Listener of the show, Mike Shackle was on the verge of giving up on his writing when he heard one of our early episodes with Joe Abercrombie. Inspired by Joe’s wise words, Mike has not only created a successful career as an indie author, but he’s about to launch We Are The Dead, the first book in a new trilogy to be published by Gollancz. Mike takes us through the ups and downs of his career and we have a special message from a top secret guest. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com...
Jul 19, 2019•37 min•Season 3Ep. 210
Following on from our episode with Mike Shackle, we talk about his indie pen name Mike Morris in this fascinating and entertaining Deep Dive into how to start out as an indie author and the key differences between the traditional world and self-publishing. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Jul 15, 2019•5 min•Season 3Ep. 211
The Alt. History genre — also known as Counter-Factual History — takes a key moment in history and use a “What if?” question to create enthralling stories. JDK Wyneken’s forthcoming novel Krelle’s Inferno asks what would have happened if the D-Day landings had failed. We met at Duxford Airbase during the preparations for the D-Day anniversary events to discuss how to write in this extraordinary genre. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now...
Jul 14, 2019•2 min•Season 3Ep. 209
At the end of 2018, the Two Marks set themselves a challenge: to sell ten thousand copies of their novel Back To Reality by Glastonbury weekend. They went wide, they published in paperback, and dabbled in advertising. But did they make it? Join us in the highlights of a live show where they reveal all... To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Jul 08, 2019•59 min•Season 3Ep. 208
Kim Nash, award-winning novelist, book blogger and PR manager at Bookouture answers our listener questions on blog tours, social media, newsletters, cover reveals, publicity, attending festivals, writing groups, book clubs, tips for blogging, blurbs, working with schools, and what authors can do to promote their books. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Jul 05, 2019•3 min•Season 3Ep. 207
That’s the feedback that Caimh got for his first novel. Over a hundred thousand book sales later, he’s writing in a tone and genre that defies all conventional publishing wisdom. Caimh talks to us about his career, from stand-up comedy to studying writing and moving from rejection to self-publishing success. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Jul 01, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 206
To celebrate Independent Bookshop Week we recorded our first ever LIVE episode of the podcast at Harbour Books in Whitstable! We were joined by authors Julie Wassmer, Katherine May, John McGhie and bookseller Olivia Rosenthall to discuss our love of books To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Jun 26, 2019•56 min•Season 3Ep. 205
In the latest of our One Page Punch-Up specials we asked our Patreon Chart Topper supporters to send in one page from their work-in-progress and we gave them Gollancz’s Gillian Redfearn and Marcus Gipps to review and critique. Between them Gillian and Marcus have worked with some legendary authors, including Joe Hill, Joanne Harris, Joe Abercrombie, and other authors NOT called Jo/Joe, including Neil Gaiman, Scott Lynch, Brandon Sanderson and some chancer called Mark Stay. To support the show go...
Jun 24, 2019•51 min•Season 3Ep. 204
Sasha Greene is the author of Something Like Happy, a thought-provoking novel about day-to-day struggles with mental health. Sasha tells us what inspired the book and the importance of inclusion and diversity in your writing. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Jun 20, 2019•3 min•Season 3Ep. 203
Tim Clare is a poet, author and musician who has wanted to write since childhood. Despite his commitment and determination, his route to publication has been a rocky one. Tim talks about his career with honesty, wit and passion, and every writer will come away inspired by his story. We also cover such writing essentials such Super Mario fan fiction, Soviet Ballerinas and giant mutant bats. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellere...
