Carole Matthews has sold over 6 million books in 31 countries. She’s written two books a year for the last ten years and was inducted into the Festival of Romance Hall of Fame. She tells us how it all started with a writing competition, why you shouldn’t be afraid to abandon a book, why being nosey is part of an author’s job, and the role insomnia plays in her writing day, and why none of it means anything if you don’t write from the heart.
Sep 21, 2020•59 min•Season 4Ep. 286
The second part of our interview with bestselling Indie author Shannon Mayer who recently hit #2 in the main Amazon.com charts outselling Stephen King and other greats. We talk about her new deal with Amazon, ‘hybrid’ authors, the importance of an author’s intent, being business-like and collaboration.
Sep 14, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 17
Philip C. Quaintrell is in Amazon’s top 1.8% of self-published authors. He does this with no marketing spend, no newsletter, and epic fantasy novels so massively epic that even Brandon Sanderson would quake at their page count. He’s also one of the nicest authors we’ve interviewed. He gives us the lowdown on how he moved from full-time job to full-time author in just a few years.
Sep 07, 2020•58 min•Season 4Ep. 285
‘How do I get a literary agent?’ is one of the most common questions asked by new writers, so we asked Federica Leonardis, founder of Martin Leonardis Literary Management, and her debut novelist Sonya Lalli.
Aug 31, 2020•56 min•Season 4Ep. 16
What can an indie publisher offer to authors that the big houses cannot? MD of Caffeine Nights Darren Laws and author Timothy Adler show us how the bespoke service that an indie publisher provides can be more effective for authors in key genres. They answer listener questions on marketing, ebook pricing, selling into online and bricks and mortar stores.
Aug 29, 2020•5 min•Season 4Ep. 284
Caro Ramsay is the author of the critically acclaimed Anderson and Costello series, the first of which, Absolution, was shortlisted for the CWA's New Blood Dagger for best debut of the year. In a hugely entertaining interview she tells us how life-changing trauma led to an incredible career as an award-winning writer.
Aug 24, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 283
Emmy winners and BAFTA-nominated, Huckerby & Ostler are one of the most successful TV writing partnerships around, and with their new novel, Defender Of The Realm, they’ve created a fantastic children’s adventure series.
Aug 17, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 15
Rachel Winters’ debut novel Would Like to Meet is an Amazon bestseller with rights sold in 14 territories and there was a big Hollywood auction for the film rights. Rachel tells us how her background as an editor enabled her to think of the book as 360 degree project — digital, audio and film — to help make it such a success.
Aug 10, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 282
Paul Ardoin talks us through the preparations he made for the promotion — including rewriting the opening of his first novel — and how he made the most of the promotion to increase sales across the whole series.
Aug 05, 2020•7 min•Season 4Ep. 281
How do you research your books? Michelle Paver has written eighteen novels, including the bestselling Chronicles Of Ancient Darkness. She’s encountered killer whales, wolves, polar bears and a runaway Yak, all in the name of research.
Aug 03, 2020•58 min•Season 4Ep. 13
Writing can be a solitary occupation, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The Two Marks discuss how accountability has helped them in their writing and offer six tips to help you focus on your writing, become more productive, and finish that book.
Jul 27, 2020•52 min•Season 4Ep. 280
Have you every wondered how important your “Voice” is as a writer? This week on The Bestseller Experiment podcast, New York Times success Maria Semple tells us just how essential your voice is. Maria was recently named a “Power Author” by the Hollywood Reporter, putting her alongside such giants as JK Rowling and George RR Martin. Maria started as a screenwriter. Her book, Where’d You Go, Bernadette? spent over a year on the New York Times bestsellers. Her new book “Tomorrow Will Be Different” w...
Jul 20, 2020•51 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Sadie’s Jones’ debut novel The Outcast was a smash hit, selling over half a million copies, but Sophie’s road to publication was a long one with over 15 years of rejection. Sadie tells us what she discovered about her writing in those years and the important lessons she learned, including what kept her writing and how to tell good notes from bad and some tips on writing with your eyes closed!
Jul 13, 2020•59 min•Season 4Ep. 279
The two Marks bring you up to date on the trials and tribulations their nascent bestseller, the processes that they’re going through, and how two writers can work together without driving each other bonkers.
Jul 06, 2020•45 min•Season 4Ep. 11
James Swallow is the internationally bestselling author of the Marc Dane thrillers, and he takes us through his remarkable career, which takes in Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who and a BAFTA nomination. His passion for working in tie-in fiction and his own original work is infectious, and he tells why always pushing himself out of his comfort zone led to his biggest success. Oh, and we start the show with a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!
Jun 28, 2020•59 min•Season 4Ep. 278
Robin is the author of the Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries books, a middle grade series following schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong in a 1930s English boarding school, but Robin started out on her bestselling adventure with NaNoWriMo.
