What is mainstream fiction?
I’m sorry but I have to disagree with the definition of mainstream as outlined by the above answerer. In fact, I feel obligated to say that I think it is a ludicrous definition, at best. Mainstream is NOT anything published by a large house, nor is it everything stocked at a large book retailer. Even though the industry has gone downhill in recent decades it has not quite gone THAT far! Large publishers produce, and large retailers stock, many things that are not, and never will be, mainstream. Mainstream can better be defined as the things you are likely to see at the grocery store, the convenience store, the airport, or your large discounter. Outside the mainstream includes many things, including some truly wonderful literature. Porn is rarely included in any serious discussion of publishing and I find it appalling that someone who pretends to be some kind of an “insider” would present that as a given fact. I do not believe that it is plot, per se, that determines whether or not a bo
