# Does the author's gender affect your reading decisions?



## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

I've had to admit to myself recently that I'm more likely to try a new author in the crime genre if he's male. Don't get me wrong, I read female crime writers, but typically after they're highly recommended. With other genres, the author's gender seems less significant. Does author gender affect your decisions, particularly with certain genres?


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Makes no difference to me.


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## Dawn McCullough White (Feb 24, 2010)

I'm generally happy to pick up novels by anyone as long as they sound interesting, and then get them home and discover I tend to find I prefer reading stuff written by women.  Most of the time.  

Dawn


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

No difference at all.  I am mood driven by whether the main character is male or female and probably buy more female leads, but the author doesn't matter at all. (Sorry authors.  It's all about the world building and the characters...)


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## Danielleqlee (Jun 21, 2010)

Now that you mention it, yes. I definitely lean towards women's writing. Typically, women writers don't add politics into their works. Also, I love flowery writing, beautiful words that only girls would use. lol


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

In some genres, it makes no difference to me, but I seem to gravitate towards male writers in the thriller genre. How bad does that make me since I'm a female and write thrillers?


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I read both genders.  The majority of my reading is Science Fiction or Fantasy and I think I tend to read more Sci-Fi written by men and more Fantasy written buy women.  The authors gender doesn't come into my decision process but they do trend to group by genre.

On the other hand, when I read gay fiction I will select a male writer over a female writer ....


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## kansaskyle (Sep 14, 2010)

I look at the book title, cover picture, and overview of the story a lot more than I do the gender of the author when I'm evaluating a new book.  I figure if you get my interest going in those areas, I don't really care about your gender.

I cannot recall reading a story and thinking to myself, "I bet a man/woman would have written that differently".  I take whatever the author gives me in the story.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Until you asked, I never thought about it... hmm... I don't look at the author names at all usually (unless it is someone I am conciously folowing) I look at covers/titles, and blurbs. If the cover/title doesn't strike me I won't read the blurb, if the blurb doesn't strike me, I won't read the book. And I do NOT consider a blurb to be a list of review blurbs from other people.


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## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

I rarely notice if the author is male or female, I pay little attention to the author at all.  The age and gender of the MC doesn't matter much to me either.  Hadn't really thought about it before.  If something sounds interesting, I'll read it.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

The gender of the author makes absolutely no difference to me. If the book sounds interesting, I'm willing to give it a try. For that reason, I LOVE the ability to sample books on the Kindle!  (Yet another reason that I love my Kindle.)


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Doesn't matter to me at all. I'm like BTackitt - I usually pay zero attention to the author's name unless I'm following them and/or REALLY liked the book so I'm interested in finding more of their work.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

Gender makes no difference whatsoever to me. However, I am keenly attuned to who wrote the book, and I can't imagine not paying attention to the author's name when I pick something up!


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## Christopher Meeks (Aug 2, 2009)

I always thought it made no difference until I started teaching novels in a college English class about a decade ago. My list of possibilities was almost entirely male, so I made a conscious choice to teach two novels each semester, one by a male author, the other by a female. I had to figure my students, consciously or unconsciously, would gravitate toward one gender or another. My hope was that each student would leave the semester loving at least one novel--and it's worked out well. Most leave loving two novels. In this way, too, I've found many many female novelists I adore including Margaret Atwood, Janet Fitch, Sara Gruen, Laura Esquivel, Alice Sebold, and more.

For the novels that have worked best with college students, my Amazon Listmania list is here: http://www.amazon.com/lm/R1V0B2EOFDH2MA/ref=cm_pdp_lm_title_2


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Author gender is irrelevant to me, also. If a book sounds interesting, I'll at least get the sample.

