re-prints, reference and art books, and creator-owned properties. I think the main reason that some writers and artists choose to work with me is simply because I allow a lot of creative freedom. I'm not a heavy-handed editor, and try not to stick my nose too far into other people's creations. Yes, I do edit every story that comes my way (that's my job) but I try to make minimal changes as to content or style. Everyone has their own voice, and that's what I want people to hear, not my version of what I expect it should be. Nobody who works with me expects to get rich, but we all share the same love of crafting great stories, with beautiful artwork, and packaged to catch the eye of anyone who sees our stuff.

Kalkion: What are the major titles to be released shortly?

Ron: Well, just in the last week or so we released “Under The Suns Of Antares” by British novelist Tim Jones, with Cover Art by Nick Neocleous, a wonderful British artist who has done work on “Dr. Who” and other well-known franchises. Next up is the newest in our “PulsePounders!” line of Digest size novellas featuring a couple of Ki-Gor, The Jungle Lord tales by Barry Reese, with a stunning cover by Portuguese artist Manuel Morgado. Barry also wrote our first “PulsePounders!” title, “Guan-Yin and the Horrors of Skull Island”, again with a beautiful cover, this one by Lorenzo Sperlonga. We also are working on an Anthology of Zombie tales, which will be different from others out there because all the stories are set within an established “framework”. I don't want to give too much away about that right now, but I believe everyone will be pleased with it! Plus, we'll have “The Rook – Volume Four” with a Cover by Norm Breyfogle, the next “Scarlet Shroud” adventure by the Carney brothers, and our flagship title “Startling Stories”. Given the fact we have a lot of different projects going on, it is pretty tough to say exactly what will come out next, simply because each title is in differing stages of development, and there's always unforeseen circumstances that can arrive at any time that may delay a certain title.

Kalkion: Tell us a bit about your favourite authors at WCB. I know this question is a tricky one-- if you don't feel comfortable, let's make it...which are the financially most successful authors at WCB?

Ron: Actually, that's an easy one... ALL of my creators are my favorites! If I didn't like them or their work, they wouldn't be a part of WCB to begin with!

Kalkion: How can an author approach WCB? What is the process? If someone submits a work, do you work with the author?

Ron: Well, at this time, I'm really not actively seeking out new writers or artists, but am open to the idea. A lot of times, people get referred to me by my current staff of creators, while others seek me out after visiting our website and seeing what we do. I will review all submissions, and depending on whether I believe it would be a good fit for WCB, I would then pursue it further, such as discussing rates, royalties, and other stuff. Anyone who works with me is more than welcome to contact me at any time, and I believe I do work with my authors and artists as much as anyone else out there.

After all, WCB is my baby, and I'll do anything to make sure my “kittens” (as I call all my creators) are happy with working with me. Sometimes there are issues that can't be resolved, but I'd say that most of the time, we work things out. One good thing is that I have a private Group on Yahoo where all my creators are members, and where we can discuss projects, offer advice, plan future books, and generally have a good time. We're all a part of the “Wild Cat” family there, and it makes it more fun and easier when there's good communication amongst our Group.

Kalkion: Which one is your favourite genre at WCB and which genre is the most successful in terms of sales?

Ron: My personal favorite genre is Science Fiction and Horror. I believe they offer a wide variety of topics and ideas that can't always be approached in other genres, but can incorporate those genres within them. Basically, Science Fiction can encompass anything, which is why I enjoy it so much. As far as what genre seems to generate the most sales, I'd have to say Hero or Adventure  titles, such as “The Rook”, “The Grey Monk”, and “The Scarlet Shroud”.

Kalkion: What is the current work-force as WCB? Are you planning any expansion?

Ron: Right now we are actually slowing things down. As I'm sure many people are aware, the world is in a big recession. People are losing their homes, families are going without more than one meal a day, and a lot of people are losing their jobs. Stress and insecurity is taking a toll on almost everyone. While we are pursuing other media outlets, such as e-books and audio books, I really don't want to try to publish too much stuff and flood the market. Most of my creators are also struggling to make ends meet, and so I've cut back on strict deadlines for most of our titles. Life happens... and if someone is sick, gets injured, or has to take a second job to pay bills, well, I've always believed that everything done at WCB is done out of love. We create because we have to, it's a part of who and what we are. But if one of my “kittens” is hurting, I will certainly not push them just to meet a deadline. I'm willing to wait for the best possible product of their vivid imaginations.

Kalkion: Readers may not have an idea about how much hard work is there behind bringing out a book. How would you define the job of a publisher?

Ron: As publisher, I have the luxury of having other people do most of the hard work! The writers write, the artists draw, my designer packages the whole book... but I do oversee all parts of that. I pretty much read and look at each and every book before it goes to print. So while one author may finish a book and be done for a time, I may have five other books going on as well. That's the roughest part. Being in charge of, literally, everything!

Kalkion: What is your opinion about e-Books vs print. Do they complement each other or compete with each other?

Ron: Well, as I said before, I personally love the print form as opposed to the e-book form. But that may be because I read books on my computer constantly. Heck, I have to edit every title on my PC, and after doing that for long periods of time, the last thing I want to do is read it as an e-book! But I also understand that with today's technology, a lot of people prefer e-books. So, I would have to say that they can compliment each other, but to me, the greatest pleasure I get is when a new title lands in my mailbox and I can see the printed version. Then it goes proudly on my bookshelf!

Kalkion: Any message, suggestions to new writers?

Ron: Just that I strongly encourage everyone to follow their dreams to the best of their ability. The creative process is a very personal journey, so do what you love in life, whether you become financially successful or not. Success is in the mind of the creator.

Note: Also read Why WIld Cat Books is popular amongst writers, click here.