Men Aren’t Vanishing From Fiction. The Truth Is More Complicated

[nickcarraway]

Men aren’t vanishing from fiction. The truth is more complicated (Cannot be posted due to FR rules.)

[yesthatjallen]

"The vast majority of book are bought by women today. The publishing industry therefore is most concerned about books that appeal to women."

I assume this is fiction and not political books.

[Antoninus]

FReeper run...and publishing great fiction for a quarter decade:

https://www.arxbooks.com/

I think you mean a quarter *CENTURY*, bub.

Here's another classic from Arx -- that got a great review from FReeper back in the day..

Crown of the World, Book 1, Knight of the Temple

[Antoninus]

The vast majority of book are bought by women today. The publishing industry therefore is most concerned about books that appeal to women.

That's true. Which is why as a publisher of novels, we focus on homeschoolers, specifically the teen/young adult market. Why? Because homeschooling moms are often very literate and pass on that trait to their kids. And said moms are always looking for reading material for their kids that isn't the garbage often found at the public library or Barnes and Noble. High quality historical fiction with Christian themes is like gold to that group.

[Dr. Sivana]

The vast majority of book are bought by women today. The publishing industry therefore is most concerned about books that appeal to women.

I think that has been true (in English literature, at least) for a long time. Even an eternal like Charles Dickens frequently made his main characters female. A story like Bleak House is very well-written, but the story REALLY appeals to women, with the two main characters Esther and Lady Dedlock providing most of the depth, while John Jarndyce's role is only important in relation to Esther.

In Great Expectations, Pip and Magwitch are main charaters, but Miss Havisham and Estella provide the real story.

Also note the number of first tier writers who were female: Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, George Elliot, Emily Dickenson, Louisa May Alcott, Harriet Beecher Stowe. Their works are still widely read over 100 years later, and likely will be 100 years from now.

[Dr. Sivana]

I assume this is fiction and not political books.

There is more overlap than you might think. Dickens' fiction, especially "Tale of Two Cities" but also "Nicholas Nickleby" and "Bleak House" had political ramifications. In the U.S. it would be very hard to find a work of non-fiction that had more political influence than "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

And what do you do with Orwell and Ayn Rand? Fiction yes, but also very political.

[Tax-chick]

My second son persuaded me to try Brandon Sanderson. So many books. Such long books.

[Chickensoup]

True but he was popular and widely read. As was that horrorshow Philip Roth.

[Chickensoup]

Let’s see. I think there has always been sexually explicit woman’s books. From Jong and Fear of Flying. Looking for Mr Goodbar Anis Nins porn. And back in the 50s and 60s with lurid romance magazines.

[Chickensoup]

I enjoy authors from the 1900 to the 1970s. Many British. Agatha Christie’s books stand up well. Women would enjoy the Miss Read series. There are so many classics that one never has to read what’s new.

[Chickensoup]

There was a good series in the seventies called the Deadly Sins by Laurence Sanders. The 6th Deadly Sin etc. Good man protagonist. They have disappeared from libraries but available via Amazon

[Kudsman]

Lmao. Leave every page blank. They can fill in their own insane ideas.

[Chickensoup]

Now Lionel Shriver is a contemporary woman author I enjoy.

Start with the Mandables. Farce.

[RinaseaofDs]

When Clancy and Chrichton died, the market for men’s lit died with them.

[Bob434]

[Claud]

I think you mean a quarter *CENTURY*, bub.

Indeed. Gettin' old!

[mewzilla]

It appeals to woke women. And that has NOT been good for sales.

But this isn't about money.

An excellent Deep dive on what's going on with romance genre for anyone interested...

The Data Does Not Exist to Support "Romance is a Billion Dollar Industry" And, more importantly, we don't need it

As someone who loves the genre, all I can say is thank goodness for my backlist.