Mike


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Maybe I'm being sexist but I do think it's a little weird when a guy writes books for a female target audience. That doesn't necessarily mean I won't read it, I just wonder what makes a guy go "I think I'll write a girly book". C.W. Gortner for example has written historical fictions about European queens and the bulk of his readers seem to be women. I have to wonder if he purposely goes by "C.W." so people unfamiliar with him don't realize he's male at first. I don't like his work, not because he's male but just because I think he's not a very good writer. I can't say I purposely avoid male writers but when it comes to historical fiction, I tend to favor female writers, I think because I favor HF targeted at women. I read plenty of male authors in other genres though.


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## Wisteria Clematis (Oct 29, 2008)

Yes. I am more apt to choose books by women authors.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Most of the books I have been reading recently have been by women authors, but then I read a lot of Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey, Barbara Hambly, Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon early on.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

What a good question -- my initial reaction was that it doesn't make a difference. When I think about it though, I trust a woman to do better with romances -- because men who attempt it seem, surprisingly, more treacly than women. If I want hardcore horror, I probably without realizing it lean more toward a male author.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

history_lover said:


> Maybe I'm being sexist but I do think it's a little weird when a guy writes books for a female target audience. That doesn't necessarily mean I won't read it, I just wonder what makes a guy go "I think I'll write a girly book". C.W. Gortner for example has written historical fictions about European queens and the bulk of his readers seem to be women. I have to wonder if he purposely goes by "C.W." so people unfamiliar with him don't realize he's male at first. I don't like his work, not because he's male but just because I think he's not a very good writer. I can't say I purposely avoid male writers but when it comes to historical fiction, I tend to favor female writers, I think because I favor HF targeted at women. I read plenty of male authors in other genres though.





MichelleR said:


> What a good question -- my initial reaction was that it doesn't make a difference. When I think about it though, I trust a woman to do better with romances -- because men who attempt it seem, surprisingly, more treacly than women. If I want hardcore horror, I probably without realizing it lean more toward a male author.


Just to play devil's advocate, what if a woman write a 'boyie' book for a male target audience? (are there female authors of traditionally 'male' adventure type books?)

Anyway, I know what you mean. My guilty pleasure is trashy gay novels - the romance kind as well as the humor kind. I find it odd to read a story involving a gay couple written by a woman - not that they can't, its just feels weird ... but then I would find it weird to read one written by a straight guy.

I think this be the same as with m/f romance or 'chick lit'. The other gender/other orientation doesn't necessarily have the necessary perspective to satisfy the desired man/woman man/man dynamic desired by the intended audience. To be fair, the largest audience for m/m romance is straight women and many are perfectly satisfied with a book where I find the central relationship slightly off &#8230;


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## Christopher Meeks (Aug 2, 2009)

history_lover said:


> I just wonder what makes a guy go "I think I'll write a girly book". C.W. Gortner for example has written historical fictions about European queens and the bulk of his readers seem to be women.


The bulk of all fiction readers are women--around 80% of all novels are bought by women. Hence, if you're going to write a swords-and-sandals novel, you're aiming at men who are more likely to read, Tony Blair's "A Journey" or "How to be a Billionaire."


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Geoffrey,
So funny how many women love writing m/m. It seems to be an outcropping of slash fiction. There was this one story about Giles and Spike -- never mind. I read those books and are amused by them as sheer fantasy. 

I can't think of any writers of male adventures. Don't know.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

L.J. Sellers said:


> I've had to admit to myself recently that I'm more likely to try a new author in the crime genre if he's male. Don't get me wrong, I read female crime writers, but typically after they're highly recommended. With other genres, the author's gender seems less significant. Does author gender affect your decisions, particularly with certain genres?


LJ, which male authors in the crime genre have you been reading?

Betsy


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Gender makes absolutely no difference to me. All I look at are the covers and the blurbs.


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## IUHoosier (Aug 6, 2010)

The only genre that I go strictly female with is romance, mostly because I have yet to find a decent male romance writer.  The other genres that I read are pretty even with male/female authors, so it doesn't seem to matter to me.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Geoffrey said:


> Just to play devil's advocate, what if a woman write a 'boyie' book for a male target audience? (are there female authors of traditionally 'male' adventure type books?)


