The Bestseller Experiment

Carole Matthews has sold over 6 million books in 31 countries. She’s written two books a year for the last ten years and was inducted into the Festival of Romance Hall of Fame. She tells us how it all started with a writing competition, why you shouldn’t be afraid to abandon a book, why being nosey is part of an author’s job, and the role insomnia plays in her writing day, and why none of it means anything if you don’t write from the heart.

The second part of our interview with bestselling Indie author Shannon Mayer who recently hit #2 in the main Amazon.com charts outselling Stephen King and other greats. We talk about her new deal with Amazon, ‘hybrid’ authors, the importance of an author’s intent, being business-like and collaboration.

Philip C. Quaintrell is in Amazon’s top 1.8% of self-published authors. He does this with no marketing spend, no newsletter, and epic fantasy novels so massively epic that even Brandon Sanderson would quake at their page count. He’s also one of the nicest authors we’ve interviewed. He gives us the lowdown on how he moved from full-time job to full-time author in just a few years.

‘How do I get a literary agent?’ is one of the most common questions asked by new writers, so we asked Federica Leonardis, founder of Martin Leonardis Literary Management, and her debut novelist Sonya Lalli.

What can an indie publisher offer to authors that the big houses cannot? MD of Caffeine Nights Darren Laws and author Timothy Adler show us how the bespoke service that an indie publisher provides can be more effective for authors in key genres. They answer listener questions on marketing, ebook pricing, selling into online and bricks and mortar stores.

Caro Ramsay is the author of the critically acclaimed Anderson and Costello series, the first of which, Absolution, was shortlisted for the CWA's New Blood Dagger for best debut of the year. In a hugely entertaining interview she tells us how life-changing trauma led to an incredible career as an award-winning writer.

Emmy winners and BAFTA-nominated, Huckerby & Ostler are one of the most successful TV writing partnerships around, and with their new novel, Defender Of The Realm, they’ve created a fantastic children’s adventure series.

Rachel Winters’ debut novel Would Like to Meet is an Amazon bestseller with rights sold in 14 territories and there was a big Hollywood auction for the film rights. Rachel tells us how her background as an editor enabled her to think of the book as 360 degree project — digital, audio and film — to help make it such a success.

Paul Ardoin talks us through the preparations he made for the promotion — including rewriting the opening of his first novel — and how he made the most of the promotion to increase sales across the whole series.

How do you research your books? Michelle Paver has written eighteen novels, including the bestselling Chronicles Of Ancient Darkness. She’s encountered killer whales, wolves, polar bears and a runaway Yak, all in the name of research.