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

Publishing Rodeo: The Good, The Bad, and the Bloody Ugly

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 Origins
• 01:09 Mark Stay's Background and Bestseller Experiment
• 02:45 The Impact and Pressure of Bestseller Experiment
• 03:10 The Success and Community of Bestseller Experiment
• 04:05 Lessons Learned from Bestseller Experiment
• 05:17 Disillusionment and Quitting While Ahead
• 06:12 Finding the Right Tone for Bestseller Experiment
• 07:31 Defeatism in Traditional Publishing
• 08:12 The Empathy and Doom Scrolling of Creatives
• 09:25 The Challenges of Self-Publishing
• 10:34 The Importance of Loving the Process
• 11:49 Mark Stay's Journey from Bookseller to Author
• 13:35 The Experience of Traditional Publishing
• 15:49 The Unconventional Paths in Publishing
• 19:00 Self-Publishing the Bestseller Experiment Book
• 20:33 The Challenges of Selling a Genre-Bending Book
• 22:44 Takeaways for Authors to Give Their Books a Good Shot
• 28:29 The Impact of the Podcast on Scott Drakeford's Publishing Journey
• 32:42 The Reception and Impact of the Podcast
• 35:16 Challenges Faced by Publishers
• 37:06 Focus on Brand Authors
• 38:04 Neglecting Growing Authors
• 39:03 Ineffective Advertising Campaigns
• 40:00 The Mistake of Becoming Bigger
• 42:21 Digital Publishers and Genre Preferences
• 43:18 Preference for Tangible Books
• 44:09 The Importance of Book Covers
• 45:37 Amazon's Dominance and Publishers' Reliance
• 46:31 Amazon's Control and Negotiations
• 47:02 Amazon's Focus on Other Ventures
• 48:31 Visibility and Impact of Amazon on Authors
• 49:28 The Influence of Nielsen BookScan
• 53:41 Diversity in Publishing
• 55:05 The Future of Publishing and Concerns
• 56:02 American Cultural Imperialism
• 01:03:19 Smallest Hill to Die On: Americanization of British English
• 01:09:06 Plugs: Bestseller Experiment, Witches of Woodville