Is it true, /lit/?

Depends. If it is a fiction novel (of any streak, really), then yes to a degree. Not all fiction novels have a physical opponent (Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, etc.) or are action-packed *cough* Lord of the Rings *cough*. If it is a non-fiction (bios, textbooks), not so much, and if you are writing smut, just think of some lewds and make them lewder.

Depends entirely on who you shop your novel to.

>>9835856
Those books were all publishrd decades ago. Todays publishing standards are basicially "write a hollywood movie in prose"

Elaborating on the non-fiction from >>9835856
As long as you make most of the book an explanation, throw in some historical trivia about the subject, and put your two cents in about a few happenings as well, you can pretty much get away with anything in the non-fiction historical genre.

>>9835878
But look at which ones actually tend to widely circulate and be known by almost everyone not living under a rock.

Of course it's not true. Just look at the books topping critic lists at the end of the year.

You'd be better off writing about a gay mulatto's sexual awakening in contemporary New York than this "Cardinal Rule" mumbo jumbo

>>9835949
A gay mulatto's sexual awakening in contemporary New York follows this rule to the letter.