Where Are All the Boys?
Recently the site Reading Group Guides very kindly did a giveaway of 100 copies of the galley of A GOOD AMERICAN. They published the list of winners, and this list gave me real pause for thought.
Of the 100 winners, two were men.
Put another way (showing off my maths skillz here), 98% of the winners were women (unless there are a whole bunch of dudes out there called Amy.) Now, I realize that the fact that the galley contest was run on a website devoted to reading groups may have skewed the numbers a little, since guys apparently don't go in for that sort of thing much (although I would like to know why not.) But 98%? Really?
All of which leads to the obvious question: where the hell are all the boys?
Now, the idea that women read more than men isn't exactly news. When I mentioned this to a friend yesterday, she sent me this very interesting NPR article (a couple of years old now) which discussed some of the possible reasons why women read more than men, and suggests that men constitute as little as 20% of the fiction market.
The fact that there is a website dedicated to posting pictures of men reading books tells you what a rare breed male readers have apparently become. It's all a bit depressing.
There's plenty of evidence of the phenomenon closer to home, too. Of all the people good enough to write a pre-publication review of A GOOD AMERICAN on the goodreads site, only one has been a man. And yes, almost all of the people who have put the book on their "to be read" list are women. I also realized, thinking about all this, that in the past several months, precisely two men have posted comments on this blog. (Thank you, Terry and Christopher.) Does this mean that no men read this blog? Well, I don't think so. I think they just choose not to comment. Which is fine, although I'm curious as to why that is. Now, I realize that asking readers to post a comment on a blog explaining why they don't post comments on blogs would appear to be an exercise in futility, so instead I shall make this simple plea: if you're a bloke, and you're reading this, please wave at the rest of us from the comment box. Are you there? Or just shy?
And if anyone else has any theories about why men appear to be so reluctant to read novels, please do share. (I'm skeptical about the "mirror neurons" theory in the NPR piece.) Have you experienced or witnessed a similar gender divide?
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Ken from MIBA here. I guess I'm not surprised about your male/female numbers for the giveaway. Yes, the fact that you offered it on readinggroupguides.com definitely plays in the equation.
My in store reading group has three men (including me) and usually 11 women. I doubt that those numbers would change even if we read a macho author like W E B Griffin or Tom Clancy.
Most of our registered reading groups are comprised of ladies. I seem to remember a couples group several years ago, but I don't think it still exists.
I think you take a risk when you're part of a reading group. You have to read a book that you might not care about. You have to show up at the discussion and talk about that tome you'd rather hurl at the wall. But then there are the books that you really enjoy...that you would never have been introduced to if it wasn't for the suggestion from the group. You have to be brave, loyal, steadfast and true. Oh, sorry, I think that's Boy Scout lingo.
Anyway, women seem to be more willing to take a chance on a book. At least I think that's true most of the time. Maybe a lot of men want a sure thing. They don't have time to experiment. Oh, gee, I'm sounding awfully sexist. Sorry! But I definitely feel all of that factors into the equation.
You certainly can't classify me as a man who would rather read non-fiction. Not that there isn't a lot of fascinating true stories told these days. (Unbroken, Steve Jobs, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, for example.) But I love fiction. No doubt about that. You really have to drag me kicking and screaming into the non-fiction realm. Give me great plot, characters and dialogue and I'm hooked.
And I'm willing to request advance reader's copies that I don't know much about. Yes, as a professional bookseller, it's my job to read those books so I can sell them to customers. But finding a wonderful galley is like a dream come true.
And when I'm browsing in a library or a bookstore (on my days off) I don't go to one particular author I've enjoyed in the past. I really browse. I let the books speak to me through their dust jackets.
Hope all is well with you. The countdown to A GOOD AMERICAN is getting closer.
Take care!
Ken
Interesting point about men being risk-averse, Ken. I think you're probably right. Hadn't thought about it in those terms. As a logical extension of that, do you think it's fair to say that most men are less willing to stray outside their comfort zone? (I know we're dealing with sweeping generalizations here.)Yes, countdown to February ticks ever onward. Exciting times, that's for sure!
Erika - thanks for your comment. Given your husband's culinary expertise, I'll be interested (perhaps that should be apprehensive) to see what he makes of my rather dubious forays into the world of Louisiana cuisine!
Alex wrote: "Interesting point about men being risk-averse, Ken. I think you're probably right. Hadn't thought about it in those terms. As a logical extension of that, do you think it's fair to say that most..."Not to worry, Alex--I suspect your foray is mighty authentic--and after all, everyone knows there are as many ways to make gumbo (among other NO traditional dishes) as there are New Orleanians!
My husband reads mostly non-fiction (science-based, but not always)--but I am quite certain he'd be a reader of A GOOD AMERICAN. For the New Orleans connection, among other things.
We'll find out when it arrives here and I may discover myself having to make some sort of deal to get to read it first!