Episode 010 | Commercial vs. Upmarket vs. Literary

In the first two “Who/What” episodes, we spent some time thinking about whether we wanted to be a dreamer/pre-writer, a hobbyist, an amateur writer, or a professional writer and explored what kind of stories we might like to tell (AKA genre). Today, we’re going to demystify sales categories and get a sense of where we might imagine our books landing.



THE BASICS



Before I dig into specifics, let me say this from the outset:



Like genre, these sales categories are simply tools to help authors, publishers, booksellers, and book promoters find the right readers for their books and to help readers find the types of books they like to read. You should write the books you want to write, the kind that you feel passionate about and that you tend to read.



Now onto the details! It’s tough to beat an infographic. P.S. Literary Agency did such a good job with this one, I thought I’d lead with it.







Following is some additional information on each of the categories:



CommercialUpmarketLiterarySometimes Also Known AsPopular FictionGenre FictionMainstream FictionCrossover FictionBook Club FictionSample AuthorsJames PattersonNora RobertsDan BrownCeleste NgElmore LeonardGillian FlynnToni MorrisonColson WhiteheadDonna TarttPrimary FocusEntertainmentThe Blending of Art and EntertainmentArt/CultureWriting StyleUsually widely accessible and faster pacedLanguage, style, and themes more elevated, but still widely accessibleOften more willing totake risks with form and languageGenre NormsUsually adheres to themSometimes follows some of themMay toy with themor ignore them If the categories were applied to the fashion world, they would be…Your Favorite Local Mall’s Mainstream StoresLocal Boutiques and/or The Stores at the Fancy Mall New York Fashion WeekSomeplace You Might Find ItPaperback Section of Grocery StoreBook Club MeetingEnglish Class# of Agents Seeking Books in the Category (2019)29563429



TO KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD WRITE, PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU READ.



The biggest clue as to what you should write is always as close as your bookshelf. If, for instance, you devour contemporary spy thrillers, but never read historical fiction, think twice about trying to write historical fiction, right? The same goes for these sales categories.



Don’t feel like you need to write literary just to be taken seriously, and don’t think that you have to write commercial fiction to make any money. There are lots of exceptions to every rule of thumb.



And, most importantly, understand that any story can be written and do well in any of these categories. Annie Neugebauer does a good job demonstrating this in her article “The Differences Between Commercial and Literary Fiction.” She offers examples of books with similar topics and storylines done with different underlying approaches and shelved in three different sales categories. For example, each of the following books has a plot heavy on intrigue and suspense:



* commercial example: Loves Music, Loves to Dance, Mary Higgins Clark* literary example: Pale Fire, Vladimir Nabokov* upmarket example: Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier