Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Men aren't writing novels anymore. So what?
Every 18 months another article comes out lamenting the fact that men aren't writing novels as much as they used to and Sally Rooney is more famous than male writers. Sparked by The New Yorker's "Death of the Literary Man" article, let's unpack claims about women dominating publishing, examine the real statistics, and discuss why the "crisis" of male writers might be overblown.
This isn't just about gender in publishing - it's about how we value different forms of storytelling and why we're so quick to declare a "crisis" when traditional power dynamics shift.
✨ If you enjoyed this analysis, don't forget to like and subscribe for more literary and cultural commentary!
✨ Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/roisinsreading
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0:00 - Intro
1:33 - That New York Times Article
9:21 - Are women dominating literature?
12:16 - Sally Rooney and the Death of the Rockstar Author
17:48 - Working Class White Men
21:29 - Thoughts
#Literature #Publishing #CulturalCriticism #BookTube #LiteraryFiction #MediaAnalysis
Sources
nytimes.com/2024/12/07/opinion/men-fiction-novels.html
dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/54863/1/where-have-all-the-young-male-novelists-gone
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10129903/Best-selling-writer-BORIS-STARLING-examines-male-authors-written-fiction.html
irishtimes.com/opinion/2023/04/20/where-has-the-rock-star-male-novelist-gone
timlott.substack.com/p/on-writing-who-killed-the-male-novelist
dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/57815/1/opinion-can-we-please-have-more-young-male-novelists-2023-barry-pierce
newstatesman.com/culture/books/2023/04/decline-literary-bloke
christopherfowler.co.uk/blog/2021/10/25/where-did-all-the-male-readers-go
theguardian.com/books/2020/jul/31/where-are-the-hotshot-british-male-novelists-bame-authors-may-know
thecritic.co.uk/issues/july-2024/why-so-few-men-take-up-the-pen
dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/64700/1/intermezzo-sally-rooney-new-novel-review-sad-girl-writer-fragile-masculinity
thebookseller.com/news/men-drawn-to-books-written-by-other-men-analysis-from-the-womens-prize-trust-suggests
statista.com/topics/8786/book-market-in-the-united-kingdom-uk
publishers.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/The-UK-Publishing-Workforce-Diversity-Inclusion-and-Belonging-in-2022.pdf
theguardian.com/books/2021/may/16/how-women-conquered-the-world-of-fiction#:~:text=Within%20the%20“general%20and%20literary,given%20up%20on%20literary%20fiction
theguardian.com/books/2022/dec/06/writers-earnings-have-plummeted-with-women-black-and-mixed-race-authors-worst-hit
writersguild.org.uk/equalitywrites
womensprize.com/gender-bias-in-mens-reading-habits-still-exists
indiependent.co.uk/study-shows-women-are-now-publishing-more-books-than-men
theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/29/book-clinic-where-are-all-the-british-working-class-writers
theguardian.com/books/2018/feb/10/kit-de-waal-where-are-all-the-working-class-writers-
thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/our-stories-matter-why-we-need-more-working-class-voices-in-quality
www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/technology-media-and-telecom-predictions/2022/gender-gap-in-reading.html
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-011-0080-8
theguardian.com/books/2021/jul/09/why-do-so-few-men-read-books-by-women
Men aren't writing novels anymore. So what?
Every 18 months another article comes out lamenting the fact that men aren't writing novels as much as they used to and Sally Rooney is more famous than male writers. Sparked by The New Yorker's "Death of the Literary Man" article, let's unpack claims about women dominating publishing, examine the real statistics, and discuss why the "crisis" of male writers might be overblown.
This isn't just about gender in publishing - it's about how we value different forms of storytelling and why we're so quick to declare a "crisis" when traditional power dynamics shift.
✨ If you enjoyed this analysis, don't forget to like and subscribe for more literary and cultural commentary!
✨ Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/roisinsreading
📚 Storygraph: app.thestorygraph.com/profile/roisinsreading
📚 For business inquiries: roisinsreading@gmail.com
0:00 - Intro
1:33 - That New York Times Article
9:21 - Are women dominating literature?
12:16 - Sally Rooney and the Death of the Rockstar Author
17:48 - Working Class White Men
21:29 - Thoughts
#Literature #Publishing #CulturalCriticism #BookTube #LiteraryFiction #MediaAnalysis
Sources
nytimes.com/2024/12/07/opinion/men-fiction-novels.html
dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/54863/1/where-have-all-the-young-male-novelists-gone
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10129903/Best-selling-writer-BORIS-STARLING-examines-male-authors-written-fiction.html
irishtimes.com/opinion/2023/04/20/where-has-the-rock-star-male-novelist-gone
timlott.substack.com/p/on-writing-who-killed-the-male-novelist
dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/57815/1/opinion-can-we-please-have-more-young-male-novelists-2023-barry-pierce
newstatesman.com/culture/books/2023/04/decline-literary-bloke
christopherfowler.co.uk/blog/2021/10/25/where-did-all-the-male-readers-go
theguardian.com/books/2020/jul/31/where-are-the-hotshot-british-male-novelists-bame-authors-may-know
thecritic.co.uk/issues/july-2024/why-so-few-men-take-up-the-pen
dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/64700/1/intermezzo-sally-rooney-new-novel-review-sad-girl-writer-fragile-masculinity
thebookseller.com/news/men-drawn-to-books-written-by-other-men-analysis-from-the-womens-prize-trust-suggests
statista.com/topics/8786/book-market-in-the-united-kingdom-uk
publishers.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/The-UK-Publishing-Workforce-Diversity-Inclusion-and-Belonging-in-2022.pdf
theguardian.com/books/2021/may/16/how-women-conquered-the-world-of-fiction#:~:text=Within%20the%20“general%20and%20literary,given%20up%20on%20literary%20fiction
theguardian.com/books/2022/dec/06/writers-earnings-have-plummeted-with-women-black-and-mixed-race-authors-worst-hit
writersguild.org.uk/equalitywrites
womensprize.com/gender-bias-in-mens-reading-habits-still-exists
indiependent.co.uk/study-shows-women-are-now-publishing-more-books-than-men
theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/29/book-clinic-where-are-all-the-british-working-class-writers
theguardian.com/books/2018/feb/10/kit-de-waal-where-are-all-the-working-class-writers-
thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/our-stories-matter-why-we-need-more-working-class-voices-in-quality
www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/technology-media-and-telecom-predictions/2022/gender-gap-in-reading.html
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-011-0080-8
theguardian.com/books/2021/jul/09/why-do-so-few-men-read-books-by-women
