Marketing With The Seven Basic Plot Archetypes

Did you know...all fiction can be broken down to seven basic plot lines? According to Christopher Booker, the author of The Seven Basic Plots, every story can be boiled down to seven story lines.
Here they are-

1. Overcoming the Monster

2. Rags to Riches

3. The Quest

4. Voyage and Return

5. Comedy

6. Tragedy

7. Rebirth

Bookers work will go deeply into the seven plot archetypes and the way to use them in your fiction if you read his book.  As I looked into marketing helps and suggestions I found out how these seven plot lines are more than just the lay out for your novel though. They lay a map and guideline for your marketing efforts as well.

Over the next few months we will take a look at each archetype and how it can be used in your marketing efforts...starting with-

Overcoming the monster.

Each of your customers have or will go through one or more of our seven basic plots at sometime in their lives. It is the reason stories are told in this fashion, to connect with readers who relate.

First, take a look at what kind of 'monsters' your readers may be experiencing. If you write romance,  it may be addiction, handicaps, divorce, lost love etc. etc.

Once you have identified the 'monsters', you figure out what tool for overcoming your novel represents to the reader. Have you written a self-help? A 'happily ever after', a story with lessons that your reader may connect with or seek out to help themselves? Recognize in your own work what the monster is and the tools to overcome it. At this point go find blogs, websites, businesses or places that advertise the tools you offer in your novel. Write a marketing approach for each of the seven archetypes and then use it in your advertisement.

For example...Your tragic hero was married and lost his wife and daughter in a accident. In a forum of grief counseling, or family tragedy you can advertise your book like this.    "Detective Max Rawlins has lost everything important, his wife and daughter. Now Max must find the man stalking his beautiful neighbor, Ashley, while she must find a way to bring Max back from his grief."

Perhaps, this isn't even your story line. Maybe your story line is "Detective Max Rawlins has been given the toughest assignment of his career, to protect movie star Ashley Ryder from her stalker. Failure means death. Hers and his own, but success means losing his heart."

The secret is to find the plot line that fits the archetype of where you want to advertise. 

Take a look at what you're selling and how it may fit into one of the aforementioned archetypes and see what you can find.

In the meantime, keep writing!