Mark Dawson

Self-publishing sensation Mark Dawson has a rare combination of creative flair and business savvy. Since releasing his first e-book in 2013, Dawson has racked up more than 2 million downloads of his novels. He is best-known for his USA Today and Audible bestselling John Milton series, which chronicle their eponymous hero, a hitman who is hired by MI5 to eliminate their toughest enemies but seeks redemption for his state-sanctioned killings.

Dawson shares the secrets of his success on his website The Self-Publishing Formula, which includes courses providing insights on how to earn a living from one’s writing in the internet age and a weekly podcast with fellow authors, such as Anna McNuff, Simon McCleave and Patrick O’Donnell. The website has been featured on BBC News, the Daily Telegraph, Forbes, the Daily Mail, the Financial Times and the Sunday Times and boasts over 2 million podcast downloads and more than 50,000 Facebook likes. Dawson also speaks regularly at writing conferences all across the globe.

In the late 90s, Dawson worked in London as a lawyer and wrote in his free time, putting out his first two novels through the traditional publishing house Macmillan. In 2012, his first self-published novel Black Mile was downloaded 22,000 times its in opening weekend on Amazon. His output since has been prolific, including the Beatrix Rose series, which is currently in development for television.