The bestseller is a cultural phenomenon of our age, the only medium through which one person's individual vision can be communicated directly to millions. Most tantalizingly, the art of bestseller writing seems totally accessible to anyone with a pencil and paper - and an idea. Yet the bestseller has become embedded in its own money-driven mythology of massive advances, mega-sales, formula writing, book doctors and superagents. In this investigation into "schlock", Brayfield looks at the hype and success of the superauthor, and explains how technique, commitment, timing and nuturing of the imagination all contribute to the art of hitting the charts.