I considered this but it's difficult for me to judge because I don't tend to read "boy books" - I'm not even into the types of historical fiction that appeal more to men. The only experience I have with females writing "boy books" is reading non-fiction or bios by female authors where there's a lot of military history involved. I admit, I totally fit the girlie stereotype of not being interested in military tactics and stuff - I tend to glaze over. But even a female author can't make it interesting for me so the gender doesn't matter in this case.

The genre I read which is dominated by male authors is archaeological/historical mystery/thrillers like The Da Vinci Code. I don't think I've even come across a female author in this genre so again, difficult for me to judge.


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## EllenR (Mar 31, 2009)

Not a bit. I read my favorite genres written by authors of both genders.


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## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> LJ, which male authors in the crime genre have you been reading? Betsy


The new male crime writers I've tried recently are Josh Bazell (Beat the Reaper) and Steven Hamilton (The Lock Artist), and I'm getting ready to read Stephen Schwartz (Boulevard) for the first time. My long-time favorites are Michael Connelly, John Sandford, Lawrence Sanders, and Harlan Coben.
L.J.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

L.J., your long time favorites are mine, too. But I definitely notice theauthor's gender, although it may not necessarily factor into my decision on whether or not to buy. I also read lots of urban fantasy, and although there are some good male authors in this genre, I certainly prefer the female ones with strong female characters. For mysteries, I seem to read maybe two-thirds female. I k ow vie been shocked before to find out the vague name on the cover wasn't the gender I thought at first! I always thought that was why some authors chose gender neutral pen names.


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## jackwestjr_author (Aug 19, 2010)

As a young reader, I only chose to read books by male authors. Then, a college girlfriend recommended to me The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. That was a game changer. Recently I read The Bounty by Caroline Alexander, which is on my all genre top ten list.


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## John Brinling (Jul 25, 2010)

Doesn't make any difference to me.


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## A. Rosaria (Sep 12, 2010)

It does not make any difference to me what gender a writer is. 

It just happen that the authors I read most are male, but that is because I do not know many female writers who write horror.


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## carl_h (Sep 8, 2010)

I don't pay a lot of attention to the sex of the author in making a decision.  I've enjoyed books by both male and female authors, alike.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

I cannot recall ever making a decision to read something based on gender, what I read may trend more towards male writers than female writers, not sure of the percentage, but it's entirely coincidental.


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## metal134 (Sep 2, 2010)

I can't say that it does, but I invariably end up reading way more male authors than female just because I mostly read classics and prior to the 20th (even during much OF the 20th) society was so oppresive of women that there's not nearly as many female authors from those eras.  There are still many, but the ratio is all out of whack.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

Nope, though the kind of stuff I write and read tends to be dominated by male authors, I'm a big fan of a number of females including (but not limited to) Mo Hayder, Elizabeth Massie, Anna Quindlen, Alice Sebold, etc.


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

Nope! Can't say the gender of the author ever enters my mind when I'm choosing a book.
I really don't care about the gender of the author, I'm just looking for a great read.


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## Daniel Pyle (Aug 13, 2010)

It doesn't matter to me.  I'll read anything that sounds interesting.


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## Jubercat (May 3, 2010)

I tend to prefer women authors because I find that they present, for me, a more balanced and realistic portrait of both male and female characters in their novels.  Many of the male-authored novels I have read contain female characters who seem to just be male characters wearing dresses (so to speak).  That is, their female characters think and act more like men than like women. That isn't to say that I like stereotyped characters; far from it.  I read a lot of SF and urban fantasy in which women characters can kick butt and hold their own quite nicely, thank you.  But I appreciate authors who can present the inner life of both men and women in a realistic way, and it's been my experience that a majority of female authors do a good job of both, while male authors sometimes struggle with understanding how women think and react.  I'm sure there are male readers who feel the opposite way--that female authors do not understand male characters!


