Writer dubs World Book Night "World Bollocks Night"

Tomorrow's World Book Night is ruffling  feathers, with For Books' Sake's Beulah Devaney lambasting the event's organisers - the Reading Agency - for a lack of titles by female authors. This years WBN event has cast its focus on engaging male readers, following a study reporting 63% of men hardly read. The way that focus is being applied is by having 14 of this year's 20 WBN titles from male authors.

In a piece definitely worth viewing, the decision has brought Devaney to write:

Basically, they’ve decided the best way to get men reading more is to reinforce the idea that men should only read books by male authors.

The balance of the comment may be questioned, but it again raises the issue of gender stereotypes, reading preferences and 'relevant content'; topics brought to the fore recently as author and illustrator Jonathan Emmett voiced views on feminine influence in the book industry.

For our part, we're fairly sure that men aren't only interested in reading the works of male authors. Yet in a situation where many men in the UK don't read much (if at all) might it be plausible that new readers - rightly or wrongly - are swayed by the gender of the author as one of several factors?

And if that author is of the same gender as the reader surely it doesn't necessarily follow that all future reading will be of same-gender authors.

Ultimately, whether the Reading Agency's approach is justified - or will be effective - is up for debate. It's probably even quite hard to quantify.

Devaney though clearly feels strongly about the situation. In her view, "WBN are reinforcing the gender divide between men and women readers", and "doing more of what’s already been shown not to work".

What do you think?

Boys not reading because women are "gatekeepers" to children's books

Author and illustrator Jonathan Emmett has added his thoughts to the conversation about why boys (and later, men) don't read. And, with a view guaranteed to carry the debate further, he believes it's due to female influence.

In comments offered to the The Times, Emmett believes that there isn't enough to hold young boys interest in books, with one of the key reasons being that the the "industry is dominated by female gatekeepers".

To illustrate his point - and referencing the known gap in literacy levels between girls and boys - Emmett looked at 450 reviews of children's books in national papers. He found that while men wrote 47% of picture books, 87% of reviewers were women.

Of course reviewers may be employed in such roles for their balance and appreciation of readers' likes, yet Emmett draws on further examples to add weight to his view.

He tells how just two of the 50 editors he has worked with have been men, and how he feels that has directly affected his own work in, "The number of times I have tried to get technical information into a book and it is deemed inappropriate."

Emmett also offers comment on the content which makes it into published titles. Titles which are then bought by a group which - according to an unnamed publisher - is 95% women.

'Mums and grans buy books - that’s what’s driving the market. They read the book also and then there’s a tendency for the book to reflect their tastes as well. So there may be a pirate but that pirate will not be engaged in a battle.'

In views which touch upon ideas of stereotypical gender interests, and which claim that "boys and girls with 'boy-typical' tastes", prefer the content of computer games, Emmett admits his opinions aren't easy to present.

"It is a really difficult argument to make", he concedes "because 99 times out of 100 it is women that are under-represented."

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