What is commercial fiction?

Torgo said:

If A is the set of best-sellers, and B is the set of high-profile literary prize-winners, then 'commercial fiction' = A - (A & B).

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1) But aren't all the best-sellers, by definition, commercial?

2) Depends on whether the definition is based only on results. Maybe it should be based on intent. Although most writers -- well, the vast majority -- are happy if their books bring in a lot of money, that may or may not play a part in their process of composition.

3) Let's try to expand on that by adding another set, C, the set of "commercial fiction" -- and here we define "commercial" as "intended to appeal to either a broad, or a deep, audience (that is, a work that appeals to either (or both): a) a lot of readers with a variety of interests; b) almost all of the people who have a very specific interest)".

So now we've got three overlapping sets, and seven categories. Hope everybody's happy.

Anyway, whatever it is, there's nothing wrong with commercial fiction, as long as it's also good writing.

Amadan said:

Most people, when talking about "literary fiction," are thinking of authors like Cormac McCarthy or Philip Roth, where the prose and the underlying message is what gets your attention. McCarthy and Roth's books tell stories -- of course they do. But people don't read them because of their interesting stories.

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I read Roth for the interesting stories.

Manuel Royal said:

1) But aren't all the best-sellers, by definition, commercial?

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Hmm, Jonathan Franzen sells a lot of copies, but you wouldn't refer to his books as 'commercial fiction', I think.

2) Depends on whether the definition is based only on results. Maybe it should be based on intent. Although most writers -- well, the vast majority -- are happy if their books bring in a lot of money, that may or may not play a part in their process of composition.

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I think there's some equivocation between what's intended to be commercial and what actually is commercial. I'd say something that is intended to be commercial but which doesn't enthuse the market isn't actually commercial.

Actually in my mind that's exactly what Franzen is. To me he is quintessential Commercial Fiction.

RobJ said:

I read Roth for the interesting stories.

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Okay. I find his stories to be derivative retreads of themes that have been written to death. (Admittedly, I haven't read a lot of him.) I can't imagine why anyone would want to keep reading him just for the plot.