Comments on: Men don’t buy books?

By: Mary McDonald

Mary McDonald — Wed, 12 May 2010 20:03:12 +0000

My dad doesn't buy many books. He doesn't need to. With 8 kids, between his birthday, Christmas and Father's Day, he has a steady supply of gift books. (and I always make sure it's something I'll like too so I can 'borrow' it a few months later. ;-))

By: Betty

Betty — Tue, 11 May 2010 23:55:28 +0000

Interesting article. I find it hard to believe as my husband is an avid reader and is always buying new books. He just came home with a copy of a book called "To Pee Or Not To Pee..." by James R. Norris. He's laughing his way through it and at the same time learning all he needs to know about his plumbing. It's pretty blunt and to the point. I agree with Fatcaster above, lets see some market research!

By: fatcaster

fatcaster — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:52:42 +0000

"Men don't buy books." Why, then, do I see men buying books at Powell's? Why do I see men buying books at truck stops? Why are as many men as women in check-out lines at Borders and B&N?

I'm a man. I buy books. The men I know buy books.

How does an industry that conducts little or no market research know that men don't buy books?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:43:44 +0000

Fiction for men is lacking. I can find a lot of great nonfiction titles, but for a guy over thirty, I don't find a lot of appealing fiction. As a guy, I'd like to read more than just thrillers. Thrillers seem to be the mainstream genre that booksellers expect guys to read, so a lot of guys at my work have gone back to the classics or old pulp. We don't always want to read Jane Austen like prose.

Unless I'm reading a fantasy novel, I don't need a huge book to read. I love short story collections since I can read a short story over lunch at work, and I love novellas, so I'm finding myself picking up old books that were shorter. I just don't have the time to read long stories due to work.

I think publishers need to do more research about what guys read, so the over thirty crowd that works 60+ hours a week has stuff to read.

By: Angela McCallister

Angela McCallister — Thu, 06 May 2010 03:33:15 +0000

As a military servicemember, my work habitat is densely populated with men, and I'd say over 80% of them read regularly and not just "junk" reading, but great literature and non-fiction. The majority of our library is pretty much directed at the male readers. One of the most requested items for care packages are books. I believe the men are being marketed to, but perhaps not in the most efficient ways.

By: Jill

Jill — Thu, 06 May 2010 02:56:56 +0000

BINGO!!! I'm totally with you on stoping use of the old excuses! Creative thinking to reach new readers must be the mantra of the day!

By: Yvonne Osborne

Yvonne Osborne — Thu, 06 May 2010 01:27:01 +0000

The men who are close to me–father, brother husband, son, brothers-in-law–read ALL the time. I think the idea that men don't read is total poppycock.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Thu, 06 May 2010 01:13:41 +0000

I'm proud to say my love of books came from my Dad, who still reads a book or two a week. That being said, my husband is not a reader (except what I force upon him) and I know few others that read on a regular basis.

By: David Jarrett

David Jarrett — Wed, 05 May 2010 22:43:11 +0000

This subject has been getting a lot of attention on literary blogs lately. From my perspective, there are many reasons for this:

1) The world has become too fast-paced and devoted to money. Reading is a pursuit that must be savored to be enjoyed, and most men (and women too for that matter) do not have the time to savor anything, either because they are too busy multi-tasking, or they are too busy worrying about whether they are going to lose their jobs and their homes in this sour economy of ours.

2) Many of today's adults were raised in the electronic age. They are used to getting their entertainment in the form of movies and video games, and their news in sound bytes from the television networks. The increase in children's and YA book popularity is encouraging, but authors must be writing books these same kids can enjoy when they become adults if they are going to continue reading.

3) Much of what I see on the bookshelves is junk. It is simply not well written. I find I do not read for pleasure nearly as much as I used to, and I have the time to do it. Somewhere along the line, fiction was split arbitrarily between "literary" and "genre". I used to read books that were not only very well written but also very entertaining and exciting. Now the well-written ones seem boring and the ones that are supposed to entertain are not really entertaining anymore, being predictable and cliche-ridden, with MCs that are not really believable. We all know these authors -- they churn out one book after another, often with the "collaboration" of others, and if you've read one of their books, you've read 'em all. Maybe that's what the public wants right now, but I hope the pendulum swings the other way soon. And don't get me started on celebrity books...

By: M Clement Hall

M Clement Hall — Wed, 05 May 2010 22:24:33 +0000

Obviously "men don't buy books" is an exaggeration, but presumably is intended to underline a point. It seems numerically more fiction books are directed at women, written by women, agented and edited by women, and although "macho" books persist, how many stories of ordinary lives are now written by men?