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## moondog (Sep 17, 2010)

Sometimes it depends on the genre, I would sooner pick up a males sci-fi effort then a females, but in all other genres I don' t think it would matter to me.


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## Sandra Edwards (May 10, 2010)

I don't consider the author's gender so much as the blurb. If that entices me, I'll read a couple of pages and then I'll either take it, or pass ~

Sandy


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

I don't make it a conscious choice but sometimes the tone of the book tends toward one gender or the other, and sometimes I am in the mood for that genre. I know Evanovich will be cutesy and Lehane will be dark. So I guess I do have expectations going in because i usually know something about the author before i try, because I always have a reason I am reading a specific book. I don't just grab one and go "This looks interesting."

Scott


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## Holly A Hook (Sep 19, 2010)

Nope.  Mostly I just read the description on the back to see if the book is unique and might hold my interest.  Truthfully, I rarely read the author's name when I pick up a book at a bookstore.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Jubercat said:


> I tend to prefer women authors because I find that they present, for me, a more balanced and realistic portrait of both male and female characters in their novels. Many of the male-authored novels I have read contain female characters who seem to just be male characters wearing dresses (so to speak).


Just out of curiosity, are you female? I ask because your answer, in reverse, is my opinion of many women who write m/m couples where one ends up being a stereotypical Marlboro man and the other reads as a woman in a man's body ....


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Geoffrey said:


> Just out of curiosity, are you female? I ask because your answer, in reverse, is my opinion of many women who write m/m couples where one ends up being a stereotypical Marlboro man and the other reads as a woman in a man's body ....


Geoff, How about when you are not reading m/m couples? I think in those types of situations, a man writing F/F would get it wrong, just as a woman writing m/m may not get it right. But in "normal" books? what do you think?


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

BTackitt said:


> Geoff, How about when you are not reading m/m couples? I think in those types of situations, a man writing F/F would get it wrong, just as a woman writing m/m may not get it right. But in "normal" books? what do you think?


I think in regular fiction its a matter of degree. In general I think most men and women get both male and female characters right. Where I see a difference is when the conflict in the story is between love interests. Then, male authors are more likely to portray the female half as a


Spoiler



b*tch


 and female authors are more likely to portray the male as a


Spoiler



rat-b*stard


 while the character with the matching gender is often more nuanced. Now, this is less so today than in books written in generations past, but I do think many authors still write from what they know and often imperfectly step into a different gender's perspective.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

You know, I have to admit I never really thought about it. I usually don't really look at the author or a book to determine if I will like it or not, even for my favorites, I look at the description, recommendations and reviews to determine whether I will try it.

In fact, I think I have read an equal amount of books from both male and female authors in all the genres I read expect maybe paranormal. I don't think I have read anything from a male author in that genre yet. Not because of them being male, more of all the good recommendations I have seen or been given have been from books written by a female author. 

Having said that, now I think I need to seek out a male author in that genre and read them now, lol.

Anyone have any good recommendations?


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## Jubercat (May 3, 2010)

Geoffrey----I'm female.    I have always figured that some male readers might have the opposite reaction with female authors.  It makes sense.


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## libbyfh (Feb 11, 2010)

Here's the irony.

Studies say that women are responsible for close to 80% of books bought (not that they read them all; some are gifts for sons, spouses, brothers, etc). Other studies, most notably one done by Sisters in Crime, say that women will read male protagonists more readily than men will read female (at least in crime fiction).  Add to that the fact that crime fiction written by males is reviewed at least 40 % more frequenly than that written by females.... 

There's a fine kettle of fish.

Wish all you folks who say gender doesn't matter were polled.


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## JohnCStipa (Feb 19, 2010)

_"I've read some works by men in which it is clear they have a distrust/dislike of strong women."_

Interesting comment T.L. I went just the opposite in my novel. Strong female characters are the best, especially when they battle stereotypes within the story.

