Macmillan Audio gets it: it's not enough just to make an audiobook, it should have value added. The audiobook of A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father, the first full-length memoir in five years from the bestselling Augusten Burroughs, will feature four original songs inspired by the book and exclusively written for the audiobook program. Musicians Patti Smith, Ingrid Michaelson, Tegan Quin, and Sea Wolf (four of Augusten's favorite indie musicians) each composed and recorded a new song inspired by Burroughs's latest memoir, and they are available exclusively on the audiobook program, which is read by the author.

read more for song samples and a video interview

Augusten was also deeply involved in the scoring and sound design for the audiobook program of A Wolf at the Table; as he explains, "I wanted this innovative audiobook to feel like a film or a 1950s radio show -- a truly cinematic, theatrical experience for the listener in which the musical score reflects what is happening in the story throughout."
A Wolf at the Table is the story of Augusten's relationship with his father, John Robison, Sr., a man only briefly touched upon in his previous bestselling memoir Running with Scissors. Augusten says, “I felt that because this book is different than anything I have written before, it deserved a very unique, special treatment and production.” generously composed and recorded songs for the audiobook production. Tegan Quin says of her contribution to the project, "I am a huge fan of Augusten Burroughs. It was without question one of the most exciting and flattering requests of our career. There was no question that I was going to be involved."

Click on the links below to hear streaming samples of each of the songs inspired by A Wolf at the Table and exclusively available on the audiobook:

Patti Smith, "The Only Time"
Ingrid Michaelson, "Spare Change"
Sea Wolf, "Song of the Magpie"
Tegan Quin (of the duo Tegan and Sara), "His Love"

Click here to see a video of Augusten Burroughs discussing the creative process behind this special audiobook

of course, you can always see him in person Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble Union Square