# Literary vs. Mainstream



## Verum Scriptor (Nov 25, 2010)

Is it possible for an unpublished, unknown writer to have a literary fiction novel published by a publishing house?  Or should one stick to mainstream fiction?  Is there a compromise between the two?


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## strangedaze (Nov 25, 2010)

literary is kind of 'mainstream,' i think. as in, it doesnt fall it into any of the biggie genres. but thats neither here nor there. to answer your question about whether its possible for an unpublished, unknown writer to have a literary fiction novel published by a publishing house, the answer is: yes. why wouldnt it be? people are discovered all the time. 

i dont know what you mean by compromise, but literary fiction has to sell just like any other 'genre.' so if you write a book that people want to read, its not going to matter.


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## Verum Scriptor (Nov 26, 2010)

Mainstream is another word for commercial.  Examples would be the Jack Ryan series by Tom Clancy or the Jurassic Park books by Michael Crichton.  Where these books hook people in by giving them the plots they want literary fiction depends more on its well developed, complex characters. Example "To Kill a Mockingbird" -Harper Lee
What is the difference between literary fiction and commercial fiction? - Yahoo! Answers
This gives another explanation of the difference between the two genres


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## strangedaze (Nov 27, 2010)

i see. well im glad you cleared that up for me. my answer remains the same.


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## Alfred_E_Poole (Dec 10, 2010)

First of all, I've always referred to it as "genre", short for genre fiction--I've never heard it called "mainstream". You might cause less confusion if you ask that way 

I don't see why it wouldn't be, though. A lot of popular books are literary. At school, my professors have always made it clear that, even if you want to write genre, they are going to teach you to write literary. Both of them cater to different audiences, so, there's a good amount of people who'll read both. I hope this helps.

AEP


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## Akhilleus (Dec 11, 2010)

I sure hope so cause thats what im doing right now!


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