Chick Lit - Not just for women!

There is a fair amount of debate in the literary world when it comes to “chick lit” or women's fiction. Many women authors resent having their books placed in such a category because it can often deter male readers and lower their credibility as an author. Most writers want to be known not only for producing good fiction for women but for men as well. It’s also a commonly know fact that while women will routinely read fiction by both men and women - men rarely read books that aren’t written by men. This leads to a off balance marketplace when it comes to literature with men, possibly because of their own beliefs and stigmata's, ending up with the short end of the stick of having less to read and missing out on some fantastic fiction by many notable women authors. Whether this is a reflection of our society or a dialogue on the very art of writing itself there is clearly something awry here. After all if women can enjoy interesting and captivating stories about men why can’t men enjoy similar stories about women?

This is the biggest hang-up with gender specific fiction as their seems to be some sort of pervasive belief that men are only interested in reading stories about men and women prefer to read stories about women. Is this truly the case or is this some sort of built in belief that the booksellers and publishing houses have pushed onto us? If we weren’t marketed to by such specific groups would we naturally align ourselves with these interests and categories or would we select from a greater mix of contemporary fiction to satisfy ourselves. If we are naturally inclined towards these preferences than what can be said about authors who write from the perspective of their opposing genders and across age barriers as well. A popular example of both from this generation would be the much revered JK Rowling who wrote the famous Harry Potter series. Rowling, a woman, wrote not only from the viewpoint of the opposite gender she wrote about a young boy of only twelve - a circumstance she certainly had not experience herself. So how is it then that she was able to do so with such accuracy. Her child at the time, a daughter, was only a few years old and certainly wasn’t providing insight into the minds of preteen boys - so what was her secret? We also know, when it comes to Rowling, that her publishers insisted she use her pen name in the form that it is in order to protect her identity - not from paparazzi or rabid fans but instead from young boys discovering her gender and then refusing to read the book because it was written by a girl. Clearly the tendencies that encourage us to select books are more deeply ingrained than we might have thought otherwise they appear to be natural.  

Another big part of the problem is that it’s apparently common knowledge that men don’t read and unfortunately, thought this may be the fault of publishing companies and their blindsided marketing procedures, the statistics back them up. Women read four books for everyone one a man reads and the reasons are fairly obvious. With women being given not only all the options but the preference for literary discretion what man would want to read? Reading devices are marketed to women, book signings and conferences are all designed to appeal to women and even bookstores with low music, soft lighting, and feminine colors all push signs of women being their biggest spenders - and so, they are. Is this something that naturally occurs or has the publishing industry given us this outcome as a result of it’s own efforts?
What’s important to remember is that any good novel should appeal to both genders, unless it’s specifically designed to do the opposite and even then there should still be entertainment and literary value for either side of the spectrum. Though it’s less likely for a women to seek out a war novel with a male protagonist but, all gender and cultural assumptions aside, if she does she should be rewarded with a book that she, as well as any man, can enjoy. The same holds true for men who venture into what may be seen as the “women only” areas of popular writing. If a man wants to read one of the so called “beach reads” that make up much women's fiction today shouldn’t he be able to without repercussion or seeming out of place? Shouldn’t men that want to broaden their horizons be welcomed into the world of women's fiction and women, the same treatment for men-based literature. Or perhaps it’s better to do away with all the so-called categories entirely.

What if we just had fiction - regardless of whether it was written for or by men or women. Fiction is fiction is fiction. It seems the most basic of concepts but somehow the editors and publishing houses have yet to master it. If they want a greater audience then they should encourage writers to write good books that span demographics instead of fitting into tightly niched circles of redundancy. Women are tired of reading the same old boy meets girl stories and there are men who want more than sleazy playboy novels or shoot-em-up grunge and gore books. There is a gap of fiction that isn’t being filled and it isn’t just one area of the literary worlds fault. Authors need to step out of their typical molds and try for more progressive forms of writing, challenging the publishing industry to break down barriers and support the new forms of the great american novel. Publishers need to redefine their opinions about what does and doesn’t sell and market books that people want, not just the ones that have a proven success rate in the industry. If we don’t try for these new types of fiction we may miss out on some of the best reading out there.

Chick lit, women's fiction, mens fiction, and whatever other categories are out there are little more than flimsy labels that support publishers in their own opinions about what does and doesn’t make money in the literary world. Step outside these boundaries and discover something new. You may just find a whole new world out there.