The Bestseller Experiment

Patricia Gibney has sold over 2 million copies of her Detective Lottie Parker books, and readers worldwide love her stories, but her career started at a very tough time in her life. Patricia left her job of thirty years and was able to work through grief and reignite her love of writing through journaling and drawing. And, post-interview, the Two Marks discuss being brave enough to ask stupid questions. Which they're both very good at.

Joanne Harris returns to the podcast with her gripping page-turning thriller A Narrow Door. Joanne answers our listener questions, tells us the importance of human interaction to her writing, why she doesn't see a distinction between plotting and pantsing, and why ideas are like planets in a solar system. And the Two Marks discuss a chicken-writer analogy that has to be heard to be believed...

Ian Skewis's debut novel A Murder of Crows became a no.1 bestseller and was long listed for the Guardian's Not the Booker Prize. Ian tells us how it all began with a traumatic incident from his childhood, how he developed the story in different media for many years before writing the novel. Please note that suicide is discussed in our interview with Ian. If you don't to hear about that, please skip the first seven minutes of our conversation.

We welcome the wonderful Angela Marsons back to the podcast. Angela is the multi-million bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series. And she's back with Six Graves, the 16th book in the series. Despite her mega sales (five million and counting) and a 12-book contract, Angela tells us why she doesn't take a single book for granted, and why every one she starts feels like the first. She also answers our listener questions and the two Marks discuss the pros and cons of being prolific.

Ian W Sainsbury is the award-winning author of the Jimmy Blue series of thrillers. Ian has just started editing the fourth book in the series and he was kind enough to let us get a sneak peek at his editing process. He fires up ProWriting Aid and shares his screen with us as he gets forensic with his edit.

Louise Hare's debut This Lovely City was shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize and Louise was selected for the Observer's top 10 best debut novelists. She returns with Miss Aldridge Regrets, a murder mystery set aboard the Queen Mary in 1936. Louise discusses how she built the novel up from a short story, and how creating her own routine has helped her hit targets, deadlines and finish her books. "It's hard to find the discipline when you've got all the time in the world…" And the two Marks discuss reader surveys, sleeping habits and what speed people listen back to the podcast at!

In a special mid-week episode, we speak to Andrew Chapman. Andrew is the author of horror novels like Jack's Game, and he's been a long-time supporter of the podcast on Patreon. A few weeks ago, he declared that he was going to write a novel in a day. His target was 50,000 words in 24 hours. He chose to do it on his birthday, 12th May 2022. And he was going to take a screenplay called THE MASK COLLECTOR that he'd written a few years ago and adapt that into a novel. Andrew takes us through the highs and lows of his 24 hours, what he learned, and whether he would try it again...

Simon McCleave's first indie novel The Snowdonia Killings sold over 200,000 copies after its release in 2020. He is astonishingly prolific and all his novels since have been Amazon bestsellers. His new novel, The Dark Tide, kicks off a new series, and now he's being published by HarperCollins. He reveals the things he learned in TV and film that helped him become so prolific, and why he always starts with the twist. And the two Marks discuss productivity tips and the pros and cons of physical books and ebooks.

Eva Leigh is a USA Today bestselling historical romance author who combines female empowerment, whip-smart heroines, dashing rakes and sex positive stories. Eva takes us through her influences and writing process, including Han Solo, Duran Duran and baking… and she tells us why sometimes the best motivation for writing is spite.

Rachael Blok is the bestselling author of the DCI Maarten Jansen novels and she tells us how each book works as a standalone, but the character is still developing with each story. Rachael also gives us great tips on plotting, writing the ending, character, finding your voice, and research. And the two Marks discuss how writing can help with mental health issues.

Rebecca Collins and Adrian Hobart combined their experience in publishing and broadcasting to create Hobeck Books, a publisher dedicated to a family ethos, merging the best of traditional publishing standards and indie marketing techniques. We talk through the steps they took to start a publisher from the ground up and how to keep it running through a pandemic, and a time of rising costs,

International bestselling author Deon Meyer returns to the podcast with his latest thriller The Dark Flood. Deon tells us how his journalistic hunger for fascinating stories has never gone away. And how he fuses two seemingly unrelated ideas, creating a chemical reaction, that results in great stories. We also discuss writing for cultures other than our own, and how the Two Marks used a glossary in Back to Reality to define some of the British colloquialisms used in their book.

