WHAT TO GIVE UP THIS LENT?

Avoiding Contemporary Fiction 🤨

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Dear Literary Fiction Writer,

This post could apply to anyone but in my experience it’s the literary fiction writers who are the most guilty of this: not reading contemporary fiction.

In this email you’ll find:

• four reactions from a literary agent on the subject

• one 🚨 action point 🚨 for the comments section

• one piece of 🖋 homework 🖋 to do in your own time

Let’s get going.

The reason I am not addressing writers of genre fiction is because in my experience (24 years of being a literary agent), if you’re writing genre fiction you’re also reading contemporary examples of it. You’re loving your genre.

Literary fiction writers however, are much more likely to (quietly) ask themselves this:

“Do I really have to read contemporary fiction?”

This is why I’m addressing writers of literary fiction today. But in theory the concept applies to everyone.

“Do I really have to read contemporary fiction?”

—Literary Fiction Writer

As a literary agent, these are my various responses:

1. My first reaction is aversion.

There’s something fundamentally alienating to me about the idea that the world should pay attention to your voice when you have no problem not paying attention to anyone else’s (who is alive and on this earth at the same time you are).

That seems curious to me.

I’m not saying it’s impossible. Maybe you’re neuro-spicy. Maybe you have an unusual relationship with reading. I can’t say axiomatically that you should read contemporary fiction as a writer of literary fiction… however I’m a bit put off if you don’t.

The writers I admire (whether I represent them or not) are always reading contemporary fiction. They read wildly in a really unsnobbish way.

2. My second reaction is a bit more pragmatic.

How else are you going to find out how other contemporary writers are dealing with different forms of fiction? Or different approaches to narrative voice?

Of course you can find these elements in the classics—that’s often where they started, but there are some writers around now who are doing really fresh work—seems a pity not to look. Worse, it implies a lack of curiosity.

3. My third response has something to do with courage and community.

It takes a lot of courage to sit down and write creatively. To work on it then show it to the world. That’s brave. And lonely at times. But there’s a community out there. It makes it a lot easier and more joyful to be in the company of others doing the same thing; other humans who understand what it is you’re taking on/what it costs/how it feels at different stages. These are elements of your life which your readers will never truly understand…

4. My fourth and final reason is pragmatic again, as your potential literary agent.

Granted, you don’t have to sell your book. But you do have to find an agent and then you have to decide on a publisher together so it would be smart to understand why that’s difficult. The more you tune into contemporary fiction and relate what you’re doing to other people, strengthen your comps (don’t know what I mean? read this) the more useful of a partner you are to your agent. The more attuned you are to the reality of what you’re doing, the more you’re able to demand of everyone else because you’re not ignorant of the realities.

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🚨ACTION POINT 🚨

Thanks to everyone who got involved in comments section last week. We’re having fun interacting with people.

This week we want you to comment TWO CONTEMPORARY (LITERARY/UPMARKET) NOVELS that you’ve read in the past 10 years.

ONE is a contemporary novel you LOVED

ONE is a contemporary novel you found OVER-RATED

The clincher?

PLEASE DON’T SPECIFY WHICH NOVEL IS WHICH (lest this becomes unnecessarily bitchy)

It is the ambiguity here which makes this fun.

Maybe you will privately message someone if you would like to guess which way round their feelings fall…

We’re doing this because this is one of the common reasons why literary fiction writers say they don’t read contemporary fiction. They say they’re disillusioned by the popularity of certain contemporary titles. Let’s kindly acknowledge this face-on.

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🖋 HOMEWORK 🖋

1. Type in your genre + bestseller list right now

What comes up?

(I don’t see why you wouldn’t at least do this.)

You don’t have to then inhale it all. But you may start to recognise some of the predilections of publishing. There’s a certain quality to what makes it. You’ll find that a lot of what is called “literary” is actually “upmarket”.

If you haven’t read any of the books on the best-seller lists, don’t despair.

It’s easy to feel intimidated. And overwhelmed.

But you can look at it in a completely utilitarian way.

For example, I would first read a bunch of reviews in some of the better quality outlets. Since we’re talking literary fiction mostly here, that’s the TLS, New York Review, Literary Review—maybe the occasional piece in mainstream media like FT or Sunday Times? But they can be quite unreliable because what they review is driven by marketing departments and often the reviewer feels inclined to demonstrate their smartypantness…

Then I stand in bookshops.

I go to New Fiction and I read a page, or two. I learn an awful lot from that. I did it the other day in Foyles. Picked up 8 novels. People tell me they start a book and feel like they should finish it. That just seems completely daft to me. I am quite happy to be walking past a friend whose eating their dinner, spear a piece of their meat, and then walk off.

Be picky, sure.

But at least pick something up?

As ever,

Ivan and Tilly

Reminder: this week we want our literary fiction audience to comment two contemporary novels they’ve read. One they loved and one they felt was over-rated. Please, please, do not say which is which.