If your story is set in the modernday in a normal town or city then theres no need to include setting as the reader will assume it. Pitching high concept fiction can be the key to skyrocketing to the top of agents slush piles, according to angie hodapp of nelson literary. High concept means the premise of your book will get attention, before anyone sees even one word of your writing. A gripping, highconcept, highoctane thriller ebook written by dean crawford. High concept is a type of artistic work that can be easily pitched with a succinctly stated premise. But if the feedback you consistently get on your work is that it is quiet or that the agent just didnt fall in love, its possible that a high. Should you be writing scripts that are high concept. Floortoceiling shelves are crammed with knopf books from decades past. Highconcept is a type of artistic work that can be easily pitched with a succinctly stated premise. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. Not high concept at all, if thats all you took from it. Technically, the film kids can be described in one sentence a group of inner city youths do drugs and have sex. A cyber genius questions his own sanity in this chilling read that was one of the best thriller books of the past decade. How to write a book that sells understanding highconcept.
Genre fiction doesnt have to be high concept either. The naturals by jennifer lynn barnes, dreamology by lucy keating, the westing game by ellen raskin, cloud atlas by david m. Sep 15, 2015 twilight visitor is a geopolitical thriller with a scifi twist. Jeffery deavers top 10 computer novels books the guardian. High concept is a term thats been confused, misunderstood and misused by writers for decades. Jan 26, 2015 and high concept properties should be appropriate for mass. Jan 17, 2010 not high concept at all, if thats all you took from it. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our. But sometimes agents and editors are looking for a high concept novel in a. Skull of disguises by michael karpovage, the lincoln myth by steve berry, inferno by dan brown, map of t. Writing a killer logline graeme shimmin, spy thriller and. The book includes more than 125 fullcolor illustrations, giving the work a hybrid prosegraphic novel character. Twilight visitor a highconcept geopolitical thriller youtube.
What is highconcept fiction, and how can i write it. The best classic thrillers five books expert recommendations. Child has created a high concept, high tech thriller that may turn you off computer dating forever. Hanna is based on the 2011 film of the same name that starred oscarnominated actress saoirse ronan in the title. Twilight visitor is a geopolitical thriller with a scifi twist. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read artemis. And within the romance genre, including romantic comedies, what constitutes high concept is different than what defines high concept in a spy thriller, or many other genres. In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of the city, are taken to the hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in fortyfive days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into the woods. My thriller, liberation square, was published in april and gained quite. Or the purge the fact that you can ask ten different writers and get ten different opinions, kind of sums up how confusing the notion of a high concept has become. Charlie giles is the senior director of his own successful startup company, and everything in his life is going to planuntil his coworkers start dropping dead, and all the evidence points to charlie.
The story revolves around crime, terrorism and hostage situations. This is the reason why films like pulp fiction, star wars and sideways could never be sold from a pitch. Frank kennedy highconcept suspense thriller with a sci. Antimatter is a lowtech, sciencefiction thriller written and directed by the highly acclaimed, upandcoming filmmaker, keir burrows. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read. The pitch for a highconcept book most likely precedes the work itself, and the idea is so creative that people lots of people will want to read it based off an incredibly brief description. Three highconcept hamdy thrillers to headline the bookseller. For fans of high concept thrillers such as annihilation and the girl with all the. A gripping, high concept, high octane thriller ebook written by dean crawford. Frank kennedy highconcept suspense thriller with a scifi. Instead, think of a highconcept premise as the elegant styling thats a required part of every highend.
Technically, the film kids can be described in one sentence a group of inner city youths do drugs and have sex until they realize their actions can have horrific consequences. It can be contrasted with lowconcept, which is more concerned with character development and other subtleties that are not as easily summarized. For fans of highconcept thrillers such as annihilation. How do the other books in the series tie in with this one. A gripping, highconcept thriller from the bestselling author of the martian. A highconcept pitch has inherent appeal just from the one line description. I wanted to tell a highconcept suspense thriller in real time, much like the tv series 24 but with a scifi twist. Some genres almost have to be high concept to sell such as thrillers, suspense and scifi novels. Thriller books therefore stand out and for this reason they are very popular. She represents genres that fall under these categories. Generally, we think of high concept as a hollywood term, but high concept novels and queries tend to rise to the top of agents slush piles because they offer something broadly applicable but totally new, or a totally new spin on a familiar model. This is station eleven meets the martian a bold and thoughtprovoking new highconcept thriller author biography laura lam is the author of several science fiction books, including radio 2 book club selection false hearts.
Laura is the president of laura dail literary agency inc. Jul 15, 2009 best books jeffery deavers top 10 computer novels. Only later, as the novel neared completion, did i begin building out a larger series possibility. And high concept properties should be appropriate for mass.
There youll find many audiences with a certain itch and genrespecific expectations that must be. Apr 19, 20 taylors novels are well written yet commercial with highconcepts and nonstop intrigue that give them great stand out quality. But despite everything that would normally go against a small, lowbudget production such as this, burrows delivers something quite special. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read immortal. What is and isnt high concept fiction, and how do you. What everyones saying about this smart, high concept thriller. What is and isnt high concept fiction, and how do you pitch it. I decided that a high concept is a single sentence about the book that says. Sep 24, 2018 literary fiction, for example, is generally not high concept. Dec 02, 2015 pendulum, the name of the first book and the series, is described as a twisting, dangerous journey through a digital underworld and a high concept thriller, seeing everyman john wallace. This series part highconcept thriller, part comingofage drama follows the girl on her journey as she tries to unearth the truth behind who she is. In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of the city, are taken to the hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in fortyfive days.
