

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

May 29, 2017 • 50min
EP36: For Love Or Money | Susan Kaye Quinn
Susan Kaye Quinn is not only a genuine rocket scientist, but she's also a bestselling indie author in fiction and non-fiction. She runs the incredible For Love Or Money Facebook group, a resource for indie authors to get help with all those questions you might otherwise be afraid to ask. This is Part One of a special two-parter. In this episode you will discover… Why you should be clear what your goals are Why you should formulate a five year plan to achieve those goals How you can make your advertising budget a revenue generator and not a cost# And the importance of newsletters such as Bookbub Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

May 22, 2017 • 1h 5min
EP35: The Incredible Tenacity Of Mark Edwards
Mark Edwards is the bestselling author of over two million psychological thrillers such as The Magpies. Mark is an author who has been self-published, traditionally-published, and is now one of Amazon's 'Thomas & Mercer' imprint's bestselling authors with five number one bestsellers. His extraordinary story will be an inspiration to any writer who's ever faced rejection, bad publishing, bad agents, and financial ruin! In this episode you will discover: - Why tenacity may be one of the best traits of any writer - Why you don't necessarily have to write a series to be a bestselling author - Why the only marketing that matters is the marketing you can measure - How changing your book's description copy can double your sales! Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

May 15, 2017 • 55min
EP34: Into The Woods With John Yorke
John Yorke is one of the world's leading lights in the art of storytelling. As former head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and head of Company Pictures, he has worked on shows like Shameless, Life On Mars, and the UK's most popular soap opera EastEnders. He is also the author of Into The Woods, one of our favourite books on the craft of storytelling. In this episode you will discover… The most effective ways to use structure in your story How to create compelling characters Quick fixes for conveying exposition The importance of a good cliffhanger

May 8, 2017 • 48min
EP33: A Deep Dive With The Two Marks
The two Marks discuss the progress of their novel so far, and Mr. Stay recalls a piece of advice he received from Julie Cohen after he finished recording his interview with her… In this episode you will discover: - The best strategy for when you get stuck with your writing - Why stepping out of your comfort zone will improve your story - If you should ever give up on a project - Why bad reviews hurt and why you shouldn't worry about them Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

Apr 30, 2017 • 1h 13min
EP32: Legal Eagles | Keith Mathieson & Paul Joseph
We get lawyered-up in this fascinating episode where we talk to a pair of top entertainment lawyers: Keith Mathieson is an expert in defamation and privacy law, and Paul Joseph specialises in intellectual property cases and we quizzed them on the pitfalls authors should look out for when writing. In this episode you will discover: - If you can include song lyrics in your book - If you can use product placement in your writing - If you can put real people in your novel - If you can copyright an idea Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

Apr 22, 2017 • 1h 17min
EP31: Fear of Failure | Julie Cohen
Julie Cohen is the author of over twenty novels, including the Richard & Judy bestseller Dear Thing. She also teaches creative writing workshops and is a goldmine of writing wisdom.

Apr 17, 2017 • 51min
EP30: The Future Of Publishing | David Shelley
David Shelley is the CEO of Orion Publishing and the Little, Brown Publishing Group, he started as an editor, working with some major talents including Iain Banks, Val McDermid and JK Rowling, and he talked to us about the future of the publishing industry. In this episode you will discover: - The personality traits and habits of successful authors - What major publishers look for in an author and how you can stand out from the crowd - How major publishers are looking to mentor and attract a more diverse workforce and author list. -Why authors should maybe get someone else to write their blurbs and titles Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

Apr 8, 2017 • 57min
EP29: Kate Harrison | Bestselling Insights
Kate Harrison is a rare breed. A fiction and non-fiction award-winning author who used her insight experience with the BBC to produce a huge bestselling series of non-fiction diet and lifestyle books. We discuss with Kate about her phenomenally successful 5:2 Diet series, how she straddles the life as both a fiction and non-fiction author, and how her experience on shows like Panorama have shaped her storytelling. In this episode you will discover: - How to channel your personal experience and passion into your work - How to use search results to discover a market for your book and connect with your readers - How you can apply the classic hero's journey to your non-fiction writing - How writing your book's blurb first will help you stay on track - Some great tips for newsletter content Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

Apr 2, 2017 • 1h 13min
EP28: What Exactly Is A Bestseller? Number Crunching with Nielsen
We answer one of the most common questions we get on our quest: What is a bestseller? We spoke to Sara Mulryan of Nielsen Bookscan, the people who gather the data for the UK charts and made some fascinating discoveries. In this episode you will discover: - How book sales data feeds into different charts - Why you should pay close attention to your book's genre, and which ones are the most popular - What you can get out of events like the London Book Fair - The best time of year, week and time of day to publish your book Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

Mar 27, 2017 • 1h 1min
EP27 | From Script, To Screen, To Book | Jo Ho
Jo Ho is an award-winning screenwriter and director, best known for creating the BBC TV series Spirit Warriors, but she has recently turned her hand to self-publishing with great success. In this episode you will discover: - How Facebook groups can help guide you through your writing and self-publishing - How to cold-call editors and publishers successfully - How you can react to reader feedback and improve your book - And what essentials you need to build your readership Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com


