S2 Ep 34 - Challenging Tradpub's 'Culture of Defeatism', with Mark Stay of THE BESTSELLER EXPERIMENT

In addition to writing bestselling novels and cofounding a viral podcast (THE BESTSELLER EXPERIMENT), Mark Stay also spent many years working with bookstores and publishers, gaining great insight to all sides of the industry. We chat to Mark about his varied experiences, and reflect back on the seven years he spent recording his groundbreaking podcast. This one is fun and quite eye-opening for behind-the-scenes stuff.00:00 Introduction and Podcast Origins01:09 Mark Stay's Background and Bestseller Experiment02:45 The Impact and Pressure of Bestseller Experiment03:10 The Success and Community of Bestseller Experiment04:05 Lessons Learned from Bestseller Experiment05:17 Disillusionment and Quitting While Ahead06:12 Finding the Right Tone for Bestseller Experiment07:31 Defeatism in Traditional Publishing08:12 The Empathy and Doom Scrolling of Creatives09:25 The Challenges of Self-Publishing10:34 The Importance of Loving the Process11:49 Mark Stay's Journey from Bookseller to Author13:35 The Experience of Traditional Publishing15:49 The Unconventional Paths in Publishing19:00 Self-Publishing the Bestseller Experiment Book20:33 The Challenges of Selling a Genre-Bending Book22:44 Takeaways for Authors to Give Their Books a Good Shot28:29 The Impact of the Podcast on Scott Drakeford's Publishing Journey32:42 The Reception and Impact of the Podcast35:16 Challenges Faced by Publishers37:06 Focus on Brand Authors38:04 Neglecting Growing Authors39:03 Ineffective Advertising Campaigns40:00 The Mistake of Becoming Bigger42:21 Digital Publishers and Genre Preferences43:18 Preference for Tangible Books44:09 The Importance of Book Covers45:37 Amazon's Dominance and Publishers' Reliance46:31 Amazon's Control and Negotiations47:02 Amazon's Focus on Other Ventures48:31 Visibility and Impact of Amazon on Authors49:28 The Influence of Nielsen BookScan53:41 Diversity in Publishing55:05 The Future of Publishing and Concerns56:02 American Cultural Imperialism01:03:19 Smallest Hill to Die On: Americanization of British English01:09:06 Plugs: Bestseller Experiment, Witches of Woodville