Ken Follett
Writing Bestselling Fiction
Get your novel to the top of the charts with the help of the international bestselling author.
This course includes:
22 lessons
6 hours
32 exercises
What you'll learn
Join Ken as he teaches you everything he knows about writing bestsellers – from the importance of establishing a writing routine to getting your book published.
- Get started with an idea
- Create compelling characters
- Use pace to create a page-turner
- Research and fact-checking
- Establish a writing routine
- Get published
Learn even more with a subscription
Access all 37 courses to learn from the world's greatest authors, chefs, entrepreneurs and more.
Ken Follett is one of the world’s most respected and successful novelists. During his 50-year career, he has written 36 books with over 180 million copies sold worldwide. His work has been translated into 40 languages and is sold in 80 countries, earning him accolades from across the globe. As well as receiving a CBE in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to literature, he has picked up an Edgar Best Novel Award in America, Italy’s Premio Bancarella literary prize, as well as awards in Spain, Bavaria, and Hungary to name but a few.
-
Jojo Moyes
Writing Love Stories
-
Alan Moore
Storytelling
-
Julia Donaldson
Writing Children's Picture Books
-
Lee Child
Writing Popular Fiction
-
Harlan Coben
Writing Thrillers
-
Bill Lawrence
Writing Comedy for Television
-
Carol Ann Duffy
Writing Poetry
-
Malorie Blackman
Writing for Young Adults
-
Jed Mercurio
Writing Drama for Television
-
David Walliams
Writing Books for Children
Course trailer
Lesson plan (22)
-
01
Writing Bestselling Fiction Introduction
07:57
-
02
What makes a good idea for a novel
05:06
-
03
Developing ideas
21:56
-
04
Weaving the narrative
16:59
-
05
Research
15:26
-
06
The outline
21:18
-
07
Finding an agent or publisher
31:28
-
08
The first line
17:32
-
09
Outline to draft
23:45
-
10
Character
36:04
-
11
Pace
22:00
-
12
Sex and violence
20:58
-
13
Genre
19:07
-
14
Writing style
13:16
-
15
Fact-checking
21:54
-
16
My process
10:18
-
17
The rewrite
20:04
-
18
Publishing and promotion
11:57
-
19
Promoting your book
20:26
-
20
Reading
04:01
-
21
Conclusion
01:47
-
22
Ken Follett Q&A
15:33
Thanks for signing up
Check your inbox - your free lesson is on the way!
Oops! Something went wrong
Please try again later
Get a free taster lesson
Sign up and get a flavour of Ken Follett’s course with a lesson on how to pace your novel to keep your readers hooked.
Reviews for BBC Maestro
Pricing options
- Watch on computer, TV, phone, or tablet
- Change or cancel your subscription any time
1 course |
Best value Every course |
|
---|---|---|
Price |
$89 One-off payment |
$120 Annually billed subscription |
Number of Maestro |
1 (Ken Follett only) |
35+ (incl. Ken Follett) Across 7 categories |
Length of access |
Lifetime |
1 year |
Access to new releases |
||
Downloadable course guide |
||
Money back guarantee |
14 days |
30 days |
Buy | Subscribe |
Looking to inspire the aspiring novelist in your life? Help them put pen to paper and get writing.
Explore all courses
All coursesCommon questions
BBC Maestro is a subscription-based streaming platform, created to educate and inspire people to explore their creativity. Through pre-recorded lessons and detailed course notes, anyone can learn a wide range of disciplines and follow in the footsteps of experts respected all over the world.
BBC Maestro offers single course purchases or an annual subscription.
Simply purchase an individual course or an All Courses pass and get access to easy-to-follow video lessons. Watch on your computer, tablet or mobile and learn on demand, wherever and whenever you like.
Our courses are beginner-friendly and you can watch as many times as you like, at your own pace.
BBC Maestro is currently available in the following territories: United Kingdom, Isle of Mann, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, Australia, South Africa, Canada, India, Brazil, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong, UAE and USA. We are planning on launching BBC Maestro in other territories in the future. Please subscribe to our mailing list and follow our social media channels for updates.
Yes, you can buy an annual subscription to get full access to all BBC Maestro courses, lessons and course notes for one year. Find out more
Yes, all our courses have English subtitles that can be accessed by clicking the CC button on the video player. We also have downloadable PDF course notes to go with each course, which offer more detailed information and tips.
No, all our courses are self-paced and no courses will be removed from the site or ‘expire’. If you have an all-access annual subscription, you can watch any content while your subscription is valid. If you don’t have an all-access subscription, but instead have bought one or more individual courses, the purchased content is yours to keep for life, and lessons can be watched as many times as you like.
Yes, you can see a full list of our current courses here.
We offer a 30-day money back guarantee for your first all-access annual subscription, if you aren't completely satisfied with your purchase. See our terms and conditions for details, or email [email protected].
You can choose between buying a single course as a one-off purchase, or you can sign up for an annual subscription which gives you access to all BBC Maestro courses for one year.
If you buy a single course, then it’s yours for life. You can watch the course as many times as you like, whenever you like. Our single courses include downloadable course notes to complement the video lessons.
Alternatively, if you buy an annual subscription to BBC Maestro, you can access every course for one year. You can watch each course as many times as you like within the year, and you’ll also be able to download the course notes for each course.
After one year you’ll have the option to renew your subscription, or you can choose not to renew once your subscription year is over. Subscriptions are billed annually, and we offer a 30-day money back guarantee to receive a full refund if you’re unhappy with your purchase.
Subscribers will have instant access to new courses as they are released. Please note that any courses in the Upcoming Courses section may be released outside of your annual subscription period. If you have any questions about an upcoming course, please email [email protected].
You can buy a gift card for any individual course or an All Courses Pass on our gift cards page. When you buy a gift card, you can choose to send the email with the gift card PDF attached to yourself or directly to the recipient. You can also choose to specify which date you would like the gift card email to send to your recipient.
Gift cards can be redeemed on the Gift Cards page. Once the card is redeemed, if the gift is for a single course the giftee will have lifetime access to the course and be able to re-watch as many times as they like. If the gift is for an All Courses Pass, the giftee will have one year’s access to all BBC Maestro courses, and immediate access to any new courses that are released within their yearly access period – from the date that they redeem their gift code.
Please note, anyone outside of our available regions will not be able to redeem a gift card.
Thanks for signing up
Check your inbox - your free lesson is on the way!
Oops! Something went wrong
Please try again later
Get a free taster lesson
Sign up and get a flavour of Ken Follett’s course with a lesson on how to pace your novel to keep your readers hooked.