Men don’t read – or do they?

I’ve been reading on the internet a lot about the topic of “men don’t read”. I first listened to an interview on the Radio National’s The Book Show with Jason Pinter, an ex publisher and now author, who wrote an article for the Huffington Post in April on this topic. Jason maintains that one of the reasons that men don’t read is that publishers don’t publish books that are aimed at men. I think there is some validity here, especially in the fiction area. Most of the books I see in the bookshops do have female orientated topics, but there are a number of books and authors directed towards men. I think that the issue is: do men read literary fiction or just what is commonly called popular fiction? Certainly, someone is buying the books by Matthew Reilly, Clive Cussler, and Lee Child to name a few, as their latest books feature in the bestseller lists.

What is it about these books that appeal to men?  Matthew Reilly’s are full of action and adventure, featuring physical men with brains and they appeal enormously to the young adult males (including teenagers). For the more mature reader, there’s the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child and I can attest that the one I bought for my husband recently was consumed in a week. Quite an achievement for someone who usually reads his military non-fiction books before going to sleep. I quizzed my husband and his response was that, when he reads fiction he wants it to be an easy read as the purpose is to distract his mind from all the things that he has to think about at work. It got me thinking about the difference between men and women who are in the 35 to 50 age group. Traditionally, in the older age group, more men work full time than women, so, for them, is the purpose of reading fiction to provide escapism to balance the decision making and concentration required at work?  For women who spend their time looking after the house and the children as well as working part-time, does reading provide them with a more stimulating challenge and the books they choose reflect this?

Also, many older men (over 35) do not have the advantages that their sons have – a focus on reading and books specifically targeted at their age group when they were growing up and so, maybe, they’ve never developed the habit of reading. Our son’s are so lucky that there are so many books written specifically to engage their interest – books such as the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz, the young James Bond series by Charlie Higson, and Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines series for the fantasy enthusiast are just a small taste of what is out there. The challenge will be, can our authors produce books that appeal to the adult male reader which these younger readers will eventually become.

It has been posed that that if men don’t read, why is it that men are more often featured in literary prize short lists than women authors? I think it is due to the amount of time that is usually invested by the reader when tackling a novel of literary fiction. Writers of literary fiction (both men and women) write with a certain type of writing style: lots of character development and complex prose, often at the expense of the development and speed of the plot. Men don’t want to invest this much time. When it comes to investing time, men are more likely to pick up a non-fiction book on their favourite hobby, pass time or area of interest as this has immediate application. Women readers, on the other hand, seem happy to invest the time and the attention that is required to appreciate these books.

If you’re interested in the art behind bestsellers, there’s an interesting discussion on the ABC’s Jennifer Byrne Presents which features Matthew Reilly and Lee Child which you can watch here.

What do you think? I would be interested in your comments on what your male friends and family read.