The Bestseller Experiment

John Yorke is one of the world's leading lights in the art of storytelling. As former head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and head of Company Pictures, he has worked on shows like Shameless, Life On Mars, and the UK's most popular soap opera EastEnders. He is also the author of Into The Woods, one of our favourite books on the craft of storytelling.

In this episode you will discover…

• The most effective ways to use structure in your story
• How to create compelling characters
• Quick fixes for conveying exposition
• The importance of a good cliffhanger

The two Marks discuss the progress of their novel so far, and Mr. Stay recalls a piece of advice he received from Julie Cohen after he finished recording his interview with her…

In this episode you will discover:

- The best strategy for when you get stuck with your writing

- Why stepping out of your comfort zone will improve your story

- If you should ever give up on a project

- Why bad reviews hurt and why you shouldn't worry about them

Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

We get lawyered-up in this fascinating episode where we talk to a pair of top entertainment lawyers: Keith Mathieson is an expert in defamation and privacy law, and Paul Joseph specialises in intellectual property cases and we quizzed them on the pitfalls authors should look out for when writing.

In this episode you will discover:

- If you can include song lyrics in your book - If you can use product placement in your writing - If you can put real people in your novel - If you can copyright an idea

Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

Julie Cohen is the author of over twenty novels, including the Richard & Judy bestseller Dear Thing. She also teaches creative writing workshops and is a goldmine of writing wisdom.

David Shelley is the CEO of Orion Publishing and the Little, Brown Publishing Group, he started as an editor, working with some major talents including Iain Banks, Val McDermid and JK Rowling, and he talked to us about the future of the publishing industry.

In this episode you will discover:

- The personality traits and habits of successful authors - What major publishers look for in an author and how you can stand out from the crowd - How major publishers are looking to mentor and attract a more diverse workforce and author list. -Why authors should maybe get someone else to write their blurbs and titles

Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com

Kate Harrison is a rare breed. A fiction and non-fiction award-winning author who used her insight experience with the BBC to produce a huge bestselling series of non-fiction diet and lifestyle books. We discuss with Kate about her phenomenally successful 5:2 Diet series, how she straddles the life as both a fiction and non-fiction author, and how her experience on shows like Panorama have shaped her storytelling.

In this episode you will discover:

- How to channel your personal experience and passion into your work

- How to use search results to discover a market for your book and connect with your readers

- How you can apply the classic hero's journey to your non-fiction writing

- How writing your book's blurb first will help you stay on track

- Some great tips for newsletter content

Get your free ebook with advice and tips from million-selling authors at: http://www.bestsellerexperiment.com