In Dialogue with Manta Press: An Interview with Tim McWhorter
MTSU Write intern May Cannon interviews author and founder of Manta Press Tim McWhorter ahead of the second edition release of "The Opening."
While many people view the transition to digital media as the “death of print” and a sign of the “end of traditional publishing,” the data suggests a very different reality. According to a report by Technavio, a global market research firm based in the United Kingdom, the publishing market is anticipated to grow by 18.9 million USD over the current decade. In their report, basing their claims off of data collected over the 2019 to 2023 period, researchers observe that “traditional publishers are finding success by catering to specialized and niche markets where there is less competition from digital platforms.” One of these more specialized publishers is Manta Press, Ltd., led by author and CEO Tim McWhorter. Manta Press is a publisher that stands on its own as a business made by authors, for authors. Interviewing Tim McWhorter provided key insight into the goals of Manta Press, what makes them stand apart, and what trying to get into the publishing industry is like as a business owner and an author alike in the year 2025.
Tim McWhorter's background before becoming an author is a humble one. His passion for writing popped up at an early age, finding himself writing whatever was on his mind at the moment, but never finishing it. “In my late twenties I actually wrote a handful of short stories to completion, but still nothing too serious.” A voracious reader, he often thought about how it would feel to step in the shoes of the writers that he admired. While taking an English course in college where he had to submit weekly journal entries, he decided to reuse one of the completed short stories he wrote years before. “The entry directly preceding the story was an entry where I fantasized about ‘being a writer.’” He told me. “When I picked up my journal on the last day of class and started flipping through it, there was a brief message written in purple marker on the bottom of that page. It simply said, ‘I read your story, and you ARE a writer.’ The lightbulb didn't just come on at that time, it exploded.”
But it's quite a jump to go from author to owner of your own publishing company. McWhorter's experiences with publishing, both with an indie publisher and self-publishing, shaped his view going into the creation of Manta Press. “I found neither wholly satisfying.” Tim recounted in an interview. “I did have a couple of mentors who taught me so much about the publishing industry along the way. When the contracts for a couple of my novels were about to expire, I felt it would be a great time to take my rights back, start my own press, and help new authors the way my mentors had helped me.” When asked what pushed him to this decision, Tim shared a formative experience: “One time I shared a table with an author…I noticed he had a couple of books set off to the side. I told him, ‘Hey, I can move my things if you want.’ And he told me, ‘No, it's fine, I don't want to display those.’ It turned out that his publisher had given him an awful cover. I couldn’t imagine having spent a year or two writing a book only to have no say in the cover.”
It's these experiences as an author, someone who's on the ground and doing the creative work, that provide important insight and knowledge to Tim when leading Manta Press and helping the other authors who work with him. “I truly believe that being an author is a strength I bring to the press.” He shared. “I'm not a businessman; I didn't start this company to achieve some financial goal. As a fellow author, I'm genuinely rooting for and want what's best for our authors. I look out for their interests and help them navigate the publishing process and relationship.” When asked about any advice he would give to new writers, as he's both in a position to encourage them and since he views his own experience as pivotal to his leadership in Manta Press, Tim had this to say: “It’s never too late, but you have to make it a priority. You have to write where and when you can. Keep moving forward and don’t give up. It is possible.”
Tim McWhorter's books and the rest of Manta Press's vast catalog of novels from its many authors are available on https://www.mantapress.com/. The new edition of “The Opening” was released Thursday, February 20th.
