The Bestseller Experiment

Lucy Vine is a freelance journalist who has written for pretty much every magazine going. Inspired by one of Lucy's articles, editor Katie Seaman commissioned Lucy to write Hot Mess, a full-length novel, in an incredibly short space of time and, between them, have discovered a brilliantly efficient way of working together. In this episode you will discover: - How you can use a weekly deadline to increase your word count - Why you should look for gaps in the market - How you and an editor can work together on outlines and story before the edit begins - And even with an outline there's room for new ideas Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

We welcome back Shannon Mayer for the third and final part of our epic interview with her and we finally tackle something that can put the fear of death into many authors… Marketing. In this episode you will discover: - The one piece of marketing that makes the biggest difference to your sales - Why writing on your vacation is okay - How you can grapple with the scary technical stuff - And why interacting with your readers is so important Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

Is there such as thing as a positive rejection? This week we chat with award-winning author, Liz Fenwick about the importance of persistency on the journey to being published, why your book's location matters, the world of literary consultancies and how to silence your inner critic. In this episode you will discover… - How literary consultancies work - What you can learn from positive rejections - When to listen to your inner critic and how to banish the crows of doubt circling above - Why it's so important to complete your novel

Licking the wounds from their encounter with Ben Aaronovitch last week, the two Marks regroup, look at where they've gone wrong, and wonder if they can go on… In this episode you will discover… - Why taking a break from your main project might be a good idea - How to use your outline in a rewrite - Top tips for building your brand image and self-promotion - And Mr. Stay has been through the Kindle Direct Publishing process and reports on his findings Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

Ben Aaronovitch started writing for Dr Who and became the author of the bestselling Peter Grant series that started with Rivers Of London in 2011 and has been hugely successful, regularly hitting the Sunday Times bestsellers top ten. We were delighted to get Ben for a conversation full of fireworks. In this episode you will discover: When an outline is not an outline Top procrastination tips that will help your productivity Why sniffing a camel will help your research And how many drafts is too many Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

Mark Dawson had been published by a mainstream publisher, but to little success. A friend introduced him to Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and now, over two million downloads later, he is one of the UK's most successful indie authors. In this episode you will discover… - Why you need a mailing list. - A daily routine that balances creativity and business. - The power of an online ad campaign - The big changes coming in self-publishing! Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

Self-publishing an eBook? You're almost certainly going to be publishing on Kindle. We were delighted to speak to Kindle's head of Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Darren Hardy, at Amazon's recent Amazon Academy Conference in London to get the low-down. In this episode you will discover: - Where to find essential resources to guide you through the process of self-publishing on Kindle. -The common best practices for authors starting out. -The key elements that will make your book more visible on Amazon. -The big changes coming in self-publishing! Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

Joe is the bestselling author of Heart-Shaped Box, Horns, NOS4A2, Locke & Key and most recently the New York Times #1 epic blockbuster The Fireman. Joe, son of Stephen King, is powerhouse storyteller from an incredible family of writers. He is also an endless well of writing advice, so be ready to take notes… lots of notes… In this episode you will discover: - The power of two: two writers and a two-word sentence - How the secret to the Beatles' success can be applied to your writing - Joe's rule when tackling second drafts, and his first paragraph trick. - Joe's top tip that he got from his track coach at school - How rewriting someone else's work, and the game Go, can benefit your writing. Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

Sarah Pinborough has had over twenty novels published and written for TV and film. Sarah's new thriller Behind Her Eyes is getting incredible buzz after a heated auction. Sarah is always funny, insightful and often eye-wateringly honest. Brace yourselves for one of our most entertaining author chats yet… WARNING: Contains strong adult language! In this episode you will discover: - Why you should get networking. - The importance of thinking time. - How to cope with an editor's notes. - The common mistakes made by men writing women. - And the benefit of being charming. Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

The second part of our interview with bestselling Indie author Shannon Mayer who recently hit #2 in the main Amazon.com charts outselling Stephen Kings and other great. We talk about her new deal with Amazon, hybrid authors, the importance of an author's intent, being business-like and collaboration. In this episode you will discover: - The importance of setting your goals as a writer, and making them big! - The simple secret of Shannon's success and how you can apply it to your writing. - How to cope with imposter syndrome. - And a great tip for collaborating with another author. Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com .