But WHY Don't Guys Read Novels?
Plus: New date for next Book Club meeting (June 24)!
In my novel Open Bar (coming August 12), Julia McGinnis says the following to Troy Abernathy when he overhears her discussing a novel she read:
I loved this book, but I won’t recommend it to you because guys don’t read novels.
(Troy kind of laughs off her comment, neither confirming nor disputing its accuracy.)
I thought of this line last month when I ran into a male friend who I’ve known since I was 18 years old, and he told me he was really excited for me that I wrote a second novel, and he had already pre-ordered it. (Thank you!!) He then said, in a very nice way, that he hadn’t read Final Table and would not be reading Open Bar because he doesn’t read novels, but that he purchased both because he wanted to support my writing. (Again: thank you!!)
Although I greatly appreciate the support and encouragement, I do find this continual reminder that guys don’t read novels to be perplexing and concerning. And I’m trying to figure out why this is happening. After a long history of guys being active writers and readers, why don’t they read novels anymore? And when did this start?
I asked one of my friends who’s an editor at a major publisher about this phenomenon, and she told me that publishers have conducted a lot of market research to figure this out. She described a vicious cycle in which men were hesitant to read books by female authors, so publishers started focusing more on targeting female audiences with their books and marketing, which led to less fiction that men thought was geared for them.
This may help explain the issue, but it feels like there’s a lot more to it. And my friend noted that even successful male authors, whose books might appear to be more acceptable to male readers, have recently seen a decline in sales.
So what’s the complete answer? One thing I haven’t done yet is actually ask guys who don’t read novels to tell me why that’s the case. I’ve avoided doing so because I don’t want to sound like I’m putting people on the spot or being critical, but maybe it’s time to start asking those questions.
In the meantime, I’m looking for other theories and explanations. Do you have one? Why do you think guys don’t read novels anymore?
Open Bar Info
Open Bar will be published by SparkPress and distributed by Simon & Schuster in just over two months on August 12! Based on my experience as a New York sex crimes prosecutor and a sexual misconduct investigator for educational institutions, Open Bar follows the chaotic fallout when a high-profile sexual misconduct scandal rocks a prominent university.
You can find more information and links to pre-order here and here. Kirkus Reviews calls Open Bar “A timely and absorbing novel that asks what it costs to tell the truth” and says, “Schorr’s prose is clean, fast-moving, and often laced with dark humor” (full review here). You can also listen to the first chapter of the Open Bar audiobook, narrated by Moniqua Plante.
Next Book Club Meeting
Our next Book Club meeting will be in two weeks on Tuesday, June 24 at 8pm ET, when we’ll discuss North Woods by Daniel Mason. Registration is open here. This novel is described as “A sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries—a daring, moving tale of memory and fate from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Piano Tuner and The Winter Soldier.”
Feel free to attend even if you don’t have time to read the book before then, and please pass on the info to anyone else who might be interesting in joining!
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