Jun 17, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 202
John Robert Marlow has spoken to the Hollywood screenwriters, producers and directors responsible for some of the biggest hits of all time (combined total of $50bn at the box office!) and distilled their experiences into his book Make Your Story A Movie To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Jun 14, 2019•2 min•Season 3Ep. 201
The Two Marks celebrate two hundred episodes of the podcast by answering some of the strangest questions they have ever been asked. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Jun 10, 2019•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 200
Bec Evans is a writer, speaker, innovation coach and startup founder and her new book How To Have A Happy Hustle in which she shares the secrets of start-up founders to make your publishing dreams a reality. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Jun 07, 2019•2 min•Season 3Ep. 199
Lorna Cook is yet another listener who used what she had learned on the podcast to launch her career, and in this special episode we speak to her before her novel The Forgotten Village was published, and after when she became the UK’s top selling Kindle To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Jun 03, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 198
David Bishop is programme leader for Creative Writing at Edinburgh Napier University. He tells us about the variety of creative writing courses available worldwide, answers our listeners’ questions, and gives us all some very practical advice. This is essential listening listening for anyone considering taking a course. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Jun 02, 2019•2 min•Season 3Ep. 197
These are our favourite episodes where we speak to one of our listeners who got a book deal! Kiley Dunbar is the author of One Summer’s Night, the first of a three book deal with Hera Books. Kiley tells us the role that the podcast and the RNA Writers’ Scheme played in getting her debut novel published. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
May 26, 2019•54 min•Season 3Ep. 196
Liz Hurley runs Hurley Books in Cornwall and is a writer herself. Here she gives us some frank and immensely useful dos and don’ts on how to get your book on the shelves of your local bookshop, and she answers our listeners’ questions. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
May 25, 2019•2 min•Season 3Ep. 195
Tade Thompson’s Rosewater has been nominated for pretty much every award going this year, and Tade’s skill in combining complex worldbuidling and compelling storytelling is second-to-none. He takes us through his process and reveals some amazing techniques for creating compelling fiction. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
May 19, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 194
Tina Dietz is an award-winning audiobook publisher and marketing expert and she was kind enough to answer our listeners’ questions on producing audiobooks, casting narrators and more. Audiobooks are the fastest-growing sector in publishing today and this is essential listening for all writers. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
May 18, 2019•2 min•Season 3Ep. 193
In the latest of our One Page Punch-Up specials we asked our Patreon Chart Toppers supporters to send us one page from their work-in-progress and we gave them Orion Publishing’s Group Associate Publisher Juliet Ewers, returning to the podcast (she was on episode two!). Juliet has worked with the likes of Ian Rankin, Maeve Binchy, Michael Connelly and more and she casts her expert eye over this fantastic batch of one-pagers. Mr. Stay apologises in advance for his dodgy accents in the readings......
May 13, 2019•38 min•Season 3Ep. 192
We welcome back romantic fiction novelist Rhoda Baxter and this time she’s joined by Jane Lovering, winner of Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year. They are about to launch their book “How To Write Romantic Comedy” and so we invited them to give us some top tips on writing romcoms and instantly regret it as poor Mr. Stay loses all control of the interview and ends up a gibbering wreck. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperime...
May 12, 2019•2 min•Season 3Ep. 191
Simon Beckett has sold over ten million copies of his books worldwide, but he came close to giving up fiction for good until a trip to a body farm changed his career forever. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
May 06, 2019•45 min•Season 3Ep. 190
In the 1990s David Bishop ran Judge Dredd magazine and 2000 AD comic and since then has become a prolific author and screenwriter. David is also a lecturer in creative writing at Edinburgh Napier University, one of the few courses in the UK that covers writing for graphic novels and comic books. David shares his considerable experience in writing for comics and audio drama in an episode crammed with tips to inspire every author. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our nove...
May 05, 2019•3 min•Season 3Ep. 189
Taylor Jenkins-Reid’s latest novel Daisy Jones and the Six has been a global smash, but what makes it all the more extraordinary is that she has written fiction in a non-fiction format. Taylor describes the challenges in writing a novel that is up against real life, stranger-than-fiction rock and roll history. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Apr 29, 2019•51 min•Season 3Ep. 188
Simon Appleby is the founder of Bookswarm, a specialist service dedicated to developing websites for authors. We had so many listener questions and Simon gave us all the answers! To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Apr 28, 2019•2 min•Season 3Ep. 187
Claire Handscombe is a British writer whose obsession with The West Wing took her to Washington DC. Her debut novel, Unscripted, is out now and she tells us about how she used some remarkable psychological tools to develop her characters. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Apr 22, 2019•55 min•Season 3Ep. 186
Author Craig Anderson recently sold over ten thousand copies of his books on Amazon and much of this was down to his painstaking work with Amazon and Facebook ads. In the third of three special Deep Dive episodes, Craig Anderson takes us through his top tips for navigating the murky waters of paperback publishing. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Apr 22, 2019•2 min•Season 3Ep. 185
David Gaughran is bestselling novelist and the author of a series of amazing guides on how to market books online. He has helped thousands of authors self-publish their books and we were delighted to welcome him to our live show for Patreon supporters to discuss the ins and outs of the mighty Amazon and he answers our Patreon listener questions. This episode is crammed full of great tips to sell more copies of your books. Here are the highlights! To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.co...
Apr 15, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Season 3Ep. 184
In the second of three special Deep Dive episodes, Craig takes us through his top tips for navigating the murky waters of Facebook advertising. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Apr 11, 2019•2 min•Season 3Ep. 183
Angela Marsons’ first novel Silent Scream was rejected by every major UK publisher, but she never gave up and now she’s sold an incredible three million copies and counting. Her story is incredible and inspirational and she may just be the loveliest author we’ve ever interviewed... To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality
Apr 08, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Season 3Ep. 182
