Really interesting piece and I can see myself being guilty of being a book snob sometimes, perhaps more so since living in the UK. As a non-native English speaker I found quite odd the many labels that people use here to talk about books. Perhaps the most puzzling to me being translated fiction which is something that I've never heard of in Spain, Italy, France or Portugal, where we simply talk about fiction, regardless of the language, or writers as they each have a unique style. My impression is that the anglophone world is a lot more compartmentalised given the reading market is bigger and it may help publishing houses position their offer and label it early on in order to find their target audience faster. As there's more competition in commercial fiction that's why maybe there's a need to further break it down? In any case, regardless of the label there are stories that stay with us and others that are forgettable, and that's perhaps the only dividing line we should draw.
I LOVE this essay. I am so tired of the caste system and never knowing how best to answer the question, "So, what kind of books do you write?" and stumbling around, knowing that there's likely to be another question when I answer "fiction," and how that answer, whatever I say, will start a boundary drawing process.
Thank you for supporting the designation Amazon has unfortunately destroyed, in its pursuit of giving customers, granularly, EXACTLY what they want: 'mainstream fiction.'
I write that, too - and have the devil of a time with exactly the same questions (women's fiction, upmarket, etc.) that you've written about above.
In all other aspects, Amazon - my publisher and distributor - has been sheer perfection. Disabled writers can fulfill the requirements just fine, albeit probably more slowly, and get their careful work published. The first two novels in my mainstream trilogy, Pride's Children: PURGATORY and NETHERWORLD, are published, and completely avoided the 'submission process' which I found so onerous way back in the previous century. They efficiently handle supplying ebooks and print books (and I'll do hardcovers as soon as I have a little extra time and energy) to my readers, and send me a few bucks every month.
But 'mainstream fiction' - otherwise what used to be known as 'a novel' - has disappeared into 'General Fiction' - an awful replacement. This doesn't bother the huge universe of genre fiction writers, but it hamstrings ME.
"Does men’s fiction exist, or is fiction written by a man simply . . . fiction?" - great question, one I'm still trying to answer. Why is a "guy" of all things, called to write Christian Romance? Ahhh,yes- "Can it be simple? Story + well written = something terrific. Let’s call them, um. . . novels." Who cares what they call it, those who follow along seem to like the story!
I love this and couldn’t agree more. I write fiction and used to be stuck on writing literary fiction. Now I try to write in all genres. I also rarely read literary fiction because the way the world is going it’s too slow and boring sometimes.
Really interesting piece and I can see myself being guilty of being a book snob sometimes, perhaps more so since living in the UK. As a non-native English speaker I found quite odd the many labels that people use here to talk about books. Perhaps the most puzzling to me being translated fiction which is something that I've never heard of in Spain, Italy, France or Portugal, where we simply talk about fiction, regardless of the language, or writers as they each have a unique style. My impression is that the anglophone world is a lot more compartmentalised given the reading market is bigger and it may help publishing houses position their offer and label it early on in order to find their target audience faster. As there's more competition in commercial fiction that's why maybe there's a need to further break it down? In any case, regardless of the label there are stories that stay with us and others that are forgettable, and that's perhaps the only dividing line we should draw.
Ah, I bet we all have to work against some literary snobbery (and tv, and .....)
I LOVE this essay. I am so tired of the caste system and never knowing how best to answer the question, "So, what kind of books do you write?" and stumbling around, knowing that there's likely to be another question when I answer "fiction," and how that answer, whatever I say, will start a boundary drawing process.
Thank you for supporting the designation Amazon has unfortunately destroyed, in its pursuit of giving customers, granularly, EXACTLY what they want: 'mainstream fiction.'
I write that, too - and have the devil of a time with exactly the same questions (women's fiction, upmarket, etc.) that you've written about above.
In all other aspects, Amazon - my publisher and distributor - has been sheer perfection. Disabled writers can fulfill the requirements just fine, albeit probably more slowly, and get their careful work published. The first two novels in my mainstream trilogy, Pride's Children: PURGATORY and NETHERWORLD, are published, and completely avoided the 'submission process' which I found so onerous way back in the previous century. They efficiently handle supplying ebooks and print books (and I'll do hardcovers as soon as I have a little extra time and energy) to my readers, and send me a few bucks every month.
But 'mainstream fiction' - otherwise what used to be known as 'a novel' - has disappeared into 'General Fiction' - an awful replacement. This doesn't bother the huge universe of genre fiction writers, but it hamstrings ME.
"Does men’s fiction exist, or is fiction written by a man simply . . . fiction?" - great question, one I'm still trying to answer. Why is a "guy" of all things, called to write Christian Romance? Ahhh,yes- "Can it be simple? Story + well written = something terrific. Let’s call them, um. . . novels." Who cares what they call it, those who follow along seem to like the story!
I love this and couldn’t agree more. I write fiction and used to be stuck on writing literary fiction. Now I try to write in all genres. I also rarely read literary fiction because the way the world is going it’s too slow and boring sometimes.
So glad to hear your writing (and reading!) that which appeals!!
Pushing at the conventional boundaries is a great thing - thank you!
Write and right on! :)
Oh. My. God. Thank you for saying this! I agree – so it must be right. 😄