As a big shot literary agent, I review scads of book pitches every week, for both fiction and nonfiction projects. And frequently included in the mix is a pitch or two for a piece of “literary fiction.”
What’s that, you say? I’m glad you asked, and I wish I knew.
It’s not that I’m not smart. I can be, especially if the subject is 1970s rock. It’s just that, well, it’s not much of a thing on the submission end of the writing-for-publication process.
I mean, sure, if you possess an MFA in Creative Writing from OxYaleVard, maybe literary fiction is your genre. Then again, maybe not. Generally speaking (which often means, “I have no proof”), literary fiction is a kind of writing that pursues character depth, thematic complexity (e.g., symbolism and stuff), and elevated craft over entertainment value, plot, and genre conventions. You know, like The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner or The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald—stuff that gets taught in school (and doesn’t use words like stuff and phrases like you know). And yes, I know there are college courses on “Harry Potter and the Age of Illusion” and even “Harry Potter Studies” at various institutions of higher learning, but just go with me here.
Popular fiction, by contrast, is intended to entertain and appeal to a broad audience, not only people who smoke pipes and use such words as “indubitably.” It focuses on plot-driven stories and accessible language, often adhering to genre conventions—such as mystery, romance, or fantasy. The goal is primarily not to impress and spark deep thought but rather engagement and enjoyment, often with more relatable characters and page-turning techniques.
All of which, more or less, is beside the point. Because when it comes to pitching a Christian book today, it’s never in your interest (in my humble but 100% accurate opinion) to present it as “literary fiction.” For the record, of the many (dozens? scores? smores?) proposals I’ve received for “literary fiction,” none deserved the designation, in my estimation.
Even more to the point, in Christian publishing, at least, there is no “literary fiction” genre. The best of the best Christian novels (most of them by my clients, if you must know) do reflect qualities that might earn such a label … but the label is best supplied by publishers, critics, and readers, not by the authors. As one literary classic says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought” (Romans 12:3 NIV).
So, long story short, it’s not a science … and it’s a moving target (mixed metaphors notwithstanding). Genre fiction sometimes earns such acclaim that it comes to be regarded as “literary fiction,” while much “literary” stuff is virtually unreadable, self-important drivel. It is best, as Jesus said, sort of, to take the lowest position and let your readers move you up to a seat of honor.