To answer the posted question though, I could care less about author gender. Good writing is all that matters.


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## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

There's a related and interesting article in Publishers Weekly about the dominance of women in the field of publishing, which some speculate feeds the dominance of women as readers.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/44510-where-the-boys-are-not.html


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

I read virtually 100% male authors, and in fiction, actively avoid female authors. I find I just enjoy male authors more, no real specific reason other than I prefer male protagonists in the type of actiony fiction I read, and I think men write men better. I will read female authors in non-fiction, though precious few do military or economic history. Plus, given the wealth of fiction out there, I have to limit my choices somehow, and author gender is one of the arbritary systems I use.


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## Shandril19 (Aug 18, 2009)

I don't actively favor one gender or another, but my reading is HEAVILY slanted towards female authors.  I think this is largely because I do prefer female protagonists and because I read a lot of historical fiction, which seems to have a higher female author %.  In my contemporary fiction reading, I think it's more balanced.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Good question.

I think the answer has changed for me over the years.

When I was very young, female authors like Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume were favorites.

As I grew older and my tastes shifted to SciFi, I don't remember there being many female authors working in that genre at the time (mid-to-late 70s).

Then I got into horror and Stephen King became my steady diet. Not many female authors in that genre, either, in the early 80s. I also added some John Irving into the mix, even though he was pure literary and not a genre writer at all.

But I also read a ton of teen fiction, and there were a lot of female authors there. But I gravitated to Chistopher Pike's thrillers, in large part.

Then I turned to fantasy and my favorite writers were Terry Brooks (Landover novels only) and Piers Anthony.

I went away from reading fiction steadily as prices went up in the 90s. Became more author-oriented and even (gasp) read a lot of political writers, mostly from the right wing.

When I finally decided to favor paperbacks over hardcovers, I discovered James Patterson and became enthralled with "hunt down a serial killer" style thrillers. The groundwork for that was laid when I read some of Thomas Harris' novels BEFORE Silence of the Lambs was released as a movie.

As a result, I also got hooked on true crime books for quite some time. Some Max Allen Collins novels that had a true-crime feel.

But there was at least on prolific writer in that genre, Ann Rule.

Shortly after getting married, my wife and I discovered Charlaine Harris, which brought me back to mysteries (I had gone through a brief Gregory McDonald/FLETCH phase, as well as a longer Robert B. Parker/SPENSER phase).

I don't think it has really been me choosing a lot of male authors constantly. I think there's just a lot more female authors active in the genres I am infatuated with at any given moment.

But as I page through my Kindle, with the flood of indie authors now on the market, I realize that a lot of my "to be read soon" list are books by female authors:

Charlaine Harris (not an indie)
L.J. Sellers
Amanda Hocking
Victorine Lieske
Laura Lippman
Faye Kellerman (not an indie)
Angie Fox
Shelley Freydont
Kate Atkinson
Leslie Meier
Lynda Hillburn
Lisa Turner
Danielle Lee
Rachel Lee
Jennifer Stanley
Chelsea Cain
Tonya Plank
Imogen Rose
Lisa Unger
Mary Hughes

...and more, as I find them. My list of male authors is almost as long.

But I really have no gender preference based on genre. So long as something's well-written and an interesting idea... I'll try out anyone.


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2010)

Naw, a good story is a good story regardless of who wrote it.


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## CJ West (Feb 24, 2010)

LJ,

When I read Meg Gardiner this year I was really surprised by how gritty and action packed The Dirty Secrets Club was. I guess when I think of a gritty, action-oriented book, I think of male writers. She disproves the stereotype as do you.

CJ


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## strawhatbrat (Aug 20, 2010)

No. I don't pay attention to the authors sex.


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2010)

Speaking of paying attention to an author's gender... I was totally embarassed when I discovered Archer/CS Marks is a *girl!*
I'd been chatting with her for near a year on amazon discussions...


