The Bestseller Experiment

Julie Wassmer is an EastEnder who has written for EastEnders and she's now bumping off the locals in her wonderful series of novels The Whitstable Pearl Mysteries. I met Julie by the seaside on a beautiful summer's day at Whitstable and we chatted about the town, its strong sense of community, and how it has influenced her writing. Julie's new book, Disappearence at Oare, is out now! In this episode you will discover… - Why location is so important to a novel - How to keep a series character fresh - And why you should live in fear of a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Sharon Bolton (aka SJ Bolton) is the bestselling and award-winning thriller author of the Lacey Flint series and her writing continues the tradition of gothic mystery, mixed with the pace of page-turning modern crime thrillers. It was great fun to discuss her new novel, The Craftsman, we played backlist bingo, and we answered listener questions. In this episode you will discover… - Tips for historical research and how you can turn local history into thrilling fiction - How you can keep readers on the hook with delayed gratification - How your short stories can interlock with your novels and create a greater universe - And why you have to write the books you love to read To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

This week we go to the movies with writer/director Deborah Haywood whose debut feature film Pin Cushion will be released in cinemas in July… Deborah is BIFA-nominated and was one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow and she's an incredible writer who deftly combines the deeply personal with the magical. In this episode you will discover… How an obsession with being a writer can get you on a movie set How writing without compromise and self-censorship can pay off How the screenplay development process works for independent filmmakers And strategies for dealing with notes (involving a hot bath, long walks and chocolate) To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Another special YouTube Live episode featuring Orion editor Ben Willis with contributions from our wonderful Patreon supporters! Ben worked in book publicity for Transworld and Headline before joining Orion, where he now works as a commissioning editor for Orion Fiction. If you want to get involved with our live shows, become a chart topper patron here: https://www.patreon.com/bestsellerexperiment In this episode you will discover… - Some top tips for your book's metadata to make it more visible online - We talk style, language, character perspectives, voices and tenses that you can use to make your work stand out - What publishers look for in indie authors - And is there such a thing as too much editing…? To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

We've already had a Deep Dive on writing compelling characters, but I want to focus on that moment when you first introduce them. How can you make an impact? How can you avoid cliches? I'll discuss seven principles that will help your writing. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support

Win Kelly Charles is a bestselling indie author who has publicly declared that she's stepping away from Facebook after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. We talked about Win's decision, how it affects her reach as an author, and her inspirational writing journey as someone born with cerebral palsy. In this episode you will discover… - How you can write a bestseller with an iPhone - Why you're not alone in struggling to reach readers on Facebook - And should you delete Facebook? To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Writing short stories is hard! Cramming great character and story into just a few thousand words is a skill few writers master, but here are some tips to help you get started... Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support

Isabel Ashdown is the author of bestselling thrillers Little Sister and Beautiful Liars. She walked away from a successful career to focus on her writing and it all stepped up a gear when she entered a competition in a newspaper... In this episode you will discover… - Isabel's working method with her editor Sam Eades (and we hear from Sam, too!) - Some top tips for growing your social media and newsletter numbers - The power of epilogues - And is it better for your thriller to have a twist, have everything tied up, or have an open ending? To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

CLICHES AND TROPES - how to identify cliches in your writing and tropes in your storytelling, and strategies for making your work stronger. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support

Ed McDonald broke onto the fantasy scene with his incredible debut Blackwing in 2017 and has had an amazing year. He's living the dream! Then a few weeks ago he wrote a very honest blog titled 'Dear Debut Authors of 2018' in which he asked the question, "What next?" In this episode you will discover… How to prepare for and navigate the first year of the publication of your book Sales anxiety and why you need to treat your writing as a business and a career How much should you act on reader feedback for your second book? Top tips from Ed for writing fight scenes (he's handy with a sword in real life, too!) And here's Ed's original blog: https://edmcdonaldwriting.com/2018/03/10/dear-debut-authors-of-2018/ To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality