Then my novel must be shit because I haven't even gotten a rejection yet
Have you submitted it yet?
By your (a) and (b) definition, author's like Piers Anthony are "good". We all know that there are author's out there who write complete trash and make a living doing it. Does that make them "good"?
Yes.
For me the criteria is something like this: Does your work move people? Does it affect their heart? Does it change their mind? Is it worth something?
Do not underestimate the value of entertainment for entertainment's sake.
And for me, all that is more important than churning out stuff that sells. I'll pay my bills another way, I think.
You know, to me, this sounds rather elitist. I'm sure you didn't mean it that way, but there are tons of writers whose work does not move people, whose writing does not affect their heart, or does not change their mind, yet it still has value.
A very good friend of mind writes educational newsletters for a living. By your definition, her work is trash and worthless and is "churn[ed] out...", but you know what, she lives the writer's dream. She makes her money from her words and the educational newsletters allow her to work on projects that she truly loves PLUS they help children learn. That's worth something, don't you think?
There is work out there that just makes people smile, that just makes them laugh, or just gives them a few minutes of down time during the day. Yet it still has value.
And, in this, we're only talking about fiction. What about journalists or textbook writers, who write to inform, who write to educate, but not to touch people's souls or change their minds? Do you think their writing is trash, that it has no value? What academic books, that seek to enlighten or explain or reveal? There are numerous examples of writing that does not move people, that does not touch their soul, that has value.
Furthermore, suggesting that anyone who makes a living out of writing has "sold out," which is really what you're inferring, is to demean all writers who have chosen to make a living out of their craft. Most individuals don't have the luxury of being able to write without getting some type of material return for their time. They have to eat, they have to put a roof over their head. Perhaps you do have that luxury, but please do not demean those who do not have such freedom of choice.