I got an interesting email that made me realize not everyone who visits Tame Your Book has the same view of commercial fiction, so here are a few thoughts on that topic.
By: Grant P. Ferguson
Last Updated: April 16, 2025
How Do You Define Commercial Fiction?
I believe the question partially answers itself, but there’s so much more to consider.
If writers produce novels to sell, I believe that’s commercial fiction. However, books designed to sell strive first to meet and then exceed to the expectations of the buying public. Failure of fiction to comply with the quality and topics desired by readers limits the sales potential.
Writing Principle: Audiences want stories that entertain, inform, and inspire.
What Are Commercial Fiction Dependencies?
Successful commercial fiction has several dependencies, many for the writer plus those based on the marketplace.
For example:
- Writer:
- What fiction do you want to write?
- Can you afford the time and effort to produce commercial fiction?
- Will you strive to produce what readers expect?
- Are you writing for enjoyment or to produce commercial fiction?
- Marketplace:
- Will the marketplace allow your book to compete?
- Are sales within your category trending upward or downward?
- Can you produce what the public desires and generate a profit?
Writing Principle: Authors who want to write books that sell answer critical questions before writing.
What Are the Alternatives to Commercial Fiction?
Learning what the bestselling authors already figured out about writing has intrigued me for many years.
I stocked my personal Kindle library with over a hundred purchased books on writing by respected authors. However, my research proved to me there is neither a single writing authority nor one topic you should write. Your choices matter, and fiction intended for sale strives to please the audience.
If selling your book is not your goal, then write for pure joy on any topic, and whether that’s prose, poetry, or non-fiction, focus on what matters to you.
The Commercial Fiction Focus at Tame Your Book
A quick look around the Tame Your Book site and you’ll notice the decided focus on writing books that people want to read.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that you’ll find little else because of my single goal.
Goal: Learn how to write a book readers will love!
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What is your writing goal?
6 responses to “What Is Commercial Fiction?”
As a quite successful author, I can tell you that you need first of all a competent mentor and a clever agent. Then you need to organise your little company, your agents (for foreign rights), your researchers, your PR and image person and usually a person for legal questions. You have to be outgoing for talk shows and interviews. You must be aware that being a successful author is a full-time job, 8 hours every day. About 30% of this time is writing, the rest is organising.
Kb
Thanks for commenting, Klausbernd, and many moving parts, indeed. I agree with your point about organizing, and novels birth when there’s a marriage of equal parts of innate creativity and story structure.
I think a lot of the thrillers I read have become commercial fiction. They are more about a template than creativity.
Spot on, Jacqui, and another reason the trend line on revenue often decreases with the second and third books in a series. It doesn’t have to happen, but it does too frequently. While reading a book filled with Raymond Chandler’s personal letters, I marveled at how many times he called out those writers who did what you described. That often caused Chandler to write and rewrite, limiting the number of novels he produced. I’m for balancing the author’s passion with what readers want and what the marketplace will allow.
Your article made me realize I don’t read much commercial fiction. I guess I’m drawn to more oddball stuff or one-and-done stories that couldn’t be written by anyone but the person who wrote them or experimental fiction or (especially) literary fiction.
Thanks, Priscilla, for emphasizing my point. There’s neither a single way nor one right answer. The pros of the past, like L. Frank Baum, Agatha Christie, Lester Dent, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Raymond Chandler, padded their wallets while keeping the audience happy. It’s really no different today for those who want to sell books. With that said, I’m also for those who want to write for the pure joy. My thoughts and goal lean toward those who do both.