The Bestseller Experiment

We welcome bestselling author Rowan Coleman back to the podcast, but this time she’s wearing a Brontë bonnet. Writing as Bella Ellis she is two books into the Brontë Mysteries, which imagines the famous sisters as mystery-solving sleuths. Rowan takes us through her process of research and strategies for writing around history and real people.

Is there such a thing as a positive rejection? This week we chat with award-winning author, Liz Fenwick about the importance of persistency on the journey to being published, why your book’s location matters, the world of literary consultancies and how to silence your inner critic.

Sally Gardner is an award-winning novelist who has sold more than 2.5 million books worldwide. The Snow Song is her third adult novel is about a woman who loses her voice as the snow falls. With themes of isolation it feels more relevant than ever. Sally is huge fun and takes us through her incredible career and has some amazing advice for writers at all levels, including why she writes in colour.

Ben Aaronovitch started writing for Doctor Who and became the author of the bestselling Peter Grant series that started with Rivers Of London in 2011 and has been hugely successful, regularly hitting the Sunday Times bestsellers top ten. We were delighted to get Ben for a conversation full of fireworks.

David Pennington is an author, writing coach and copywriter who is on a mission to improve how we tell stories. In this Deep Dive we discuss the importance of drafting, tapping into your “mental milk” and “infinite brain”, why you need to hold yourself accountable, and getting ideas via “crate digging”.

We celebrate four years of the podcast with a live show where our Patrons and Academy members ask us anything and everything. The Two Marks reveal how the podcast started, who they would cast in the movie of Back to Reality, how the podcast has changed them, their favourite writing tips, what they’re proudest of and what’s in store for the future.

Joe is the bestselling author of Heart-Shaped Box, Horns, NOS4A2, Locke & Key and most recently the New York Times #1 epic blockbuster The Fireman. Joe, son of Stephen King, is powerhouse storyteller from an incredible family of writers. 

How can authors use YouTube to engage with readers and drive sales? We talk to Jeremy Mason a TV Producer, Director of Photography and Lighting Cameraman with over 20 years UK broadcast experience. He’s been steeped in the world of digital marketing over the last 3 years, exploring how the power of video can be better used for commerce.

Charles Stross is the multi-award winning author of bestselling series of space opera, alt-history and more. With his new novel Dead Lies Dreaming he jumps back into his Laundry Files universe, and he gives us some incredible tips on writing successful long-running series and how to grow your reader base. And the Two Marks look forward to celebrating four years of the podcast with a special live show. Find out how you can join them...

Sarah Pinborough has had over twenty novels published and written for TV and film. Sarah’s new thriller Behind Her Eyes is getting incredible buzz after a heated auction. Sarah is always funny, insightful and often eye-wateringly honest. Brace yourselves for one of our most entertaining author chats yet… WARNING: Contains strong adult language!