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The Bestseller Blueprint: Crafting High-Concept Story Ideas (Udemy.com)

Proven strategies to generate marketable novel and movie ideas that captivate agents, publishers, producers, and readers

Created by: Jessica Brody

Last updated December 2024

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What you will learn

  • Master the art of crafting blockbuster story ideas for books and movies
  • Unlock the power of "high-concept" ideas and why they're industry gold
  • Discover the 4 Secret Ingredients that make every high-concept idea irresistible
  • Learn 5 Proven Methods to generate your own high-concept ideas on demand
  • Develop multiple compelling story ideas ready for writing or pitching
  • Elevate your writing career with ideas that excite readers and industry professionals

How it compares

Against the other 503 rated Udemy courses in Teaching & Academics on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.8 out of 5higher than 87% of them
  • Reviews1,906#89 of 504 by number of reviews
  • Length1.6 hoursshorter than 79% of them
  • Last updatedDecember 2024more recently than 62% of them

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Course Description

Unlock the secret to creating irresistible book and movie ideas that sell!


What do blockbusters like The DaVinci Code, The Girl on the Train, The Martian, and The Hunger Games have in common?

They're all built around “high-concept” ideas that grab your attention in just one sentence.

In this course, international bestselling author Jessica Brody reveals how you can craft your own high-concept ideas to captivate agents, publishers, producers, and readers.


"If you're stuck for an idea, not just an idea but a great idea, then this class is for you." - Steve B.


High-concept ideas are the holy grail of the book and movie business, known to sell better, faster, and for more money. But what exactly is a high-concept idea, and how do you create one that sells?


In this dynamic course, you'll:

  • Learn exactly what makes an idea "high-concept"

  • Discover the 4 Secret Ingredients of every high-concept idea

  • Master 5 Proven Methods for brainstorming your own high-concept ideas

  • Get access to practical exercises and tips to apply your new skills

By the end of the course, you'll have at least one shiny new high-concept idea ready to become your next bestselling novel or blockbuster movie!

"I used your course to develop my pitch to two agents. They both requested a manuscript." - Brian U.


About Your Instructor: Jessica Brody is the author of more than 20 novels published by major houses like Simon & Schuster, Random House, Macmillan, and Disney Press. Her books have been translated into 20+ languages, and several have been optioned for film and TV. Jessica's success secret? High-concept ideas!


"This is easily one of the most powerful, clearly presented courses I've taken." - Eibhlin


Whether you're aiming for self-publishing, traditional publishing, or screenwriting, this course will teach you how to develop ideas that captivate your audience and stand out in a crowded market.


"Jessica Brody breaks down these concepts with clarity and amazing insight." - Mike


Don't miss this opportunity to transform your creative process and skyrocket your chances of success.

Enroll now and start brainstorming your next bestseller or blockbuster today!



PRAISE FOR JESSICA'S UDEMY COURSES:

  • 10+ writing courses

  • Over 70,000 students enrolled

  • Average Rating 4.7 stars!


"Jessica is truly a gifted teacher!" 
- Vicky

"Jessica is a LEGEND...Completely worth it." - Ras

"Superb. Clear and engaging - Dan

"Just, WOW! Jessica Brody provides much more than a boatload... try a cruise ship FULL of tips, tricks, resources, references, and actionable steps" - Tracy

"Thorough, accurate, and well-presented --I would recommend Jessica Brody’s courses to any writer eager to rise." - Mark

"Jessica Brody breaks down these concepts with clarity and amazing insight."  - Mike

"Jessica Brody's courses are all thorough, entertaining, and extremely helpful." - Tricia

"As always, Jessica Brody delivers an insider's knowledge and the tools to move forward in the process, now!" - Sue

"Very informative and well worth the time and cost." - Noel

"Clear, concise, & well-narrated with an abundance of enthusiasm." - Christopher

"This course is worth far more than the price of admission!" - Talmage

"Jessica Brody has a gift for distilling lots of hard-earned information into concise and tasty bites." - Katherine

"If you write (or plan to write), get this course" - Scott

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Instructor Details

Jessica Brody

Jessica Brody is the author of the #1 bestselling plotting guide, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, as well as 20+ novels for teens, tweens, and adults including Sky Without Stars, The Geography of Lost Things, The Chaos of Standing Still, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, A Week of Mondays, Better You Than Me and the Unremembered trilogy. Her books are published by major publishers like Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Macmillan. She's also frequently hired by Disney Press to write books based on popular Disney franchises like Descendants and LEGO Disney Princess. Her books have been translated and published in over 23 countries and several have been optioned for film and television. She is also the founder of the Writing Mastery Academy, an online school for writers.

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Reviews

4.8

1,906 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By Alexander W Bridwell on 7/5/2025

This was an insightful, easy to understand course. I am now taking 2 other courses from the same author because of this. She seems like a perfect teacher. Good vibes. Thorough. Useful information. Simple. I have rewatched this course a few times. I’m originally a songwriter/producer/audio engineer. Her course is insisting. Thank you Jessica Brody!

By Lucas Bernardes Vieira on 11/10/2024

Great course. All the lectures are very informative, straight to the point and she has a good sense of humor, which makes it easy to go through the lessons. The course is packed with lots of practical exercises that are fun to do and will make your brainstorming sessions really productive. I'm quite pleased with it, thank you Jessica!

By Jessica Fabel on 11/15/2020

Awesome course!!! Highly recommended!

By Anthony ryan on 11/8/2020

the greatest elaboration on creating what many refer to as the elevator pitch I've ever seen

By Jwann Layton on 11/8/2020

Great advise on brainstorming original story ideas.

By Dani Blaze on 10/13/2020

So far so good...good match for what I am looking for.

By Ruth Cassidy on 10/9/2020

It was good to get a strong, commercial take on the publishing industry and the process of writing a book, as that's so often neglected or treated as mercenary, rather than an important reality.

By Ishaan Mehlawat on 9/14/2020

Finish all the exercises and jot down notes.Make sure you complete the course in its entirety. This course is extremely valuable and filled with extremely necessary information. It has the potential to transform your thinking method as well as writing method. Jessica is FANTASTIC.

By Skyler Benson on 9/11/2020

I've done many different courses on coming up with story ideas previously, Jessica's is the absolute best! After years of struggling to come up with decent ideas, I'm now excited, and inspired, and feel confident I now have the 'formula' to come up with many great ideas for many years to come. Thank you!

By Joe Spataro on 8/25/2020

Jessica Brody's presentation of the information is crisp yet still manages to include humor. She creates value for the viewer with an economy of words few instructors possess.

By Erin Wells on 8/25/2020

I have observed good stories in books and tv that seem to have a formula, it is fun to see it broken down

By Fay B Bolton on 8/22/2020

Extremely informative and I'm taking lots of notes.

Showing 12 of 315 reviews

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Overall Score : 96 / 100