More Women than Men Reading SFF (in the US, at least)

[Teresa Edgerton]

According to recent promotional materials HarperCollins US is sending out to bookstores, "Women make up over half the science fiction/fantasy reading audience these days and are looking for more books to read."

Now admitting that promotional materials are not entirely to be trusted, why would they say this if it wasn't true and they'd have to turn around and reverse themselves when promoting books aimed at male readers to the very same bookstores?

Of course we get a very different impression in online communities like this one -- but online communities aren't the whole world, might (possibly) attract more males than females, and anyway, a lot of the time we don't even know the gender of the people we're exchanging views with.

So assuming that the statement is true (at least for the US), does anyone have any ideas how this has come about? Is it just in epic fantasy that male readers predominate? Is it that more and more books include a significant element of romance?

 

[Pyan]

Hmm...I wonder what the respective M/F ratios would be if you separated the two sub-genres? I've always had the impression that SF has more male than female readers, and Fantasy has vice-versa.

 

[Tansy]

they reckon younger females show more intelligence so maybe they get into sff early


joking btw

 

[Khale]

Well, not in my household. My wife looks at me like I have a third eye whenever I tell her the plot of the books I am reading (especially the Malazan series!).

 

[D_Davis]

Do they have the breakdown of SF compared with Fantasy?

I usually take my makeshift polls on the bus ride home, as it is frequently filled with readers (tons of readers in Seattle).

If someone is reading a typical fantasy (let's define that as something with a dragon/elf/fairy/wizard or something like this on the cover) it is usually a woman.

However, the SF I see being read on the bus (which is usually a Star Wars novel - which, in all honesty, is actually a fantasy, but whatever), it is almost always being read by a dude.

For the first time in years, I actually saw a guy reading a Philip K. Dick book on the bus. It was awesome. I felt like I should go and talk to him, but I didn't.

The first time I see someone reading Theodore Sturgeon in public I am totally going to befriend them!



I've read statistics before that state the vast majority of all fiction in the US is read by woman. Historically this was true because of traditional gender roles: woman stayed at home more and were able to read more for pleasure. Lucky.

But now, with more and more woman working outside of the home, who knows?

I do know that, reader for reader, I see far more women reading fiction in public than I do men.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Yes, I believe it's still true that women read more than men, and I do know that in the US Romance continues to outsell by far any other genre.

I wonder if the number of female SFF readers is being expanded much by the success of Luna -- Harlequin's SF and Fantasy imprint which is pretty well established by now. And even though most of the discussion on SFF sites centers around male authors who write mostly about male characters, perhaps women writers like Jacqueline Carey and Elizabeth Haydon, who get little attention here, rack up the sales via word-of-mouth on Romance bulletin boards and other such venues.

 

[clovis-man]

For a completely scientific analysis , I'll share my experience selling books at my local Friends of the Library bookstore. I find the people browsing through the SF & F section about equally divided between men and women. But when the women want something, they are very single-minded about getting it. A pair of ladies asked me about finding something that wasn't too "racy". I sold them the Murray Leinster Med Service anthology. Other women have come in and bought almost every copy of what I had by a specific author, e.g., Dean Koontz, Terry Brooks. Men don't seem to do that.

OTOH, the women definitely seem to dominate the sales of mysteries. For example, my wife has read everything by Nevada Barr, Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich. She's now just waiting for them to write a new one. I do the same with a couple of SF authors, but not as rigorously. I was actually shocked to see a guy reading a Janet Evanovich novel in LA International yesterday. These authors literally fly off the shelves at the bookstore into the hands of female customers.

I'd say that women are dedicated and men are desultory, if I had to characterize. Forget the Mars and Venus thing.

 

[D_Davis]

When I find an author I like, I buy EVERYTHING I can get my hands on, even multiple versions of the same novel. This is part of the reason why, while I have been reading SF for a long time, I've only experience a small fraction of authors. I tend to read everything I can by only a small number of authors.

 

[Durandal]

I think the key point to keep in mind is that the subgenres of urban/suburban fantasy and paranormal romance are included in the SF/F world -- at least as far as the big booksellers are concerned.

Just look at the current SF/F bestseller list from Amazon:

Amazon.com Books Bestsellers: The most popular items in Science Fiction & Fantasy. Updated hourly.

Page through it for the top 100 or so. Once you weed out the gaming books and graphic novels, what you're left with are a smattering of old classics, a smattering of "crossover" authors (like Cormac McCarthy and Michael Chabon) a few big pre-orders for books that aren't out yet -- and a whole lot of Laurell Hamilton, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Patricia Briggs, etc.

And walk into a smaller chain bookstore -- not a huge, big-box Barnes & Noble, but something like a Borders Express, where the shelf space is limited but they've still got to cater to the masses. You'll find the shelves are packed with "Anita Blake" books and the like.

