In the end, hundreds of plotlines showed us that bestsellers can have any of the fundamental three-part plot shapes. A “man in hole” story doesn’t necessarily have more of a chance in the market than a “rags to riches” plot. And though the macroshape doesn’t particularly matter, how the author works the scene-by-scene rhythm into that shape is very important. The million-dollar move is in a good, strong, regular beat.