From its inception it was developed as a not-for-profit publication to ensure that contributors are properly rewarded for the time and knowledge they invest – as such, its authors and editors are also shareholders in the Literary Dictionary Company.
[independent source needed] It contains general profiles of literary writers, but also of major cultural, historical and scientific figures; articles on individual works of literature from all over the world (often containing succinct critical commentary and sections on critical reception); entries on hundreds of literary terms, concepts and movements, as well as extended essays on topics of historical and cultural importance.
The Literary Encyclopedia offers free access, upon request, to its entire database to all educational institutions in countries where the GDP is below the world average.
It also offers a number of research grants to young and emerging scholars in its subscribing institutions, funded by royalties donated by the publication's contributors and editors.
So far, it has published over 9500 articles, comprising more than 20 million words,[4] on a wide range of authors, works and topics in world literature, from the classical to the postcolonial.