The Bestseller Experiment

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

In this week’s Deep Dive Mark Stay is joined by Paul Hussey and they take a deep dive into the production of your publication. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support

Michael J Ward is a writer and gamer who has taken choose-your-own-adventure books to the next level. With compelling characters and engaging stories his DestinyQuest books are written in a unique way and he gives us an insight into his process which writers of all genres will find invaluable. In this episode you will discover… How the techniques of games writing can be applied to your writing The importance of identifying the turning points for your story Why your characters’ choices really need to matter And how publishing through crowdfunding can enable you to write without compromise To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now  bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

In this week’s Deep Dive Mark Stay is joined by Andy Bowden and they take a deep dive into the production of your publication. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support