If theres no enthusiasm, why bother?  The book that really changed publishers minds about the commercial potential of literary fiction, and in particular the possibilities of first novels, was Charles Fraziers Cold Mountain.  Published by Grove/Atlantic in 1997, this Civil War tale was a groundbreaking successa serious book that held its own on the Wal-Mart shelves, selling an incredible 1.5 million copies in hardback and following up with another 1.3 million in paperback. 