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

Oh no! Did she give you girl cooties?


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Has anyone assumed the protagonist is the same gender as the author, until suddenly you find he/she is the opposite? Maybe it's just me, but I find it helpful if, when writing about the other gender, the author mentions it right away.

There is a history of women writing with male names or just initials because the publisher thought a book with a female name on it wouldn't sell. I hope that is not done any more, but I can't be sure. On the other hand, when a man writes a traditionally female genre like romance it's probably because there is a big market for it.


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## lorezskyline (Apr 19, 2010)

It doesn't tend to bother me either way but looking at my book collection it seems to be male dominated but it wasn't intentional.  I just tend to read the description and if it sounds fun go for it.


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## Nicolas (Apr 25, 2010)

I usually don't pay attention to an author's gender. However, now as you mention it, my bookshelf is male-dominated to a great degree. As I recall, my biggest disappointments were related to female authors (like Hertha Müller) and my most beloved books are exclusively written by males. My Amazon wish-list is entirely populated my male authors (their books, of course ).


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## MrPLD (Sep 23, 2010)

R. Reed said:


> There is a history of women writing with male names or just initials because the publisher thought a book with a female name on it wouldn't sell. I hope that is not done any more, but I can't be sure. On the other hand, when a man writes a traditionally female genre like romance it's probably because there is a big market for it.


Sadly the obscuring of the gender is still something that's pondered a lot. I know for new markets we often reduce back down to "E.F.Daniels", though to be fair for the book we're pushing at the moment it'd be more gainful to have the reader know outright that the author is female to avoid potential readers misconstruing things like the synopsis.

Paul.


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## Talia Jager (Sep 22, 2010)

The author's gender doesn't make a difference to me. However, looking at the books I read, I'd say 70% are written by a woman.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Certainly not. It's the book itself, and whether the story and the subject appeal to me. The quality of writing turns me on. I admire Joan Didion's writing, for example, she writes better than most men. I find Henry James difficult and tiring, on the other hand. Just to give two examples.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Hi,
I must add: Zadie Smith, who wrote WHITE TEETH. She is such a wonderful writer, it doesn't matter if she's a man, a woman, or a hermaphrodite--it is so irrelevant. Someone recommended it to me. Really, what catches me is the energy of the language.


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## Lee (Nov 7, 2008)

Geoffrey said:


> Anyway, I know what you mean. My guilty pleasure is trashy gay novels - the romance kind as well as the humor kind. I find it odd to read a story involving a gay couple written by a woman - not that they can't, its just feels weird ... but then I would find it weird to read one written by a straight guy.


I completely agree. Some of my favorite authors are women, but when I'm reading gay male fiction, I'd rather read male authors. I'm not interested in reading gay male fiction written by and for straight women. Nothing against it, it's just not what I'm interested in reading.

Geoffrey, do you have any recommendations for trashy gay novels? I'm reading a Josh Lanyon book ("Fair Game"), I don't know if it qualifies as trashy, but I'm liking it a lot. I'll definitely be reading more by him. Who else would you recommend?


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## DLs Niece (Apr 12, 2010)

I would honestly like to say that gender does not matter to me but when I look at my book shelf... well i seem to own book written by 92% male authors.  I think it's just the subject matter, that appeals more to male authors, that I enjoy.


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## Rainha (Sep 20, 2010)

I've never actively picked a book based on the authot's gender, and I don't usually pay attention to it (if a title or cover catches my eye, I use the first sentence test to decide whether to read it.  It's served me well, to the point that I don't even read the blurb every time now).  Thinking about my reading habits, though, I do tend to favor men.  I'm guessing that I just prefer the type of books that men tend to write, like horror, dark comedy, classic sci-fi, and random literary fiction.  There are a few female authors that I absolutely love, but they also tend to write outside of the expected subjects.  I think that women turn up on my bookshelf most often with kids and young adult books, especially classics like the Little House books.


