40% off courses, subscriptions & gifts

Hurry, ends soon! Holiday sale
Watch every course - $120 $72 for a one year subscription
Writing Popular Fiction

Lee Child

Writing Popular Fiction

Lee Child, the bestselling author of the Jack Reacher novels, is one of the world's most successful authors of all time. Since he began writing in his 40s, he's sold an incredible 200 million books, topping the best seller charts worldwide for three decades. For the very first time, and exclusively on BBC Maestro, Lee breaks down his writing process. He'll show you how to turn your blank page into a complete story, covering idea development, research, planning, character development and, ultimately, how you can make a living as a writer – whatever your age and experience. Lee's long and unparalleled career is proof that it's never too late to get started.

35 video lessons
Course notes
Subscription coupon applied: FESTIVE2023
New price $53.40 $89 / $53.40
Voucher code applied: FESTIVE2023

Looking for gift ideas? Gift this course

40% off everything

Holiday sale

40% off everything

For a limited time only Terms apply

What you'll learn

Unlock the secrets to writing compelling fiction from the internationally acclaimed, best-selling author Lee Child. Taking a practical, career-focussed approach to writing, Lee Child is confident you will likely have already picked up everything you need to know from your many years' experience as a reader, you may just not know you know – yet! And that's where Lee comes in – to help you tap into and apply that innate knowledge. On this course, you'll discover how to switch from first-person to third-person prose without making your readers 'seasick', develop characters with depth and complexity, and learn how to find your niche and making a living as an author.

Reviews for this course

Thanks for signing up

Check your inbox - your free lesson is on the way!

Oops! Something went wrong

Please try again later

Get started with a free video lesson

Capture attention with your first sentence with writer, Lee Child

Meet your Maestro

With over 200 million copies sold worldwide and multiple awards under his belt, Lee Child is the undeniably successful author of the popular Jack Reacher book series, which have also been adapted for the screen with two blockbuster movies, as well as a new TV series on Amazon Prime. And to add to his inspirational success story, Lee Child is also living proof that it’s never too late to get started, as he only started writing at the age of 40 after being made redundant from his job.

Lesson Plan

Pick your package

Change or cancel your subscription at any time

  • Learn without limits on your computer, phone or tablet
  • Download course notes and exercises to learn at your own pace
  • Change or cancel your subscription at any time
Looking to buy a gift? Learn more

Annual access

$120 $72 for a one year subscription

Access every BBC Maestro course


  • Experience 100+ hours of video lessons each year
  • Be the first to explore new courses as soon as they land
  • Enjoy discounted rates to own your favourite courses for life
  • Explore at ease with a 30-day money back guarantee

Own this course for life

$89 / $53.40


  • Have lifetime access to "Writing Popular Fiction" by Lee Child
  • Immerse yourself in hours of compelling video lessons
  • Watch at your own pace as many times as you like
  • Upgrade to our unlimited annual subscription for 1 year after purchase at a discount

Looking to inspire the next big popular fiction author?

Common 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 started with a free video lesson

Capture attention with your first sentence with writer, Lee Child