Literary or Commercial

(From WRITER'S DIGEST) ASK THE EDITORS

A reader asks: This may be a dumb question, but what's the difference between "commercial fiction" and "literary fiction"?

Anne Bowling, editor of "Novel and Short Story Writer's Market," says: This is not a dumb question at all, and I think the reason it's asked so often is because the definitions are so subjective. But in general, commercial fiction and literary fiction attempt to reach the same goal, which is to tell a good story. It's the methods and techniques they employ that differ.

Loosely, the commercial category includes mainstream fiction and the genres of romance, science fiction/ fantasy/horror, and mystery. The primary goal of commercial fiction is to entertain, while the dual goals literary fiction are to entertain and enlighten. In literary fiction, behind the plot line, the author will explore more universal themes about the human condition, and often use more sophisticated techniques to do so.

John Grisham is a good example: "Summons" is the latest of the best-selling author's legal thrillers ("The Firm," "The Runaway Jury"). But last year, he published a quiet novel titled "A Painted House," set during the cotton-picking season in 1952 Arkansas, which explores the nuances of class and interpersonal relations between the farm-owning family and migrant workers they've hired to help with the harvest.

The changes the characters undergo in the legal thrillers and "A Painted House" are quite different-- there's usually an action-oriented climax to the legal thrillers, whereas in literary fiction the changes will be more interior, and subtle, though certainly no less profound.