Tim Sullivan is a critically-acclaimed screenwriter who turned his back on Hollywood to self-publish thrillers. 250,000 downloads later Tim became a self-publishing phenomenon whose new DS Cross thriller The Patient is published by Head of Zeus. Tim takes us through his extraordinary career, the research he undertook to write a character with autism, and the role that both Derek Jarman and My Little Pony played in his career.

FMA Dixon's debut novel The Little House on Everywhere Street was awarded the inaugural Acheven Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction and is charming readers the world over. He tells us how he developed his craft and voice through short stories, and by creating a special gift for his daughter.

Martin Latham has been a bookseller for over thirty-five years and is proud to be responsible for the biggest petty-cash claim in Waterstones' history. He's also an author and his latest book The Bookseller's Tale is a wonderful celebration of books and bookshops. Martin is an endless source of bookselling anecdotes and, as you'll hear, he is deeply passionate about bookselling.

Bestselling author Manda Scott tells us about Thrutopia, an extraordinary project designed to challenge writers to rethink how they write in order to rebuild the future. It begins with the Thrutopia masterclasses that dive into idea generation, narrative incubation and the power of community.

Nina De Gramont takes on her most ambitious book yet with The Christie Affair, which explores what might have happened to Agatha Christie when she disappeared for 11 days in 1926. Nina takes us through the process of taking a real-life mystery and creating a fiction around it, mixing drama with research, and writing for a fanbase that has very exacting expectations.

Veronica Henry returns to the podcast with her latest bestseller The Impulse Purchase, where a mother, daughter and grandmother run a pub together. Veronica talks about writing across the generations, whether or not to include Covid in her novel, and — after over twenty novels — if she's getting the hang of writing yet.

Veronica Henry returns to the podcast with her latest bestseller The Impulse Purchase, where a mother, daughter and grandmother run a pub together. Veronica talks about writing across the generations, whether or not to include Covid in her novel, and — after over twenty novels — if she's getting the hang of writing yet.

Cathy Bramley is a bestselling author of romantic comedies and her new novel The Summer That Changed Us is delighting readers all over the world. Cathy started by self-publishing her first novel with a launch party in a phone box, and she used her expertise in marketing and PR to carve out a career as one of our most innovative and best-loved authors. Oh, and Mr D has a lovely rant about 99p eBooks.

Lizzie Pook is a long-time listener of the podcast and Patreon supporter whose debut novel Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter was inspired by her time in north-western Australia researching the pearl-diving industry. The novel is being published by three major publishers on three continents with three very different covers, but the road to publication was a long slog, with Lizzie facing life-changing events with her health and career. Also, the Two Marks get distracted by their memories of the glorious town of Leatherhead in Surrey. Yes, really.

Bethany Clift's debut novel The Last One at the Party is hilarious, moving, cathartic and set in an utterly terrifying pandemic. She tells us how writing and reading horror is great for mental health, how seeing E.T. at an impressionable age inspired her, and how writing a novel with only one living character allowed her to dig deeper than ever before. This episode has an accompanying Deep Dive episode with Bethany and her husband Peter Handford where they tell us about the making of their indie horror movie Heretic. Deep Dives are exclusive to our Patreon and Academy members. To find out more: https://bestsellerexperiment.com/support

Bethany Clift and Peter Handford take us through the making of their 2012 independent horror movie HERETIC, from the first spark of the idea, to financing, pre-production, filming, post-production and how they got the DVD in the supermarket bestsellers and the lessons they've learned. This is fascinating and honest breakdown of just how challenging it is to make an independent movie.

