123 | How to sell a million copies with Matt Rogers, author of ’The Forsaken’

2025-09-16

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How do you write thirty-five novels in a decade and sell a million copies while doing it? Bestselling author Matt Rogers is here to share his secrets. Matt began writing fiction at age six, then dropped out of university to pursue writing full time. He discusses the differences in traditional and self-publishing, how his obsession with philosophy has bled into his thriller writing, and why he believes quantity leads to quality. Matt Rogers is the internationally bestselling author of the Dante Jacoby series. Matt began self-publishing at t...

How do you write thirty-five novels in a decade and sell a million copies while doing it? Bestselling author Matt Rogers is here to share his secrets.

Matt began writing fiction at age six, then dropped out of university to pursue writing full time. He discusses the differences in traditional and self-publishing, how his obsession with philosophy has bled into his thriller writing, and why he believes quantity leads to quality.

Matt Rogers is the internationally bestselling author of the Dante Jacoby series. Matt began self-publishing at the age of 18, and in the following eight years he single-handedly wrote and marketed more than 35 thriller novels. His books have collectively sold over one million copies. 'The Forsaken' is his debut novel for Simon & Schuster.

Books & authors discussed in this episode:

Henry David Thoreau
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Lee Child
'Things that aren't doing the thing' from Strangest Loop
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper
Denizen by James McKenzie Watson
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Legend of a Suicide by David Vann

Upcoming events:

James is speaking to Siang Lu, winner of the Miles Franklin Award and previous podcast guest at the State Library for SWF on October 2
Ashley is at the Mount Beauty Writers Festival on Saturday 18 October
Ashley is teaching crime writing at Gosford Library on Monday 10 November

Learn more about Ashley's thrillers, Dark Mode and Cold Truth, and get your copies from your local bookshop or your library. Plus check out Like, Follow, Die from Audible.

Learn more about James's award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy from your local bookshop or your library.

Get in touch!