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## Music &amp; Mayhem (Jun 15, 2010)

I agree with the folks who say they choose books because of their type. I do too and until fairly recently most of them were written by men, because I read a lot of gritty crime fiction. But now there are quite a few women who excel in the field as well. I'm talking Lisa Gardner and Patricia Cornwell and Val MacDermid, not women who write the so-called romantic suspense, which seem to be mostly romance with a bit of suspense thrown in.

Greg Herron writes terrific gay mysteries set in New Orleans. http://www.amazon.com/Vieux-Carre-Voodoo-Scotty-Bradley/dp/1602821526/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285633651&sr=1-1


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## Lee (Nov 7, 2008)

Music & Mayhem said:


> Greg Herron writes terrific gay mysteries set in New Orleans.


But not available on Kindle.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

I try to support women professionals in most decisions, but I have to admit I stay away from most "chick lit".  I find most of it dysfunctional.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

This is a great question!

I hadn't thought much about it, but I do tend to gravitate to women writers.  I wonder if it's because I do really like some kind of romantic sub-plot, and I think I feel like women do this a tiny bit better.  But that doesn't mean I don't read novels written by males.  But looking at what I've been reading lately, I must admit I have been reading a lot of female authors.

Really interesting.

Vicki


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## Jason G. Anderson (Sep 29, 2010)

I don't think I've ever picked (or not picked) a book based on the gender of the author - to be honest I tend to ignore the authors name, and just focus on whether the description of the book sounds interesting   I probably prefer a male main character though - just a bit easier to relate to I guess.

Jason


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## Music &amp; Mayhem (Jun 15, 2010)

Lee said:


> But not available on Kindle.


You know, I didn't notice that, but you're right. You can always do the "tell the publisher you want to read it on Kindle" thing. yeah, I know. It probably wouldn't get you one very fast. Sorry


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## Lee (Nov 7, 2008)

It would be interesting to know what effect if any that "tell the publisher" thing is having. Do those emails just go into a black hole?  Are we just being pacified?  I'm so suspicious, LOL!


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## cegrundler (Aug 16, 2010)

The majority of the authors I read are male and while it's not deliberate or intentional it ties in part to my warped personality. I've grown up on the water or under a hood; I'm very technically and mechanically oriented. I prefer hard-boiled over cozy, I like some humor but my tolerance for chick-lit is painfully low. I grew up reading the likes of John D. MacDonald and Donald Westlake and it seems most of the subjects I enjoy are written by men. Still, the more I read these forums, the more my library seems to be equalizing.

I'll admit while I'm open to any author, if the writing gets too flowery or too involved in wardrobe descriptions I find something else to read. If I read of characters putting things into the back seat of a Dodge Viper, (and I have) that's where I stop. I've also read a male author write of characters working on the carburetor on a diesel truck. That same author went on to describe several more mechanical impossibilities, and that was the last I read from him. No author can no everything, but please, research! 

I've gone by C.E. long before I began writing. There are photos of me on my author pages, but it gives me a giggle every time I receive emails from readers addressed to 'Mr. Grundler'.


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## Maker (Jun 22, 2010)

Doesn't matter at all to me -- I don't even think about it. My only bias when it comes to book is genre. I think some male authors and female authors land in the same category, say Jennifer Weiner and Nicholas Sparks or Patricia Cornwell and the dozens of other male authors who do what she does so well. What was my point again?


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## harpwriter (Sep 28, 2010)

I'm pretty happy with either.


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## robins777 (Aug 10, 2010)

I never look at gender of the author when I buy a book but on checking my shelves of DTB I find that its about even male/female authors. 

Some of my female DTB authors

Anne McCaffrey
Charlaine Harris
Christine Feehan
C. J. Cherryh
Elizabeth Moon
Jody Lynn Nye
Kathryn Cramer
Kelley Armstrong
Keri Arthur
Kim Harrison
L J Smith
L K Hamilton
Mary Janice Davidson
Rachel Vincent
Tanya Huff
Tricia Sullivan

Ebooks read since getting my kindle have been mainly female as the type of book I read seems to attract more female authors than male.