Jeevani Charika (aka Rhoda Baxter) is an award-nominated author of women's fiction with heroines of colour. Her latest novel, Playing for Love, is set in the world of online gaming, giving the classic mistaken identity romcom story a fresh makeover. We discuss how to write a convincing rom com, and why 2022 could be her year! And the Two Marks get into the pros and cons of Wordle, the joys of cosplay, and how one young lad got his book into a local library.

Beth Miller is the bestselling author of six novels, one of which took 12 years to write, another just 8 months. Beth tells us why the most important part of the process of her is finding the spine of the story: the thing that moves both her and the reader. We also talk about titles, publishing when young, and when to stand your ground as a writer.

Samantha King returns to the podcast to reveal how her latest novel The Secret Keepers' Daughter was inspired by a "worry box" and how our darkest and most terrifying fears are found in our own homes and in everyday life. We also discuss the career of an author beyond the debut and how she's learned to endure the peaks and troughs and enjoy the view.

British Fantasy Award nominee Shona Kinsella tells us about her new book Outlander and the real Jacobites, which digs into the real history behind Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Shona's career has been an extraordinary rollercoaster, and she talks openly about the highs and lows of crowdfunding, flash fiction, writing and editing a novella in 30 days, and how helping others has helped her writing.

Have you ever wanted to tell a story, but been too scared to write it? Lori Ann Stephens' near-future thriller Blue Running covers a whole range of contentious topics, but Lori tells us how she overcame such a fear to tell her story, how she had dealt with the reactions of readers and her own family, and why she thinks the best writing comes from fear.

International bestselling author Simon Beckett returns to the podcast to tell us about his new novel The Lost, in which he starts a whole new series. He offers tips on character, tension, and how to develop a great thriller. And the two Marks discuss how theme and endings can help you when you're stuck, and the importance of a great opening.

BAFTA-award winning actor Daniel Rigby tells us about his Audible original debut Isaac Steele and the Forever Man and how his background in comedy and improvisation helped create his protagonist and his extraordinary world.

Join the Two Marks in a Christmas special where they invited their listeners to share their favourite Christmas books and gifts. They dive into the most-loved books, annuals, games, bikes, cuddly toys, dolls and discover how these gifts have shaped us all.

Sunday Times bestselling author Mia Kuzniar brings some light to the bleak midwinter with her wonderful new novel Midnight in Everwood. She discusses how ballet and the Nutcracker Suite influenced her new book and how she moves between adventure stories for children and fairy tales for adults. She also tells us how an 18-month break between jobs allowed her to write and sell her debut novel.

GB Ralph, author of the Rise and Shine series, talks about his last-minute decision to try NanoWriMo this year. He takes us from the first idea for his new series — The Milverton Mysteries — to the various options he had, including: writing every day, writing "hermit style", and waiting for the muse. And he tells us how he coped when he started missing his daily word count targets. This is as entertaining as it is educational for anyone thinking of taking on the NanoWriMo challenge, and it was recorded when the trauma of NanoWriMo was still fresh in Gavin's mind!

Kindle Storyteller Award Winner Ian W Sainsbury returns the podcast to tell us what's happened since we last spoke, not least how he started a new series and then decided to completely reinvent it by changing the protagonist's name, series title and the cover designs. Ian also talks about working with dictation software, how his writing habits have evolved and how the limitations of genre, form and technology can make you more creative.

Bestselling author Lisa Hall tells us about her new novel The Woman in the Woods, which adds a dash of the supernatural to her page-turning thriller style. Lisa talks about setting a book in a real place, starting with the twist, how thinking the worst inspires her, the cruelty of rejection and how to cope with it, the importance of notebooks, and knowing when to let a book go.

JK Ellem writes cutting edge thrillers including the Ravenwood series, which was never supposed to be a series, but his readers wanted more. JK takes us through his career, how his writing process has developed over time, and how he's benefitted from listening to his readers, going where the success is and following the muse.

