“Harry Potter is too childish.”
“The Night Circus is too complicated”
“I don’t like Dune because the language is confusing.”

You ever hear something like the above about your favorite books? Yeah, I do too. According to whom you ask, either the books we like are too easy and childish, vacuous, hollow imitations of real literature, or they are snobby shiny set pieces, like a golden bauble placed atop a mountain: Pretty, but of ultimately little substance, and no entertainment value.

I hear it about my own books too, despite Sarim recently clearing 50 reviews on Goodreads with a 4* average rating.  In this article, we talk about why this phenomenon occurs- the big old Literary Fiction Vs. Genre Fiction debate. So, what is this debatw?

For those who don’t know, literary fiction is often the award-winning, critically acclaimed kind of fiction seen as high literature, while genre fiction is fun, easily digestible, and is more likely to be turned into movies. The US book market sold 3 Billion books in 2023, according to the Association of American Publishers. However, I was unable to find out what percentage of this number is considered literary fiction and what percentage is considered genre fiction. The line is like my vision when I spend too long reading: Blurry.

Below, you’ll find out:
– The characteristics of literary vs. Genre fiction
– The need for both
– Some examples of literary and genre fiction

Characteristics of Literary and Genre Fiction:

There are a few main things that seperate genre fiction from literary fiction. The most common things I notice are the below:

Ease of Entry: Genre fiction generally has easier language and stronger plots. In the case of fantasty, it also features stronger magical systems, and more tropes. Because of this, genre fiction tends to be very beginner friendly. Contrast this to Literary Fiction, which excels in the use of prose and succinct language (like the word succinct), as well as experimental writing techniques and rhetorical devices. But because of these very elements, literary fiction is considered higher brow, and more suitable to experienced readers.

Popularity: As a side effect of the above, best sellers tend to be genre fiction books, while critics and award winners tend to be literary fiction books. In fact, I remember reading somewhere that Stephen King and Terry Pratchett being precluded from some competitions because they were considered too low-brow for the critics, way back when.

Purpose of Writing: Because of the high perceived value of literary fiction, there is also a greater pressure for literary fiction books to have a strong message that the author is trying to get across. Meanwhile, genre fiction is fully accepted as a pure medium of entertainment. This doesn’t stop us from putting themes in our books. However, in our case the themes tend to hang out in the background, sipping drinks, hanging out in wait for the right reader to show up and notice us.

Why we need both types of books:
Literary and Genre Fiction books are necessary. Genre fiction, in some cases, lays the ground work for deeper themes appearing in strong literary fiction. It also provides the bulk of most readers’ preferences. Finally, the simple truth is that genre fiction has a wider appeal. On the other hand, literary fiction often includes the trail-blazers, books which introduce new writing techniques that genre fiction writers later adopt. Besides, literary fiction is perfect for true bibliophiles, whose engines run on turns of phrase.

Examples of both:
Like I said above, the line between literary and genre fiction can be quite blurry. However, I’ve cast my eyes online, and within the depths of my memory, to find some examples for you

Literary Fiction:
1984 by Goerge Orwell
Catcher in The Rye by JD Salinger
The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho

Genre Fiction:
The Expanse Series by James SA Corey
The Alchemyst Books by Michael Scott
My books!


Grey Area: Personally, I would put Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, Frank Herbert’s Dune, and The Midnight Library down as in the grey area.

With that said, I do hope this blog post has helped you understand the difference between Genre Fiction and Literary Fiction. The next time somebody disses your favorite book, go ahead and explain the difference to them, and why your taste is superior to theirs!