Upmarket Fiction The Forgotten Middle Child of the Publishing World

Upmarket Fiction The Forgotten Middle Child of the Publishing World Upmarket Fiction: The Forgotten Middle Child of the Publishing World Calling something â€Å"commercial† can sound like an insult in some circles, as if it’s a trifling entertainment not worthy of the term â€Å"literature.† In other circles, the term â€Å"literary† results in a half-stifled yawn, and is considered pretentious. A question you might ask when you’re writing is, "Can a book be both literary and commercial?† The answer is yes: you've just described "upmarket fiction." Can a book be both literary and commercial? Yes: that's upmarket fiction. While this article won't settle any age-old commercial vs. literary debates, it will help you get a better grasp on how to distinguish both types of fiction - and, above all, it answer the question you’ve been wondering: what is upmarket fiction?A brief history of the novel - and how terms like â€Å"genre† and â€Å"literary† came to beIn the 17th and 18th centuries, the novel was considered a genre in itself. It was a relatively new form of narrative, a drawn-out prose detailing fictitious matters. As Joshua Rothman notes in The New Yorker: â€Å"When Catherine Morland, the heroine of Austen’s ‘Northanger Abbey,’ is rebuked for reading too many Gothic novels, the proposed alternative isn’t ‘literary fiction’ but non-fiction (a friend suggests she try history). ‘Northanger Abbey’ was written in 1799.† How did distinctions like commercial, literary, and upmarket come to be? Find out inside. 50 Book Marketing Ideas Every Author Needs to Know Read post Just like with choosing your degree, understanding the market from the outset of the process is crucial. If you’re hoping to make a career off of your novels, you need to study your market, your competitors, and to identify where your story will fit there. Why is it so important to be able to classify what kind of fiction you're writing? Find out here Even if your book is classified as commercial, that does not mean it has less merit as a piece of literature. Commercial and literary fiction both have their place: just like a spoon works better for ice cream and spaghetti requires a fork. This fiction is kind of like a spork, then: it can be used for either occasion.The classification is a sales tool - it’s important to know. In the end, if you can write a book that someone enjoys reading, that someone derives meaning from, that challenges someone to think, that helps someone unwind, that’s fun, or sad, or uplifting - in other words, if you can write a book that speaks to someone, then, well done. Not sure if your book is commercial, literary, or upmarket fiction? Take this quiz to find out http://bzfd.it/2xQofFP Are you still not 100% sure how to classify your novel? Take our quiz to find out!What are some of your favorite works of commercial, literary, or upmarket fiction? Share them with us in the comments below!