We welcome Evan Gow back to the podcast to discuss StoryOrigin's new feature to help manage feedback from your Beta Readers. You can discover more about StoryOrigin here: https://storyoriginapp.com/ And here's when Evan last came on the podcast: https://bestsellerexperiment.com/ep223-storyorigin-promotions-with-evan-gow/

We welcome Evan Gow back to the podcast to discuss StoryOrigin's new feature to help manage feedback from your Beta Readers. You can discover more about StoryOrigin here: https://storyoriginapp.com/ And here's when Evan last came on the podcast: https://bestsellerexperiment.com/ep223-storyorigin-promotions-with-evan-gow/

We are delighted to welcome worldwide bestseller Michael Connelly back to the podcast to discuss his new novel The Dark Hours, which explores an LA scarred by fear and social unrest. Michael reflects on how the world of Harry Bosch has grown over an incredible thirty years, and he answers our listener questions of writing habits, outlining and much, much more.

Sasha Greene returns to the podcast with her new novel Trust, which explore ideas such as PTSD, sexual assault and coercive control. Sasha takes us through her process of research, how she writes just one day a week to a deadline, and why no writing is ever wasted.

Christine Pride is an editor with 15 years experience with the likes of Doubleday and Simon & Schuster, and Jo Piazza is the award-winning author of nine novels. Together they have written an extraordinary novel, We Are Not Like Them, which touches on themes of race and friendship. They tell us how the book came about, and how they worked together, and the challenges of writing two perspectives.

We welcome Paul Bulos back to the podcast to discuss what burnout is and how it affects writers. Paul also offers ten strategies to help you overcome burnout. You can discover more about Paul's services at http://www.thecompletecoach.co.uk

Katie Khan is the author of the bestsellers Hold Back the Stars and The Light Between Us, and now she's a tutor at the Novelry, bringing her experience from both the film world and the book world to her students. Katie talks about inspirational teachers, writing around a day job, how getting feedback too soon can be counterproductive, and the lessons she's learned from working with the likes of Paramount and Warner Bros.

Award-winning horror author Adam Nevill answers our listener questions on setting the mood, balancing gore and terror to find the right tone, research into the supernormal, getting into the minds of perpetrators of evil, the biggest lessons he has learned in his extraordinary career, how screenwriting has helped his novel writing, and how he's conditioned himself to write in any place at any time . This is an essential listen for authors of all genres.

Welcome to the latest of our occasional Academy All-Stars mini episodes, where we talk to writers who have joined our academy and have done something extraordinary. How long would it take you to write 400,000 words? Mark Hood has an unbroken writing streak of nearly two years and writing an average of 600 words a day he's written 419,000 words and counting. Mark tells us what changes he made to his writing routine to make it happen, how he has kept it going (especially on the days when he's not in the mood), and how it has helped him as a writer.

Alan Gillespie & Emma Grae are writers from Scotland who both have unique and distinct voices. Alan wrote The Mash House dialogue without punctuation, and Emma wrote Be Guid Tae Yer Mammy in Scottish vernacular. We talk about finding your voice as an author — and the voices of characters — who might otherwise have been overlooked by traditional publishing.

The Two Marks celebrate five years of the Bestseller Experiment and answer listener questions on favourite moments, best writing advice, how their writing has changed and how much of Mr D's woo-woo had rubbed off on Mr Stay and why semi colons are the work of Satan. We've also added some birthday messages from guests and listeners that weren't featured on the live show!

Felix Francis has continued the legacy of his father Dick Francis's literary success, selling over 80 million novels in 40 languages. Felix tells us how the books were always a family business, and why the continued success owes so much to knowing the reader wants, and how he works really hard to make the books easy reading. And we announce the winner of the Joe Abercrombie giveaway!

Elise Valmorbida's new book The Happy Writing Book is a unique guide for writers at all levels with 100 prompts to help you develop your writing and wellbeing. We discuss show not tell, success, engaging the senses and why we are all a work-in-progress. Also, the Two Marks launch a new hashtag upon an unsuspecting world… #LooBooks

Jenn T. Grace is the founder of Publish Your Purpose, a hybrid publishing company that helps first-time authors get their books written and finds them an eager audience. Jenn takes us through the first steps of writing non-fiction and memoir, the essential elements of a book proposal, and how to make your books stand out from the crowd. You can discover more about Publish Your Purpose here… https://publishyourpurposepress.com/