And We’re Not Talking Science Fiction
Years ago, I read that 80% of fiction readers were women. That was before Google made the actual percentage much easier to check. As it turns out, the figure is closer to 50%. But only 30% of male readers choose a good story to get lost in. Both numbers are surprisingly low but my gender’s representation is downright disappointing. Men, it turns out, prefer non-fiction, though even there, women outnumber their male counterparts.
Only recently have I begun to study how this gender gap affects a writer’s success. The harsh reality (for me) is that women gravitate toward books by women authors. In fact, an AI overview maintains that “a survey by Goodreads found that readers of both genders tend to rate books by women more highly than books by men.” One more hurdle to overcome, I thought, though I like the challenge.
Recently, I raised this topic at a local book club. They objected to the survey’s results until they checked out their own reading choices for the past winter. Yup, every book was written by a woman. They were genuinely surprised. And then I Googled the New York Times five best sellers for the past week. All five fiction books were written by women—all five non-fiction books by men. Male authors ignore this reality at their peril.
I spent a career conducting tours through Eastern Europe and Canada. On one train tour from Toronto to Jasper, Alberta, I approached a group of women in the dome car who were discussing their reading preferences. They were part of my tour, so I approached them and asked what they were looking for in a story. They light-heartedly confessed that they wanted a good relationship story where the main couple gets together in the end and lives happily ever after. So I replied (light-heartedly again) that they obviously prefer fiction. It was a joke, and we all knew it. But male writers who treat that plot line too frivolously should consider this reality far more seriously.
Obviously, many male authors have found exceptional success writing stories with minor, even zero, romantic themes. And those stories resonate with both sexes. One of my favorite authors, Cormac McCarthy, comes to mind. Immortal women authors like Ayn Rand have done the same. Atlas Shrugged, for instance, has two of the least likeable lovers found in any book. In my opinion, of course. One of the many reasons that I never bothered to finish reading it.
I think the main explanation as to why women prefer women authors is because the story usually evolves from a female character’s viewpoint. It’s easier to relate. One of Shakespeare’s many qualities was his ability to see the world from any character’s perspective, regardless of their gender or race. That’s one of the many reasons he’s the icon of English literature.
In Shadows From The Sun, scheduled to be released in September, gender and race play significant roles. I want every reader to find a character they can recognize and relate to. Lunara, however, the woman who has never known a sin—never left the Garden—may be more of a challenge to emulate. But in fiction, we all rejoice in hope.