Agents and editors have distinct preferences as to the type of stories they are willing to accept, so determining what category your story fits into will help you figure out where to submit it.
Commercial Fiction
This type of story appeals to a wide audience, has a distinct plot, and its characters actively pursue a goal or overcome a challenge. These stories are primarily read for entertainment. There are many categories of commercial fiction, classified by genre and sub-genres. Each genre has basic elements that readers expect to see in the stories. Some commercial fiction may appeal to more than one type of audience, and can be considered mainstream.
Literary Fiction
These stories focus more on internal conflict than external events, the plot is less obvious, and there is an emphasis on artistic prose rather than the more straightforward storytelling seen in commercial fiction. There is usually extensive development of the characters, with a slower pace, and less emphasis on what happens and more on the character’s reaction to what happens.
Here’s an interesting explanation by Agent Nathan Bransford on the difference between commercial fiction and literary fiction: http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2007/02/what-makes-literary-fiction-literary.html
Robert J. Sawyer, a science fiction author, also gives a clear explanation of these categories: http://www.sfwriter.com/2008/02/literary-vs-commercial-fiction.html
Edit December 11, 2009:
Some books cross the line between commercial and literary fiction. See my post on upmarket fiction for more information.
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Do you have a preference for reading one type of story? Do stories you write tend to fit more in the literary or commercial category?
[…] 11, 2009 by Carol Benedict In an earlier post I talked about commercial fiction and literary fiction. When agents and editors talk about “upmarket” fiction, they are referring to books […]
[…] fiction tends to be more commercial than literary, but doesn’t fit the narrower restrictions of genre fiction. It appeals to a wide, mainstream […]
Helpful post, distinguishing between the two has confused me for a while.
I’m glad the post was helpful. Thanks for taking time to leave an encouraging comment!
Carol
[…] https://thewritingplace.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/what-do-they-mean-commercial-fiction-and-literary-fi… […]
The way I look at it is paralleling fiction to film. Commercial fiction is the typical Hollywood film in Romance, Sci-fi, thriller genres. Whereas, literary fiction can be compared to independent or experimental film.
I feel that I tend to fall in-between, probably upmarket. Most of my fiction tends to be character-driven and I focus on the prose and style. I think I’d like to go for upmarket. From my understanding upmarket means literary fiction that has some commercial appeal. I like to write thought-provoking fiction that fuels discussions in book clubs and discussions.
[…] whether I write fiction or non-fiction, if fiction whether literary fiction or commercial fiction. See what Carol Benedict has to say about this in The Writing Place. Which genre do I write in? I […]
[…] whether I write fiction or non-fiction, if fiction whether literary fiction or commercial fiction. See what Carol Benedict has to say about this in The Writing Place. Which genre do I write in? I […]
[…] The Writing Place, Carol Benedict describes the difference between the two as […]
I have written a book….https://www.amazon.in/dp/B00IHJ2MZ2
I am wondering whether my book is literary fiction or commercial fiction….
Shirish, I read the marketing blurb for your book but am not absolutely certain which category it fits into. My guess is that it is more literary than commercial, but without reading the book or a detailed synopsis I can’t be sure.
I have only been using Adult Fiction Comedy in my query letters. Is it better to specify whether it’s commercial, Literary, etc..? And I kind of have a grasp between them, but I don’t really know which one to list it as. My novel is written in first person and he is telling his story about his 29 years of his life. It includes ; action, comedy, a little bit of romance and a lot of adult content and context. Thank you for your time and help.
Sorry to be so long in responding to your question. It sounds to me like your book would be considered commercial fiction. It isn’t necessary to specify that in your query as it will be obvious to the agent or editor based on your description of the plot. Knowing which type of fiction it is will make it easier for you to determine where to query or market your book as agents and editors have specialties or preferences as to the type of book they will accept. Good luck with your queries!
[…] classification systems split novels into commercial and literary fiction. Think Harry Potter versus The Catcher in the Rye. It must takes countless English professors, […]