I would not find it at all difficult to believe that books of those subgenres (especially the sort of "goth-erotica" of Hamilton) are making up a truly massive chunk of the total sales of the SF/F genre.

Also, bear in mind that there's an upsurge in SF/F in young-adult lit lately -- and girls are more likely than boys to be young readers.

 

[D_Davis]

^ You just nailed it.

There are four women at my office who are always, always reading a book and it is almost always something to do with a vamp.

I never knew so many vamp books existed!

I coerced one of them into reading Sturgeon's Some of Your Blood, and she said it was weird.

 

[Prefx]

Fantasy has diverged out in the past 40 years. I think if we're taking a look at epics, the gender line would still follow the predominant assumption of males. Not exclusively so, mind you. I can attest to seeing women engaged with mysteries and vampires - my mother being one of them.

At one moment in my life I found a student girl reading A Song of Ice and Fire. That in itself was enough to make my day.

 

[Anomander]

Wow. I hang around predominantly with the Goth/metal crowd, and the shop I get most of my literature from specialises in alternative literature. I do see a reasonable number of women when I go there (and I tend to hang around the place for at least an hour whenever I go there), but the majority of the clientelle are men. I must add that the shop also sells comics and caters to the manga/anime crowd, but even the book section where I hang out still has a majority male crowd. Unless of course all the women hide when I get in. Or perhaps the UK has a completely different set up.

 

[BookStop]

Ack - i just had a beautifullu eloquent reply here, but windows decided my computer need to shut down for updates - stupid vista!

A huge part of the sff genre is actually romance, therefore, women read more than sff than men.

I, myself, read lots of sff, and never romance, but I'm probably and odd duck.

And, finally, straight science fiction is probably read more by men for some reason as i don't recall many romance sf books sitting on the shelves.

My original post was more flowery, but this sums it up.

 

[Connavar]

For a completely scientific analysis , I'll share my experience selling books at my local Friends of the Library bookstore. I find the people browsing through the SF & F section about equally divided between men and women. But when the women want something, they are very single-minded about getting it. A pair of ladies asked me about finding something that wasn't too "racy". I sold them the Murray Leinster Med Service anthology. Other women have come in and bought almost every copy of what I had by a specific author, e.g., Dean Koontz, Terry Brooks. Men don't seem to do that.

OTOH, the women definitely seem to dominate the sales of mysteries. For example, my wife has read everything by Nevada Barr, Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich. She's now just waiting for them to write a new one. I do the same with a couple of SF authors, but not as rigorously. I was actually shocked to see a guy reading a Janet Evanovich novel in LA International yesterday. These authors literally fly off the shelves at the bookstore into the hands of female customers.

I'd say that women are dedicated and men are desultory, if I had to characterize. Forget the Mars and Venus thing.

You are very right about women dominating sales of mystery genre.

I lost count of how many young and older women that come and bought paperback mysteries. Not only female mystery writers but everything on the shelf that was mystery. British and american crime.

I saw too they dont think highly of police procedueral, it was alot detective more old school mystery. Cosy mysteries.

I tried to sell Ian Rankin,Michael Connally,Ed Macbain etc not as easy to sell.

Maybe those guys are easier for male crime fans like me who liked more hardboiled,darker stories.

Also i dont think Sue Grafton is for females mostly. I try to read any famous crime writer no matter the gencer. Sure Evanovich sound too much like mystery for women but Grafton was more PI series that sell to fans like me.

 

[kcs_hiker]

For a completely scientific analysis , I'll share my experience selling books at my local Friends of the Library bookstore. I find the people browsing through the SF & F section about equally divided between men and women. But when the women want something, they are very single-minded about getting it. A pair of ladies asked me about finding something that wasn't too "racy". I sold them the Murray Leinster Med Service anthology. Other women have come in and bought almost every copy of what I had by a specific author, e.g., Dean Koontz, Terry Brooks. Men don't seem to do that.

OTOH, the women definitely seem to dominate the sales of mysteries. For example, my wife has read everything by Nevada Barr, Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich. She's now just waiting for them to write a new one. I do the same with a couple of SF authors, but not as rigorously. I was actually shocked to see a guy reading a Janet Evanovich novel in LA International yesterday. These authors literally fly off the shelves at the bookstore into the hands of female customers.

I'd say that women are dedicated and men are desultory, if I had to characterize. Forget the Mars and Venus thing.

I've read everything by Barr, Evanovich and Grafton. I've also read Elizabeth Peters, J.A. Jance, Jaqueline Winspear, and Andrew McCall Smith.

I find women authors/characters fascinating. And I'm not gay.

