

The Bestseller Experiment
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 13, 2018 • 3min
EP124: Beta Readers
This week's Deep Dive is a discussion with Julian Barr about Beta Readers. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support

Jul 8, 2018 • 50min
EP123: Warren Adler - The Master of Dysfunction
Warren Adler is best known for his classic bestseller The War of the Roses and has had the most incredible career as a writer of novels, stage plays, poems, essays and short stories. He was also an eBook pioneer and paved the way for countless indie authors. Warren's first novel was published when he was 46, and his story is one of dreams and determination. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Jul 3, 2018 • 3min
EP121: State of the (publishing nation) with Sam Missingham
This week's Deep Dive is a discussion with Sam Missingham. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support

Jul 2, 2018 • 59min
EP122: The kids are all right! Live Show with Amber Caravéo
The highlights from our live show with Children's Literary Agent Amber Caravéo! Amber was formerly a commissioning editor at Random House Children's Books and Editorial Director at Orion Children's Books and is co-founder of Skylark Literary - an agency specialising in children's authors. Amber has worked some incredible children's authors including Liz Kessler, Caroline Lawrence, Holly Black and the Rainbow Magic series. We were delighted to welcome her to the Youtube Live show that we host exclusively for our Patreon Chart Topper supporters. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Jun 22, 2018 • 45min
EP120: The Quanderhorn Xperimentations with Rob Grant and Andrew Marshall
Mr. Stay spoke to a pair of his TV writing heroes at the MCM Comic Con in London recently. Rob Grant is the co-creator of the classic science fiction comedy Red Dwarf, and Andrew Marshall is best-known for the BBC comedy Two Point Four Children. Together they have created a fantastic BBC radio comedy series and accompanying novel The Quanderhorn Xperimentations. They talked about its creation, how they work together and with the cast, and we also get a mini-comedy writing masterclass and an exclusive excerpt from the audiobook (with thanks to Orion Audio). In this episode you will discover… Tips on writing with a partner and why visualisation is so important Why it can be important to have your concept clear before you write How situation, character and comedy come together for the perfect sitcom And why writing is like looking for a perfect table The Quanderhorn Xperimentaitons will start on BBC Radio Show 4 on Monday 25th June at 11:30 am, or you can listen via the BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b8cx2z

Jun 16, 2018 • 45min
EP119: Crowdfunding tips with Jimmy Leach
Crowdfunding is an increasingly common and way for authors to make their project come to life. But how to do this if you're queasy about asking for money? Jimmy is the Head of Crowdfunding at Unbound Books and he talked us through to dos and don'ts of raising money for creative projects. In this episode you will discover… Effective strategies for making your crowdfunding campaign work What motivates people to pledge and why the personal touch works so well Why you shouldn't rely on social media alone, and how to use it more effectively And how to build your crowd, realise your value, and what do when people say no... To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Jun 16, 2018 • 3min
EP118: Rights
In one of our Industry Insider Deep Dives we talk to Jessica Purdue from the Orion Publishing Group's Rights department about TV/Film rights, royalties, licences, renewals, translations, co-editions and all sorts of other fascinating ways for authors to make money from their work. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support

Jun 10, 2018 • 39min
EP117: Gareth L Powell - How to sing a space opera
Gareth L Powell is one of the most generous authors on social media and a font of writing wisdom. He's also the award-winning author of the Ack-Ack Macaque trilogy, his short stories have appeared in Interzone, Clarkesworld, and The Year's Best Science Fiction, and he has written for The Guardian, The Irish Times, 2000AD and SFX. With his new book Embers of War he has returned to his love of space opera. We discussed apes, outlining, and answered a few listener questions... In this episode you will discover… An outlining method that will help you work through the muddy middle What you can offer to your Patreon and Kofi supporters to create a community and generate revenue How to deal with characters who insist on hanging around in your story And how a short story about a monkey became an award-winning trilogy... To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Jun 10, 2018 • 3min
EP116: Adaptation
This week's topic of adaptation came from one of our Patreon supporters and listeners Julian Barr, who joined me to discuss the various methods for adapting from one medium to another, including radio, epic poems, novels, TV and feature films. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support

Jun 4, 2018 • 3min
EP114: Criticism
In this Deep Dive we take a look at one of the hardest parts of being a writer: coping with criticism. It can come in many forms: from writing groups, reviews, social media and more. We look at strategies on how to deal with criticism and how you can make it work for you. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support


