The highlights from our live show with Children’s Literary Agent Amber Caravéo! Amber was formerly a commissioning editor at Random House Children’s Books and Editorial Director at Orion Children’s Books and is co-founder of Skylark Literary - an agency specialising in children’s authors. Amber has worked some incredible children’s authors including Liz Kessler, Caroline Lawrence, Holly Black and the Rainbow Magic series. We were delighted to welcome her to the Youtube Live show that we host exc...
Jul 02, 2018•59 min•Season 2Ep. 122
Mr. Stay spoke to a pair of his TV writing heroes at the MCM Comic Con in London recently. Rob Grant is the co-creator of the classic science fiction comedy Red Dwarf, and Andrew Marshall is best-known for the BBC comedy Two Point Four Children. Together they have created a fantastic BBC radio comedy series and accompanying novel The Quanderhorn Xperimentations. They talked about its creation, how they work together and with the cast, and we also get a mini-comedy writing masterclass and an excl...
Jun 22, 2018•45 min•Season 2Ep. 120
Crowdfunding is an increasingly common and way for authors to make their project come to life. But how to do this if you’re queasy about asking for money? Jimmy is the Head of Crowdfunding at Unbound Books and he talked us through to dos and don’ts of raising money for creative projects. In this episode you will discover… Effective strategies for making your crowdfunding campaign work What motivates people to pledge and why the personal touch works so well Why you shouldn’t rely on social media ...
Jun 16, 2018•45 min•Season 2Ep. 119
In one of our Industry Insider Deep Dives we talk to Jessica Purdue from the Orion Publishing Group's Rights department about TV/Film rights, royalties, licences, renewals, translations, co-editions and all sorts of other fascinating ways for authors to make money from their work. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support
Jun 16, 2018•3 min•Season 2Ep. 118
Gareth L Powell is one of the most generous authors on social media and a font of writing wisdom. He’s also the award-winning author of the Ack-Ack Macaque trilogy, his short stories have appeared in Interzone, Clarkesworld, and The Year’s Best Science Fiction, and he has written for The Guardian, The Irish Times, 2000AD and SFX. With his new book Embers of War he has returned to his love of space opera. We discussed apes, outlining, and answered a few listener questions... In this episode you w...
Jun 10, 2018•39 min•Season 2Ep. 117
This week's topic of adaptation came from one of our Patreon supporters and listeners Julian Barr, who joined me to discuss the various methods for adapting from one medium to another, including radio, epic poems, novels, TV and feature films. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support
Jun 10, 2018•3 min•Season 2Ep. 116
In this Deep Dive we take a look at one of the hardest parts of being a writer: coping with criticism. It can come in many forms: from writing groups, reviews, social media and more. We look at strategies on how to deal with criticism and how you can make it work for you. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support
Jun 04, 2018•3 min•Season 2Ep. 114
Julie Wassmer is an EastEnder who has written for EastEnders and she’s now bumping off the locals in her wonderful series of novels The Whitstable Pearl Mysteries. I met Julie by the seaside on a beautiful summer’s day at Whitstable and we chatted about the town, its strong sense of community, and how it has influenced her writing. Julie’s new book, Disappearence at Oare, is out now! In this episode you will discover… - Why location is so important to a novel - How to keep a series character fre...
Jun 03, 2018•37 min•Season 2Ep. 115
Sharon Bolton (aka SJ Bolton) is the bestselling and award-winning thriller author of the Lacey Flint series and her writing continues the tradition of gothic mystery, mixed with the pace of page-turning modern crime thrillers. It was great fun to discuss her new novel, The Craftsman, we played backlist bingo, and we answered listener questions. In this episode you will discover… - Tips for historical research and how you can turn local history into thrilling fiction - How you can keep readers o...
May 25, 2018•30 min•Season 2Ep. 113
This week we go to the movies with writer/director Deborah Haywood whose debut feature film Pin Cushion will be released in cinemas in July… Deborah is BIFA-nominated and was one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow and she’s an incredible writer who deftly combines the deeply personal with the magical. In this episode you will discover… How an obsession with being a writer can get you on a movie set How writing without compromise and self-censorship can pay off How the screenplay develop...