Jun 21, 2020•42 min•Season 4Ep. 10
It’s all too easy to give up when your writing has been rejected, so how do you find the energy and the will to keep going? The Two Marks discuss strategies for perseverance, dealing with fear, rejection, and how to work on more than one more project at a time. Oh, there was a story in The Hollywood Reporter last week about a forthcoming monster movie called The Little People… written by none other than our very own Mr Stay! He talks about how perseverance helped him get the script optioned and ...
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 277
In this week's episode from the BXP Archives... Joe burst onto the fantasy scene in 2003 with his debut The Blade Itself. His books have climbed high up the Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller, and he had some unusual advice for writers when we spoke to him at GollanczFest.
Jun 08, 2020•48 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Caimh McDonnell is the bestselling author of the Dublin Trilogy and has one of the most entertaining and engaging newsletters out there with 10,000 subscribers and an astonishing open rate. Caimh answers our listener questions with tips on how to create great newsletters, even if you’re still writing your first novel, or launching the latest in a bestselling series.
Jun 03, 2020•4 min•Season 4Ep. 275
Adele Parks has published 20 novels in 20 years and every one has been a Sunday Times bestseller. With over three and a half million copies sold in the UK, she is a phenomenon, and her latest novel Just My Luck hit the top spot again, but it all began with her grandfather paying her 50p for her stories. Oh, and in a shocking reveal… Mr D reveals his real full name. You don’t want to miss this.
Jun 01, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Season 4Ep. 274
In this week's episode from the BXP Archives... We are delighted to welcome NaNoWriMo’s Grant Faulkner back to the podcast in mid-November, where we discuss strategies for coping with the ‘muddy middle’. Those second-act blues where a storyteller can get completely lost or overwhelmed.
May 25, 2020•22 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Liz Moore is the NY Times bestselling author of Long Bright River, a novel ten years in the making that started with short stories, non-fiction sketches and community work in the neighbourhood where the story is set. All that due diligence led to one of the most acclaimed books of the year. Liz tells us how she crafts each of her books, and the Two Marks debate the pros and cons of the slow novel approach. To support the show go to bestsellerexperiment.com/support Our novel Back To Reality is ou...
May 18, 2020•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 273
Michael Connelly is one of the most successful crime authors in the world with over 60m book sales. Having just released his new Harry Bosch thriller, he shares secrets about developing characters & writing book series – in the back of a London cab!
May 11, 2020•59 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Rachel Winterbottom is Senior Commissioning Editor at Gollancz and she also writes fiction as Rachel Winters. Rachel answers our listener questions on the editorial process, what editors are looking for, tropes, word count, social media, deadlines, publication scheduling, conventions and much more!
May 08, 2020•4 min•Season 4Ep. 22
Ayisha Malik, author of This Green and Pleasant Land, gives us amazing tips on first drafts, sequels, publicity, social media and why writing commercial, comedic fiction doesn’t mean you can’t tackle big themes, and how being a ghostwriter taught her how to be a professional writer. We also catch-up on the good news stories from our listeners, and Mr. Stay has read the first draft of his wife’s debut novel and he gives his verdict...
May 04, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 271
In this week's episode from the BXP Archives... Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston tells us about his life and new bestselling memoir, A Life In Parts.
Apr 27, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Bestselling author Mel Sherratt tells us why she never gave up after twelve years of rejection. Since then, Mel has been self-published, traditionally published and digital-first published… she’s done it all and sold over a million and a half books! She tells us how publishing her first book changed everything. AND we celebrate five millions words banked on the BXP2020 Challenge with a chat with Claire Burgess, who just completed the first draft of her novel after starting the challenge in Janua...
Apr 20, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 270
Heather Fitt is the founder of Overview Media and organised our recent blog tour for the audiobook of Back to Reality. Heather takes us through the benefits of a blog tour and how they are organised and answers our listeners’ questions on costs, genres, bloggers, the lengths of blog tours and what to do with all those reviews when it’s over. Links Heather on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LifeBookish Overview media: https://www.overviewmedia.co.uk...
Apr 17, 2020•3 min•Season 4Ep. 269
Every November hundreds of thousands of writers start their annual challenge of writing 50,000 words in one month. It’s called NaNoWriMomo (National Novel Writing Month). We get to speak with executive Director Grant Faulkner in the hectic run-up to NaNoWriMo, who shares his tips for both first-timers and veterans who make up the world’s most incredible writing community and event.
Apr 13, 2020•56 min•Season 4Ep. 5
We scrambled to put this episode together in which we try and put some positive vibes out into the world. We celebrate some of our listeners’ recent triumphs, we answer listener questions, discuss creativity, strategies for working from home, how to make the most of your day and why writing is so important. Sit back and forget the world’s woes for just a short while... Sign up to the BXP2020 Challenge here: https://bestsellerexperiment.com/bxp2020/
Apr 06, 2020•55 min•Season 4Ep. 268