Dakota Cassidy
Kelly Armstrong
L J Sellers
Nancy Collins
Richelle Mead
Rhinnon Frater
Susan Bischoff


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## tsilver (Aug 9, 2010)

No.  The title grabs my interest first; then I read the blurbs; finally I leaf through the book to see how the dialog is handled.  Some authors have a difficult time writing dialog for the opposite sex and it spoils my pleasure in the story if the man speaks more like a woman or a woman speaks more like a man.  It keeps me from getting completely into the story if I'm constantly thinking "a man wouldn't say or think that" or "that doesn't sound like a woman talking."

Terry


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## jonconnington (Mar 20, 2010)

I'd like to say now...but in truth it would depend on the genre. In science fiction and fantasy there is a tendency among some readers to take gender into account, in part perhaps because certain sub-genres within the same tend to follow the same. Epic fantasy tends to be male dominated (though that is certainly staring to change...Sara Duncan shows real talent) urban fantasy and paranormal romance tends more towards female writers. Though in the end, the ability of the author trumps all else, or at least it should.


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## LDS (Aug 4, 2010)

Mm...this is one of those things I try to ignore in myself...gender inequity in choosing authors. I'm definately guilty though, with my own preconceived notions of which gender is better for a given genre. That's why I think all authors need to adopt gender-neutral first names, like Pat, or De'Quan (I call dibs on the latter one...time to revise my cover).


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

I tend to be attracted to male writers.  Don't know why.  I made a point of reading Toni Morrison's Beloved howerver, because I felt guilty.  (Because I have a fair number of female readers who have been very supportive.)  I want to delve into this more later... (here comes the boss.)


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## cegrundler (Aug 16, 2010)

I know firsthand that readers make assumptions as to an author's gender based on a book's genre and subject matter. I've received many letters and emails addressed to 'Mr. Grundler'. The most amusing one came from an agent who informed me in reference to my female protagonist that as a male writer, I clearly didn't understand the way a woman thinks and acts.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

cegrundler said:


> I know firsthand that readers make assumptions as to an author's gender based on a book's genre and subject matter. I've received many letters and emails addressed to 'Mr. Grundler'. The most amusing one came from an agent who informed me in reference to my female protagonist that as a male writer, I clearly didn't understand the way a woman thinks and acts.


See: how can we men hope to understand women when even women don't understand them?


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

Such an interesting question. Like so many others, I'd never thought about it. I don't think I've ever chosen to read or avoided any book based on the author's gender. I don't pay much attention to that. 

But, as I look at my books, they're easily 80%+ by male authors and, by far, most have a male protagonist.

Veddy interestink.


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## Julia (Jul 30, 2010)

It's not even a consideration.

Monique, I loved your book!   Any hope for a sequel and another adventure for the Professor and Miss Cross?


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

Julia said:


> It's not even a consideration.
> 
> Monique, I loved your book!  Any hope for a sequel and another adventure for the Professor and Miss Cross?


Wow, thank you, Julia!

There is a sequel (or two) in the works. I'm so thrilled you enjoyed it.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

FWIW, I would say that the author's gender has a minimal, but non-zero effect for me. If I'm looking at a possible book to read, and I see what appears to be a female author's name, I'll probably look somewhat more closely at reviews and blurbs to make sure I'm not getting into some sort of romance genre story disguised as a heroic fantasy novel or a chick-lit sci-fi novel that will not interest me. (No offense intended to those who like that sort of thing, but my tastes run elsewhere.) But I don't ignore titles simply because of gender, and certainly some of my favorite fantasy and sci-fi books (my usual genres) have been by female authors (and probably a few I thought were male authors, e.g. Andre [Alice] Norton).


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