Inspirational fiction is a sub-category within "inspirational literature," or "inspirational writing," defined in various ways in the United States and other nations. More and more bookstores (including online booksellers, such as Amazon) and libraries consider inspirational fiction to be a separate genre, classifying and shelving books accordingly.

Organizations like LYRASIS, the nation’s largest regional membership organization serving libraries and information professionals, have begun holding classes for library workers to "explore the explosion in recent years in popularity of Inspirational Fiction and how it has blended in with all other genres to become appealing to more than its original target audience.