Andy Weir's first science-fiction novel, The Martian, rocketed up the bestseller lists and peaked with a big-budget film adaptation. Before that, The Martian was being released as chapters on Andy's blog. Hugh Howey's dystopian hit, Wool, expanded into a full series, attracting Apple's attention for a new TV show. Before that, Wool was an unpromoted short story on Amazon. Christopher Paolini's fantasy debut, Eragon, birthed a four-book franchise, which has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. Before that, Christopher was a self-published 16-year-old, selling copies of his book out of the family pickup truck. Mason Engel is an aspiring writer trying to find his path to success. He explores the unusual origin stories of Andy Weir, Hugh Howey, and Christopher Paolini, and thinks that good writing must always lead to bestsellerdom. Nnedi Okorafor's story makes him think differently. Nnedi's work has won the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy Award, and basically every other major accolade in her genre. Yet, awards didn't always win her commercial success. With a group of other struggling novelists in Los Angeles, Mason examines the stories of his author idols in hopes of finding the secret road to the bestseller lists.