Story Grid Writing Podcast What is literary vs commercial fiction?
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Oct 21, 2015 Shawn and Tim discuss literary vs commercial fiction, genre's role in the publishing industry, obligatory scenes in romantic comedies, the importance of reading great books in your genre, fascination with nonfiction, and aspects of genre in storytelling.
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Career Between Commercial And Literary Houses
- Shawn Coyne began at Dell publishing editing commercial beach reads and later discovered the literary world at Knopf and others.
- He describes a lasting cultural divide between commercial and literary publishers.
Literary As The Novel Of Ideas
- Shawn Coyne defines literary fiction as a 'novel of ideas' that privileges sentence-level virtuosity over plot momentum.
- He notes literary books often appeal to academic and workshop sensibilities rather than mass entertainment.
Decide Commercial Or Literary Goals First
- Shawn Coyne advises authors to decide if they seek critical acclaim or broad readership before writing.
- He warns to align your book's aims with realistic expectations for sales and prestige.