The Bestseller Experiment
Join author and screenwriter Mark Stay with coach and entrepreneur Mark Desvaux, as they discover the secrets to writing a bestseller and challenge themselves and you to write, market and self-published a bestselling book in just one year. Each week, they are guided by and interview million-selling, chart-topping authors, publishers on the inside, editors, agents, social media specialists, and many more big names who play a part in the bestseller process. From the writing to marketing, plotting to publishing, learn the secrets to help you write your way to the top of the charts.
Latest episodes
May 12, 2019 • 2min
EP191: Writing Romantic Comedy with Rhoda Baxter and Jane Lovering
We welcome back romantic fiction novelist Rhoda Baxter and this time she’s joined by Jane Lovering, winner of Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year. They are about to launch their book “How To Write Romantic Comedy” and so we invited them to give us some top tips on writing romcoms and instantly regret it as poor Mr. Stay loses all control of the interview and ends up a gibbering wreck. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
May 6, 2019 • 45min
EP190: Simon Beckett - One Moment That Changed Everything
Simon Beckett has sold over ten million copies of his books worldwide, but he came close to giving up fiction for good until a trip to a body farm changed his career forever. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
May 5, 2019 • 3min
EP189: A Masterclass on Writing Comics with David Bishop
In the 1990s David Bishop ran Judge Dredd magazine and 2000 AD comic and since then has become a prolific author and screenwriter. David is also a lecturer in creative writing at Edinburgh Napier University, one of the few courses in the UK that covers writing for graphic novels and comic books. David shares his considerable experience in writing for comics and audio drama in an episode crammed with tips to inspire every author. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Apr 29, 2019 • 51min
EP188: Taylor Jenkins-Reid - Breaking The Rules = Bestseller
Taylor Jenkins-Reid’s latest novel Daisy Jones and the Six has been a global smash, but what makes it all the more extraordinary is that she has written fiction in a non-fiction format. Taylor describes the challenges in writing a novel that is up against real life, stranger-than-fiction rock and roll history. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Apr 28, 2019 • 2min
EP187: Author Website Q&A with Simon Appleby
Simon Appleby is the founder of Bookswarm, a specialist service dedicated to developing websites for authors. We had so many listener questions and Simon gave us all the answers! To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Apr 22, 2019 • 55min
EP186: Claire Handscombe - Myers-Briggs, Enneagrams and The West Wing
Claire Handscombe is a British writer whose obsession with The West Wing took her to Washington DC. Her debut novel, Unscripted, is out now and she tells us about how she used some remarkable psychological tools to develop her characters. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Apr 22, 2019 • 2min
EP185: Self Publishing Paperbacks with Craig Anderson
Author Craig Anderson recently sold over ten thousand copies of his books on Amazon and much of this was down to his painstaking work with Amazon and Facebook ads. In the third of three special Deep Dive episodes, Craig Anderson takes us through his top tips for navigating the murky waters of paperback publishing. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Apr 15, 2019 • 1h 14min
EP184: David Gaughran - How Amazon Works
David Gaughran is bestselling novelist and the author of a series of amazing guides on how to market books online. He has helped thousands of authors self-publish their books and we were delighted to welcome him to our live show for Patreon supporters to discuss the ins and outs of the mighty Amazon and he answers our Patreon listener questions. This episode is crammed full of great tips to sell more copies of your books. Here are the highlights! To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Apr 11, 2019 • 2min
EP183: Deep Dive - A Facebook Ads Masterclass with Craig Anderson
In the second of three special Deep Dive episodes, Craig takes us through his top tips for navigating the murky waters of Facebook advertising. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Apr 8, 2019 • 1h 18min
EP182: Angela Marsons - 3 million sold in 3 years
Angela Marsons’ first novel Silent Scream was rejected by every major UK publisher, but she never gave up and now she’s sold an incredible three million copies and counting. Her story is incredible and inspirational and she may just be the loveliest author we’ve ever interviewed... To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