Dec 27, 2016 the three is an incredibly accomplished high concept thriller that will likely stay with you after the final page. Milda on goodreads, 5 stars fast paced, high octane and highly entertaining chrys on netgalley, 5 stars. Aug 05, 2011 high concept means the premise of your book will get attention, before anyone sees even one word of your writing. Twilight visitor a highconcept geopolitical thriller. A gripping, highconcept thriller from the bestselling author of the martian at.
A man who battles his wife for custody of their children is one sentence, but its a million miles from being high concept. A gripping, highconcept thriller from the bestselling author of the martian ebook written by andy weir. The pitch for a highconcept book most likely precedes the work itself, and the idea is so creative that people lots of. A highconcept premise isnt an option anymore if you want to write a book with bestseller potential in other words so you can get a top literary agent, a major publisher, and a major book deal. It is about artful prose or experimentation with structure and typically tends to be internal, experimental and introspective. A gripping, highconcept thriller from the bestselling author of the martian book online at best prices in india on. This is one of those classic pageturner, fast, exciting stories. If your story is set in the modernday in a normal town or city then. She is especially interested in highconcept fiction and serious nonfiction. The sunday times and new york times bestselling author of the martian returns with a new adventure a twisty, smart, high concept thriller about a heist set on the moon. Crichton himself g s way back his first book, the thriller odds on, was. Sarah lotz does a commendable job building a world shrouded in fear and doubt, as three children become the centre of a religious conspiracy. Spy thrillers, hard scifi, and actionsuspense generally need high concept to sell big.
A gripping, high concept thriller from the bestselling author of the martian at. And it has what every good thriller story should have, which is that no matter how high concept and overlaid with political intrigue a novel is, it has to be a cracking good yarn. The high concept of michael crichton publishers weekly. Jan 30, 2019 for fans of highconcept thrillers such as annihilation and the girl with all the gifts, this breathtaking dystopian psychological thriller follows an. Thriller is a genre of fiction, having numerous, often overlapping subgenres. The killogator formula works best if you write the setting, protagonist, problem, antagonist, conflict and goal down separately first, before trying to combine them into a sentence. Hanna is based on the 2011 film of the same name that starred oscarnominated actress saoirse ronan in the title role. A smart, fun, fastpaced adventure that you wont be able to put down ernest cline, bestselling author of ready player one what a page turner. In highconcept books, this can often take the form of a unique physical execution of prose formatting or book design. Most thrillers and suspense novels are realistic, i. Terry hayes returns with the thrilling and eagerly awaited followup to his new york times bestselling novel i am pilgrim. Writing a killer logline graeme shimmin, spy thriller. High concepts can take several specific forms like.
The idea itself has immediate sizzle when someone hears it. As an example of a very well realised highconcept thriller. A fresh, unique, and compelling story premise that can be easily summed up in a single sentence or two a high concept is a barebones description of the premise of a proposed movie, show, or whatever, used to pitch it to a producer or an audience. Child has created a highconcept, hightech thriller that may turn you off computer dating forever. It can be contrasted with low concept, which is more concerned with character development and other subtleties that are not as easily summarized. This is station eleven meets the martian a bold and thoughtprovoking new high concept thriller author biography laura lam is the author of several science fiction books, including radio 2 book club selection false hearts. About the author andy weir built a twodecade career as a software engineer until the success of his first published novel, the martian, allowed him to live out his dream of. A highpowered highconcept feminist dystopian thriller, that fans of the power and vox will love from the inside flap despite increasing restrictions on the. The naturals by jennifer lynn barnes, dreamology by lucy keating, the westing game by ellen raskin, cloud atlas by david. Zero warriors series of crime action thrillers volume 8 stands out as the best thriller book in the market. Taylors novels are well written yet commercial with highconcepts and nonstop intrigue that give them great stand out quality. But if the feedback you consistently get on your work is that it is quiet or that the agent just didnt fall in love, its possible that a high concept is the thing you need to pull ahead of the pack. But sometimes agents and editors are looking for a high concept novel in a certain genre. When china invades iran for its oil, it sets off a dominoeffect when iran retaliates with a nuclear weapon fired at beijing.
In defining high concept, we talk about the premise of. Apr 30, 2020 a high powered high concept feminist dystopian thriller, that fans of the power and vox will love from the inside flap despite increasing restrictions on the freedoms of women on earth, valerie black is spearheading the first allfemale mission to a planet in the goldilocks zone, where conditions are just right for human habitation. What elements are necessary in a book for it to be high concept. These are the book blurbs that make publishers and potential readers go, wow, i never thought of that before. The common belief is that its any movie that can be pitched in one sentence. Antimatter is a high concept thriller for thinkers. And it has what every good thriller story should have, which is that no matter how highconcept and overlaid with political intrigue a novel is, it has to be a cracking good yarn.
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