Why are there so many more female authors than male?

Question

I suspect it is because most guys stink at verbal communication and would rather do something physical instead of writing or reading a book. I am not sure, though, and would really like to hear others' opinions.

Answer 1

I think the number of males and females is actually pretty evenly matched. Maybe the books you read tend to be written more by females? Remember that there are several different styles and genres, all written by different types of people. And with the sheer number of books out there, it's difficult to count, anyway. ;)

Answer 2

You would be amazed at the amount of "Nom de Plumes" that are traded in gender by prolific and well known authors...even those writing romance novels. Some do not care for this,, however as a Writer I can tell you honestly that Jude Devereaux going twenty years strong in the Romance category is a male. Everyone assumes that the name of the author has to do with the content....sometimes true...where in the name is a draw alone. I will say that when John Grisham writes a novel, people stand in line to get it. Should he perhaps change his name and appear to be a no one in the book success category, it would be an interesting acid test. Did you know that Clavell who wrote Shogun wrote a children's book for his children? And, so did Ian Fleming.....ever heard of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang...well that is Ian Fleming.
It really must be understood that MANY of the books that you read in fiction are by the authors of other books, to perhaps gain a following, and again to see who is really reading and paying attention. often it is written on the front of the book as "Writing as" under a different name. the same goes for music. This is the truth look it up if you like.
I can write inside of the mind of a male or femme..... it depends upon the consequences that I want to garner.
It comes down to the ability to communicate in a style that draws an audience. It would amaze you to know the stats on this and no I do not have them. Perhaps writing is not the way that you communicate, however I am compelled to..and have written sleuthing articles or vignettes..and no one is the smarter for it.
We are ALL gifted in some way.....many prefer to not read and simply take in the book or not read at all. to one who DOES have a passion for writing, I can do "Both".....now I ask you, what is your gift and do you as a rule read enough to get te point that there are ghost writers as well in teams under a name such as Carolyn Keene who wrote the Nancy Drew mystery stories? In the 40's carolyn keene also had other book series going...my fave much later on was the "Dana Girls Mysteries" ~ well the beat goes on and I read voraciously. If the book is good, i do NOT care about gender. Not alll writers are capable of this..and would give it the time of day. Betty Smith who wrote a "Tree Grows in Brooklyn" , with a name like Smith, you might not expect much, however it is a classic....bypassing gender in the characters. Verbal communication may mean you are shy or disinterested and prefer to be entertained. Whatever your reply would be, please consider what I have replied to you.
Hence, I do and would.

Answer 3

Seeing more than one or two published female authors on the shelves is a recent phenomenon -- over the last 100 years. Before that, it was truly a man's world, baby. If you like reading romance novels, you'll notice they all bear the names of female authors. But don't be fooled. While many are written by women, a good share are written by men using female pen names. Women seem to prefer reading romances written by women and the marketers know it!

Answer 4

I think this is bogus.

Think about books that are widely regarded as "classics" or books you know will become classics in the future. Most of them are written by men.

I read few books by female authors, though I do like some. This will sound horrible, but I find women often write too frilly for my tastes, even though I am one.

Maybe you need to step out of the romance section.

Answer 5

I think it's about even between the genders when it comes to authors. I don't think men stink at verbal communication. It's just that so much is unfairly expected of men and they take it in stride. They need a break. When it comes to writing, I think it's a gift that knows no boundaries. It's takes a mind that is patient and imaginative to come up with a good believable story.

Answer 6

While I have read many great books by the male species women do tend to be more creative.
Kay Hooper is a wonderful author I just learned about.Can't get enough.
She will draw you in imediately and any of the Kellermans are great,male and female.

Answer 7

I don't know how you come to the conclusion that there are more female authors than male authors. I'm not sure anyone knows whether that's true or not.

Answer 8

Someone did a brain study and men TEND to excell more in (of academics) math and science, women in Language Arts and Social Studies. I don't really think this makes sense as there are hardly any boys in my grade who are in advanced math, math is my best subject and I am completely stupid when it comes to history. i think it may be because women just find writing more attractive.

Answer 9

I'm not being sterotypical but science says that men are better at math and science and women are better at english and history due to brain chemistry. That is probably why women write more - they like it more because of natural knack.

Answer 10

that isn't true. there many novels you read in school are mostly written by males, because they are more serious about things, while girls are usually including lots of romance