The Bestseller Experiment

Latest Episodes:

EP440: Academy All Stars - Kate Baker - "Being Ultraflexible!" Apr 06, 2023

Show notes

In the latest of our Academy All-Stars mini episodes, we talk to Kate Baker who tells us how being ultraflexible and never worrying about the word “should” helped her make the most of the Academy and publish her acclaimed debut novel Maid of Steel. We also discuss branded earrings, nails and Toblerone! Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

EP439: David McCloskey — “A Lonely Team Sport." Apr 02, 2023

Show notes

David McCloskey is a former CIA analyst and his smash hit debut novel Damascus Station was inspired by his time working in field stations in the Middle East. David tells us how the novel started as an exercise in processing his thoughts about the events in Syria, what he learned from writing for US presidents, how letting go of his ego helped him write a novel, and the role played in his career by a hot dog machine in Langley... Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

EP438: Deep Dive — Police Procedures with Stuart Gibbon Mar 30, 2023

Show notes

Stuart Gibbon is a former UK senior police detective who served in London and the East Midlands. In 2014, he launched his own business providing a consultancy service for writers. Stuart also appears on TV and radio as a policing expert. He's also co-written a series of books with Stephen Wade: The Crime Writers' Casebook, Being a Detective and Catching a Killer. And a series of indispensable guides on criminal investigation procedures. In this packed Deep Dive on UK police procedures, Stuart identifies the common errors made by writers new to crime, and answers our listener questions. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

EP437: Jayne Davis — “Sometimes it Just Feels Right." Mar 26, 2023

Show notes

Jayne Davis is a leading Regency Romance author, with nearly 40 million KU page reads, and through sharing her research on her blog she has become a go to resource for authors in the genre. Jayne reveals the essential elements of period romance, tips for writing period appropriate dialogue, and why publishing more books creates its own marketing. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

EP436: Dave Dawson — “Grammar Free in the UK" Mar 20, 2023

Show notes

Derek and Dave Philpott have been writing strange letters to famous musicians for ten years now, and getting even stranger ones back. Their first book, Dear Mr. Kershaw, became a cult hit and the follow-up Dear Mr. Pop Star was released by Unbound Publishing to more acclaim. And now they return with a Punk edition, Grammar Free in the UK, which is raising money for the charity Crisis. Dave tells us how these extraordinary projects came about, and how it first gained momentum when his dad saw how many Facebook friends he had and suggested, ‘Why not ask them for a tenner each?' Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

EP435: Rosie Andrews — “Carve out time for yourself" Mar 13, 2023

Show notes

Rosie Andrews’ debut novel The Leviathan is rooted in her passion for history and she tells us how she was inspired by the like of Thomas Hobbes to create page-turning historical fiction that’s relevant to readers today. And Rosie tells us why she abandoned her first unpublished historical fiction novel because she felt that it lacked an authentic voice. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

EP434: Mark Edwards — “It Changed My Life." Mar 06, 2023

Show notes

Mark Edwards returns to the podcast to celebrate ten years since his first solo novel The Magpies. He tells us about his changing relationship with the book that changed his life, how he’s sustained a career writing standalone thrillers, and why it’s important to have a direct connection with his readers. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

EP433: Matt Brown — “The Worst Thing They’d Ever Read" Feb 27, 2023

Show notes

Matt Brown is the author of such wonderful children’s books at the Compton Valance series (about a boy who creates a time machine from a 13-week-old mouldy sandwich), the Dreary Inkling School books, and The Mab, a re-telling of the Mabinogi, which might be the oldest written stories in the history of Britain. Matt was also TV presenter, notably on Nickelodeon, and he’s a podcaster, but don’t hold that against him. He tells us what he’s discovered writing for children, why it takes a village to make a book, and why he keeps all his rejection letters... Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

EP432: Zack & Michael Urlocker — “There Can Only Be One Boss." Feb 20, 2023

Show notes

Twin brothers Zack and Michael Urlocker write together as M.Z. Urlocker, and their debut novel The Man from Mittelwerk is a 50s noir thriller with a dash of science fiction. They take us through their collaborative process, how they defined their roles in the project, and whether or not they’ll work together again. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

EP431: Richard Armitage — “Know, Don’t Show." Feb 13, 2023

Show notes

As well as starring in the likes of The Hobbit and Spooks, the actor Richard Armitage is also a prolific audiobook narrator. And now he’s written Geneva, an Audible original psychological thriller. Richard tell us how the project came about, and how his background in music, theatre and film helped him develop the characters. And he tells us the things authors do that can irk audiobook narrators. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

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