Is THIS the reason more girls read than boys?

I read an interesting article yesterday. I'm always trying to find information on the whole 'Why Boys Don't Read' thing.

First, the author of this story states some facts about the sexes. For example: the percentage of boys proficient in reading is now more than ten points below that of girls.

But here is the 'real' question: Everyone agrees that if boys don't read well, it's because they don't read enough. But why don't they read?

There are several different views about this. As I've heard before, boys are bored by the books they're assigned to read in school. To try and reslove this, publishers pander to what they think the boys will find interesting - "bodily functions and gross-out humor." The article goes on to mention many different publishers and books that are doing just that.

The writer disagrees with that philosophy. He says by lowering the standards of literature, we're creating "a generation of barbarians and morons rather than raising the sort of men who make good husbands, fathers and professionals." I can't say I agree with that completely.

Does getting boys to read about farts and boogers really solve the problem? In my opinion, "No!" I think it might help to get boys reading, but it won't sustain them for long. It's not THE solution.

The author of the article reveals: "The appearance of the boy-girl literacy gap happens to coincide with the proliferation of video games and other electronic forms of entertainment over the last decade or two. Boys spend far more time "plugged in" than girls do. A boy deprived of electronic stimulation might even become desperate enough to read Jane Austen."

Is it really that simple? Do boys read less because of video games? I'm guessing that's a part of it, but not for every boy. Even though video games were in their infancy when I was a teenager, I still played them a lot. But I also read books, too. Just because a boy plays video games doesn't mean he's going to grow up to be a bad person. Not at all.

The reason/cure for boys reading less than girls is multifarious (how about that word!)... there are more layers to it than just video games. The lack of exciting/funny/fantastical books is another layer. Seems boys had no problem putting the video controller down to read HARRY POTTER. If you write it... they will read.

And I hope, someday, to help narrow the gap between girls and boys with my own words.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704271804575405511702112290.html

Men, Boys and Books - What is the Truth?

Since I posted last Friday regarding the Publishing House that only accepts 'series for girls', I've found a few other articles and blogs on the topic of Men, Boys and Books.

Here are a few interesting takes on the topic.

Publishers Weekly-Where-The-Boys-Are-Not

Pubrants, Kristin Nelson - Publishing Is Where Boys Are Not

Huffington Post, Jason Pinter - Why-Men-Dont-Read

NPR - Why Women Read More Than Men

So, basically, these all state that... 

1.) There are more women working in publishing than men. Approximately 75% women to 25% men. (I have no issues with this at all.)

But some people are stating that generates more books for women which leads to...

2.). Women read more than men.

In his Huffington Post article, Jason Pinter states: Men read. Tons of them do. But they are not marketed to, not targeted, and often totally dismissed. Later on he says: Publish more books for men and boys. Trust editors who try to buy these books, and work on the marketing campaigns to hit those audiences. The readers are there, waiting, eager just under the surface. And I promise, if publishing makes an effort to tap it, they'll come out in droves.

I bolded that piece of text because that would surely help me in my quest for publication. Yeah... the bottomline is it's all about ME!!!

However, Ian McEwan wrote in The Guardian newspaper: "When women stop reading, the novel will be dead."

And, as a male author who writes YA fiction geared toward boys, this next statistic frightens me: When it comes to fiction, the gender gap is at its widest. Men account for only 20 percent of the fiction market, according to surveys conducted in the U.S., Canada and Britain.

In the NPR article linked to above, there's a theory that men/boys can sit still long enough to read a book. I hope that's not true. Look at movies. I would suspect that just as many men/boys go to the movies as women. And they both can sit still the whole time. But think about this, and it's just my observation, there's an age where movies become gender specific. Look at the movies rated 'G'. Toy Story, Monsters Incorporated, the Disney movies, or movies like Cats and Dogs... these movies are almost unisex. 

Now, look at movies rated PG-13, you have Meangirls and Transformers, or (and these are 'now showing') Easy A and Devil. I'm not saying that women didn't go to Transformers or Devil, but I'm guessing not many men went to Meangirls or Easy A.

Do  today's bookshelves reflect the same choices for both genders?

So all of that to ask the question:

 

What Would It Take To Get More Boys To Read?

More books to choose from
More non-fiction and sports books
More male authors
Books with cars, blood and hot girls
Books with wild/inappropriate characters
More humorous books
Books without the 'Happily Ever After'
Books with non-stop action
Dumb-downed books
Intelligent books that reflect the real life of boys
Other (see my reply)
 

 

The Publishing Industry Made Me Cry

So I find myself at the bookstore a lot. And I'll walk up to myself and say, "Hey! Why aren't you at home?" Then I watch myself run into a bathroom stall and hide.
 
While I wait for myself to come back out, I'm always picking up books, smelling them, snuggling them, kissing them (no tongue). Once the book is satisfied, I'll look at its spine and note the publishing house. Then I'll dive inside for the acknowledgment page searching for an editor's name.

I've actually started a spreadsheet listing editors, including their tastes, their love of eyeballs and the books they've published recently. I don't do this so I can throw out names to Mr. McVeigh, he's the brains of the industry, I do it so when we talk about editors I don't sound like Oscar the Grouch after a finding a half bottle of ripple in his trash can.

With my book on submission (CRUD - A Love Story) being a humorous YA parahomance, I'm always on the look out for something similiar so I can note the publishing house. Maybe they'd like CRUD. It's possible!

I pick up this book the other day, read the cover blurb and think, "Hey! This is a paranormal. This is humorous. This has romance. This is the perfect publishing house for CRUD. The book I'm referring to is


  MONSTER HIGH by Lisi Harrison. Published by POPPY, an imprint of The Hachette Book Group

Excited, I note the information and run out of the store (forgetting all about myself in the bathroom stall). At my computer, I bring up the Internet, search for POPPY... and my heart not only sinks, it's gobbled up by bottom feeders.

LOOK!!!



Poppy publishes paperback original series for teen girls. We have launched several bestselling series, including the national bestselling series Gossip Girl and The It Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar, The Clique by Lisi Harrison, and The A-List by Zoey Dean.

They only publish for teen girls!!!! My reaction?

 No, I'm not wearing pants.

From my research, I don't see any imprints for teen boy books. If you know of one, please tell me.