Genre literature, sure. But there's a whole world of books that's not genre. As engaging and profitable as possible is not a goal shared by all authors.
I'm not really sure what you're trying to say here. Non genre literature is not engaging or enjoyable? "Genre literature" is a stupid term too, it's a no true scotsman thing where anything not deemed "serious" enough gets dumped in that category.
I think you're reading into something that isn't there. Umbrella terms can be used without disdain. It wasn't a highbrow comment, and I'm not about to go into a discussion on the merits of genre vs. literary or even the use of the terms, but it's clear that Zapffe's On the Tragic does not target the mass market, while the latest Tom Clancy does. Both can be engaging, depending on the reader, but the latter was written to "be as engaging and profitable as possible," the former was not.