May 20, 2018•40 min•Season 2Ep. 112
Another special YouTube Live episode featuring Orion editor Ben Willis with contributions from our wonderful Patreon supporters! Ben worked in book publicity for Transworld and Headline before joining Orion, where he now works as a commissioning editor for Orion Fiction. If you want to get involved with our live shows, become a chart topper patron here: https://www.patreon.com/bestsellerexperiment In this episode you will discover… - Some top tips for your book’s metadata to make it more visible...
May 14, 2018•56 min•Season 2Ep. 111
We've already had a Deep Dive on writing compelling characters, but I want to focus on that moment when you first introduce them. How can you make an impact? How can you avoid cliches? I'll discuss seven principles that will help your writing. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support
May 14, 2018•3 min•Season 2Ep. 110
Win Kelly Charles is a bestselling indie author who has publicly declared that she’s stepping away from Facebook after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. We talked about Win’s decision, how it affects her reach as an author, and her inspirational writing journey as someone born with cerebral palsy. In this episode you will discover… - How you can write a bestseller with an iPhone - Why you’re not alone in struggling to reach readers on Facebook - And should you delete Facebook? To support the show...
May 05, 2018•33 min•Season 2Ep. 109
Writing short stories is hard! Cramming great character and story into just a few thousand words is a skill few writers master, but here are some tips to help you get started... Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support
May 05, 2018•3 min•Season 2Ep. 108
Isabel Ashdown is the author of bestselling thrillers Little Sister and Beautiful Liars. She walked away from a successful career to focus on her writing and it all stepped up a gear when she entered a competition in a newspaper... In this episode you will discover… - Isabel’s working method with her editor Sam Eades (and we hear from Sam, too!) - Some top tips for growing your social media and newsletter numbers - The power of epilogues - And is it better for your thriller to have a twist, have...
Apr 30, 2018•46 min•Season 2Ep. 107
CLICHES AND TROPES - how to identify cliches in your writing and tropes in your storytelling, and strategies for making your work stronger. Hear more at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support
Apr 29, 2018•3 min•Season 2Ep. 106
Ed McDonald broke onto the fantasy scene with his incredible debut Blackwing in 2017 and has had an amazing year. He’s living the dream! Then a few weeks ago he wrote a very honest blog titled ‘Dear Debut Authors of 2018’ in which he asked the question, “What next?" In this episode you will discover… How to prepare for and navigate the first year of the publication of your book Sales anxiety and why you need to treat your writing as a business and a career How much should you act on reader feedb...
Apr 23, 2018•47 min•Season 2Ep. 105
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 21, 2018•3 min•Season 2Ep. 104
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 nee...
Apr 15, 2018•54 min•Season 2Ep. 103
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 09, 2018•3 min•Season 2Ep. 102
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 deman...
Apr 09, 2018•56 min•Season 2Ep. 101
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 07, 2018•3 min•Season 2Ep. 100
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-f...
Apr 01, 2018•43 min•Season 2Ep. 99
Audiobooks with Paul Stark Here are some clips of what is happening over on the Deep Dive at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support
Mar 26, 2018•2 min•Season 2Ep. 98
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 pa...
Mar 25, 2018•48 min•Season 2Ep. 97
Here are some clips of what is happening over on the Deep Dive at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support
Mar 18, 2018•2 min•Season 2Ep. 94
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 st...
Mar 15, 2018•48 min•Season 2Ep. 95
Here are some clips of what is happening over on the Deep Dive at http://bestsellerexperiment.com/support
Mar 11, 2018•2 min•Season 2Ep. 94
In the latest of an occasional series of reports from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference, we speak to bestselling children’s author and illustrator Alex T Smith… and Mr. D makes a big declaration! In this episode you will discover… How themes help with story ideas for series characters How your personality will make your book unique How the most unexpected influences can enhance your writing Why it might pay dividends to dig out your old sketches and writing To he...
Mar 08, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 93
A special episode where Mr. Stay catches up with Sam Eades on the Gingerbread writing competition launched in episode 50, and speaks to the shortlisted authors, and we discover what it was about their writing that got them shortlisted... In this episode you will discover… How targets and deadlines are essential for any writer How writing for competitions with a theme can help you dig deeper How to find the courage to tell your own story And editor Sam Eades introduces us to the mysterious story ...
Mar 08, 2018•21 min•Season 2Ep. 92
