The Bestseller Experiment

Latest Episodes:

Ep500 - Mark Desvaux - “The Six Life-Changing Reasons You Write” Apr 07, 2024

Show notes

We've reached a monumental episode – the 500th – on the Bestseller Experiment podcast! To celebrate, Mark Desvaux goes deeper than ever to uncover and countdown the most important, life-changing reasons why we write, drawn from seven and a half years and over 600 hours of interviews with bestselling authors. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Ep499 - Michael Connelly | 60 Million Thriller Books Mar 31, 2024

Show notes

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! Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Ep498 - Karen Storey - “How to Become a Short Story Superstar” Mar 25, 2024

Show notes

Karen Storey's name has become synonymous with success in short story writing. With an impressive one-in-three win rate out of over 40 competitions last year, Karen exemplifies what it means to blend passion with strategy in writing. In this episode, Karen shares the secrets of her success, including the importance of great endings. In a final twist, we surprise Karen with the Bestseller Academy All-Star Award for her outstanding achievements. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Ep497 - Ben Aaronovitch and the Great Bollocking… Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

Ben Aaronovitch started writing for Doctor Who and became the author of the bestselling Peter Grant series that started with Rivers Of London in 2011 and has been hugely successful, regularly hitting the Sunday Times bestsellers top ten. We were delighted to get Ben for a conversation full of fireworks. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Ep496 - Jacqueline O'Mahony - “Sheer Determination Beats Everything” Mar 11, 2024

Show notes

Jacqueline O’Mahony was named Young Irish Writer of the Year by the Irish Examiner when she was fourteen. After a BA, MA and PhD she worked at Condé Nast, Vogue and Associated Newspapers as an arts editor. Her debut novel, A River in the Trees, was nominated for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and the Not the Booker Prize in 2020. Her latest book Sing, Wild Bird, Sing is set during the Irish Famine, and is a story about the indomitable will to survive—and to flourish—against nearly impossible odds. It sold over 40,000 copies in its first 5 days and has over 17,000 reviews on Amazon. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Ep495 - Joe Abercrombie - “The Best Writing Advice Ever” Mar 04, 2024

Show notes

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. Joe is best known for the First Law Trilogy – The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings – and the stand-alone novels in the same world – Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country. He has also written the Shattered Sea trilogy for young (and old) adults – Half a King, Half the World, and Half a War. The world of the First Law collides with the industrial age in a new trilogy – The Age of Madness – which began in September 2019 with A Little Hatred, continued a year later with The Trouble With Peace and concludes in September 2021 with The Wisdom of Crowds. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Ep494 - Rachel Lynch - “Speed Drafts, PTSD & The Rich” Feb 26, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, we dive into the world of Rachel Lynch. Rachel Lynch is a renowned crime fiction author whose work has captivated over a million readers. Rachel is best known for her gripping Kelly Porter series of 12 books, set against the picturesque backdrop of the Lake District. She began writing full time in 2016 and Canelo signed her first three novels in 2018. The Rich is Rachel’s latest book and first standalone psychological thriller. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Ep493 - Bryan Cranston on... Writing, Breaking Bad and Donald Trump Feb 19, 2024

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Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston tells us about his life and new bestselling memoir, A Life In Parts. Oscar-nominated, with two Golden Globes, two Tony Awards and 6 time Emmy winner, he’s best known for roles in Malcolm in the Middle, Seinfeld and most famously, Walter White. Few people know that he is also an accomplished writer having written a number of screenplays, plays, and his autobiography. We began our conversation by asking to speak to Bryan Cranston the writer… Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Ep492 - Lucinda Halpern - “Get Signed! How to Pitch to an Agent” Feb 12, 2024

Show notes

In this interview, listen in as Mark Desvaux pitches his forthcoming book Pacivida to NY literary agent Lucinda Halpern, who has been securing book deals with all major publishers over the last 15 years. Lucinda represents a range of New York Times and internationally bestselling authors in nonfiction or fiction, and her new book “Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author” which was released last week and already has that coveted Amazon bestseller flag. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

Ep491 - Lucinda Halpern - “Get Signed! Why You Need an Agent” Feb 05, 2024

Show notes

Lucinda Halpern is a literary agent with over 15 years' experience securing book deals and working with all major publishers. She represents a range of New York Times and internationally bestselling authors in business, health, lifestyle, popular science, narrative nonfiction, memoir, and upmarket fiction. Lucinda worked for HarperCollins on New York Times bestsellers including Freakonomics. She later worked as a marketing consultant for Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project), before launching her career as an agent. Her new book is Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author. Our novel Back To Reality is out now bestsellerexperiment.com/backtoreality

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