I enjoy L.A. Meyers, Stephanie Meyer, Tamora Pierce, Mercedes Lackey...

and yet I list RAH's Starship Troopers as one of my all time favorites.

just goes to show...

 

[murphy]

Well, not in my household. My wife looks at me like I have a third eye whenever I tell her the plot of the books I am reading (especially the Malazan series!).

It was the other way around at my house. My husband looked at me and shook his head. Maybe that's why I'm now happily single.

For a completely scientific analysis , I'll share my experience selling books at my local Friends of the Library bookstore. I find the people browsing through the SF & F section about equally divided between men and women. But when the women want something, they are very single-minded about getting it. A pair of ladies asked me about finding something that wasn't too "racy". I sold them the Murray Leinster Med Service anthology. Other women have come in and bought almost every copy of what I had by a specific author, e.g., Dean Koontz, Terry Brooks. Men don't seem to do that.

OTOH, the women definitely seem to dominate the sales of mysteries. For example, my wife has read everything by Nevada Barr, Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich. She's now just waiting for them to write a new one. I do the same with a couple of SF authors, but not as rigorously. I was actually shocked to see a guy reading a Janet Evanovich novel in LA International yesterday. These authors literally fly off the shelves at the bookstore into the hands of female customers.

I'd say that women are dedicated and men are desultory, if I had to characterize. Forget the Mars and Venus thing.

Janet Evanovich is very, very funny; especially her Stephanie Plum books. Totally improbable situations that make me laugh so hard I almost fall off the couch. Very good reading when you are looking for a change from grim and gruesome.

 

[clovis-man]

Janet Evanovich is very, very funny; especially her Stephanie Plum books. Totally improbable situations that make me laugh so hard I almost fall off the couch. Very good reading when you are looking for a change from grim and gruesome.

You're right about that. I can always tell when my wife is reading a new Evanovich. Our house will echo with raucous laughter until she is finished.

 

[j d worthington]

When I find an author I like, I buy EVERYTHING I can get my hands on, even multiple versions of the same novel. This is part of the reason why, while I have been reading SF for a long time, I've only experience a small fraction of authors. I tend to read everything I can by only a small number of authors.

While I'm not quite like that, it's close. I vary somewhat. If it's a writer that I like, I'll pick up whatever I can find, but I don't necessarily go to a great deal of trouble. If it's a writer I like somewhat, but not quite to that degree, than I'll sample a few and see if the liking improves or stays the same; in which latter case, I'll gradually pick up more and more when the opportunity arises and if there's not something more urgent (in the realm of books) requiring my attention. If it's a writer who hits an especially strong chord with me, then I'll go for broke -- fiction, non-fiction, duplicates, laundry lists (where available)... Okay, I kid on that last... in most cases (though when it comes to HPL.....)

 

[Parson]

Janet Evanovich is very, very funny; especially her Stephanie Plum books. Totally improbable situations that make me laugh so hard I almost fall off the couch. Very good reading when you are looking for a change from grim and gruesome.

I buy SF books, (because our local library carries little outside {shudder} Star Wars and Star Trek series. But I borrow books that help me laugh and I am not in the mood for any more reading like "Revelation Space." Therefore, I have read a number of Janet Evanovich "Stephanie Plum" books and occaisionally laugh out loud. I am amazed there has never been a "Stephanie Plum" movie. I am currently reading "Hard Eight" and I believe I am a guy having both wife and kids of my own.

I am sure that women in our library and the local Barnes and Nobles (an hour a away!) outnumber men. In the SF section it might be a bit closer, but even the hard SF lookers are predominately women.

 

[clovis-man]

While I'm not quite like that, it's close. I vary somewhat. If it's a writer that I like, I'll pick up whatever I can find, but I don't necessarily go to a great deal of trouble. If it's a writer I like somewhat, but not quite to that degree, than I'll sample a few and see if the liking improves or stays the same; in which latter case, I'll gradually pick up more and more when the opportunity arises and if there's not something more urgent (in the realm of books) requiring my attention. If it's a writer who hits an especially strong chord with me, then I'll go for broke -- fiction, non-fiction, duplicates, laundry lists (where available)... Okay, I kid on that last... in most cases (though when it comes to HPL.....)

Hmmm. Okay, I'll let you carve out your own identity on this criterion.

But, apropos of my earlier point regarding the dedicated nature of female loyalty to an author: I had a bookstore customer come in today to tell me how I had gotten her hooked on the Lian Hearn/Gillian Rubinstein Tales of the Otori and that now she had to have them all. Since we don't have the newest, I referred her to internet sources (or her local retail bookseller, of course). Another young woman with pre-schoolers in tow scooped up virtually all of the duplicate Stephen King I had. She said it was for her husband, but methinks she dost protest too much.