

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

Apr 21, 2018 • 3min
EP104: Production Part 2 with Paul Hussey
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

Apr 15, 2018 • 54min
EP103: Michael J Ward - Choose Your Own Adventure
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

Apr 9, 2018 • 3min
EP102: Production Part 1 with Andy Bowden
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

Apr 9, 2018 • 56min
EP101: Live Show with Emad Akhtar
Editor Emad Akhtar has worked with authors like Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin and Justin Cronin and was kind enough to join our live show and answer our listeners' questions! In this episode you will discover… Common pacing issues with first drafts Why your most difficult scenes might be a reward for readers Why editors can be like movie producers, and what questions you should be asking editors Why you shouldn't just slavishly follow an editor's notes And why you should consider supply and demand with exposition To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Apr 7, 2018 • 3min
EP100: Elements of a Chapter
This week's Deep Dive is short n sweet and crammed with tips on making your chapters work as hard as possible. We'll look at the purpose of the chapter, how it fits into the larger story, and what tools you can use when editing to ensure that your chapter earns its place in the story. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support

Apr 1, 2018 • 43min
EP99: Cavan Scott
We speak to Cavan Scott, an extraordinary writer who writes on licence, meaning that he is hired to write for licenced intellectual properties such as Star Wars and Doctor Who. If you've ever written fan fiction and dream of writing for a big franchise then you'll find plenty of inspiration in this week's episode. In this episode you will discover… How the world of tie-in and licensed fiction works How to work to a brief or with a series bible How copyright and public domain works How good old-fashioned determination and persistence pays off with an extraordinary career To hear more of this episode in our deep dive, check out bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Mar 26, 2018 • 2min
EP98: Audiobooks
Audiobooks with Paul Stark Here are some clips of what is happening over on the Deep Dive at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support

Mar 25, 2018 • 48min
EP97: Roz Morris
We speak to Roz Morris, a writer whose books have sold over 4 million copies, but until recently you won't have seen her name on the covers because she is a ghost writer. Roz has written for members of the SAS, rockstar bodyguards, children's fantasy authors and more. In this episode you will discover… - How ghostwriters work with their authors - Why the story is in the struggle - How you can apply story structure to memoir and biography - A method of turning notes into a story with scraps of paper and a box! To hear more of this episode in our deep dive, check out bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Mar 18, 2018 • 2min
EP96: Options Part 3
Here are some clips of what is happening over on the Deep Dive at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support

Mar 15, 2018 • 48min
EP95: Richard Morgan
We speak to Richard Morgan about his novel Altered Carbon and its long journey through development hell before it went on the become the biggest show on Netflix. And we look back on his incredible career, which includes fantasy fiction and comic books, and we look forward to his long-awaited forthcoming novel Thin Air. In this episode you will discover… The perils of selling the TV and film rights to your writing Tips on completing trilogies and writing satisfying endings How adversity should strengthen your characters and not weaken them The key differences between TV and film storytelling To hear more of this episode in our deep dive, check out bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality


