Whether to query a novel as 'literary' or 'mainstream'

stargazer11

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Hey guys and gals,

Here is question for all... My novel that I completed is a mainstream novel. So when I do an agent search, I focus on all agencies that list 'general fiction' on their submissions page, and query them presenting my novel as a 'mainstream fiction'. But when an agency states they take submissions in 'literary fiction' is it okay to submit my query letter saying it is a 'manstream novel' or should I submit my query as a 'literary novel'?

If you look the dictionary definition of literary novel and mainstream novel, you will see that thet are similiar in definition. So again, my question is: Is it okay to submit to an agency who takes 'literary fiction', and say on my query letter, it is 'mainstream'? Or, should I just change my query to 'literary novel' if the agency only mentions 'literary fiction' in the guidelines???
 

waylander

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Just call it 'my novel' and let them work out if it is something that they are interested in.
 

quicklime

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if there's nothing in the language to suggest it is truly "literary" and they do not handle general fiction (no idea how common that is, a "lit-only" agent would be specializing in a really small and relatively low-earning sub-niche) then simply tagging it "literary" won't help--literary is a nebulous "genre" but any agent who handles it will differentiate between literary prose, pedestrian writing, and purple masquerading as literary....
 

benbradley

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This isn't what you asked, but (and I also like the idea of not using either word literary or mainstream) I'd stick with 'general fiction' agencies first, as a sale through them means a larger market for your book. If you exhaust those agents without getting a bite, then go for the literary agents.

Something I read long ago said always submit to the biggest market your story is qualified for, and as (or, rather, if!) it is rejected, submit to the next biggest (paying) market, and so on.