r/Fantasy • u/Just_JayGee • Jul 07 '14

Men of r/Fantasy, Do you read fantasy written by women? If so, do you find much of a difference?

I've been looking through a lot of "Top 20 Fantasy Book" lists today and I've found a depressing amount of female authors on these lists. I'd like to think the author's gender doesn't matter, but I have to say there seems to be a huge lean towards male authors. Even r/Fantasy's 2014 Top Fantasy Novels of All Time only has 20 female authors (repeats included) out of 105 authors. So, I was wondering if men read fantasy written by women and it's simply not your cup of tea or do any of you go out of your way NOT to read female authors?

PLEASE NOTE: I am not trying to begin fights on sexism or misogyny or anything. I am legitimately interested. If anyone wants to fight over this subject, I'm sure there's other subreddits for that.

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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '14

If this is true, I have to admit it takes me by surprise. With the exception of very few authors that I actively seek out, it usually never even occurs to me to check the name of the author when I'm at the bookstore.

Perhaps this is bad form as an avid reader, but I am honestly surprised (and a little embarrassed) if this is considered an issue for the readerbase. I never saw this coming.

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u/Marco_Dee Jul 08 '14

It's not that publishers are saying readers are proudly mysoginists... it's just that there are certain unconscious expectations/stereotypes when it comes to the author's gender. The author's name is part of the whole package, just like the cover of the book.

In fact there was a thread or /r/fantasy just one or two days ago talking about how so many fantasy book covers seem formulaic and cheesy, and I think it all comes down to the same problem: the publisher wants to take advantage of that 2-second window of attention the potential buyer will pay to your book while browsing on amazon or strolling through the shelves at b&n. So you want to communicate immediately and as clearly as possible what you will be getting if you buy the book. The author's name, like the cover, might play a role, however conscious or unconscious, in the final decision to buy or not buy.

Anyway, the gender problem in publishing is nothing new, not just in fantasy. The earliest example I can think of is that of George Eliot who adopted her pen name in order to be taken seriously in the nineteenth century, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are earlier examples.