Women writers, book pre-orders and the books page

I’ve watched in fascination the last few years as bestselling authors Jennifer Weiner and Jodi Picoult have spoken out about the lesser-than-thou treatment women authors receive from book reviewers. Weiner has been particularly vocal, and her biggest and most famous beef is with the New York Times, which she says has given short shrift to female authors in its Sunday books section.

(True? Actually, yes, Weiner is not just some crazy lady writer. People started counting. And the results were depressingly detailed by VIDA in 2010, and again in 2011).

Why does it matter? Do people who pick up a book give a crap whether the author is male or female? I don’t. It’s honestly not something I’ve thought much about in the past. A good book is a good book, period.

But the hard truth is that when book reviewers pay attention to particular authors or titles, it spreads the word. People will pre-order the book, or put in a request at the library for it (leading the library to order more copies) or mark it down on their Christmas wish list. Sometimes the reviews work as a heads up that a favorite writer has a new book coming out soon. Either way, attention to books online, in print or on the radio matters very much. From I gather, good reviews lead to more pre-orders and sales, which means the publisher pays more attention to that book and writer, which leads to a bigger print run, more money for marketing, a better likelihood that the author will get to write more books in the future… You get the idea.

So the 10,000-foot view of this is that if female authors don’t get the same shot at coverage, they might not earn as much in royalties or have the same chances to continue publishing. Ugh.

I took just enough women’s studies classes in college to get thoroughly pissed off at this big fat self-fulfilling circle.

There’s an interesting roundup of the issue on the Huffington Post here, and from the Ask Angie blog here. Thanks to the hullabaloo, I’m paying more attention to who I’m reading. And I’m pre-ordering more books as a small gesture to support the writers I love to read.

Reading is personal. So what does this mean on a local level?

After rescuing the SA Life section from my one-year-old, I counted bylines and authors on our books page. Here’s the breakdown for Sunday, June 24, 2010:

  • Five stories/book reviews.
  • Female authors: 2. Male authors: 3.
  • Bylines: 5 male.

The Express-News also published a poem by Juan Manuel Perez. (Side note: I think it is awesome that we publish poetry, and this one is called “El Chupacabra: An Introduction,” which absolutely made me want to read it).

Several of the reviews/stories had a local connection – those writers might be in San Antonio for a signing or talk, and the coverage helps bring attention to those events. There’s often a regional focus, featuring the authors who are in town, who live nearby or set a story in Texas. It’s how you make your books pages different than any others.

But one week of the books pages is no trend. I’ll keep a running tally here to see how the issue stacks up here in San Antonio over time. Maybe we’ll turn out to be more enlightened than the media elite, who have a gender diversity record that looks a lot like Congress’ approval ratings. Maybe we have a more diverse mix of genres represented on our books pages, or give more exposure to Hispanic authors or regional authors that might get short shrift in other parts of the country, or pay more attention to debut authors. However you want to slice and dice it, spread the word when you find a great book or writer.

– Jen


Comments

Women writers, book pre-orders and the books page — 4 Comments

  1. Hello Jennifer! I know you are just doing gender studies with the SA Life Section and as a history teacher I think that is some great research, but thanks for mentioning my poem about El Chupacabra. I am currently editing a writers’ club chupacabra poetry compilation. I’ll send you a copy if you like. It will be availabe by the end of this October (I hope). My own book on Chupacabra Poetry (and I’ve got plenty) might be available by Dec 2013. Thanks again, Juan

    • Hi Juan. Loved the chupacabra poem (and love all chupacabra stories). I’d be delighted to see the book(s) and you should definitely send to Steve Bennett, the books editor at the E-N. He often features poetry books on the books pages. Thanks for the comment and good luck with the books.

      • Hello again Jennifer.

        “UNLEASH YOUR INNER CHUPACABRA: A POETRY ANTHOLOGY BY THE MEMBERS OF THE SAN ANGELO WRITERS’ CLUB” has been published and the particulars are below. I would like to send you a free hard copy of the chapbook for a possible one or two line blurp or maybe a review of a few paragraphs; totally up to you. Just send me a mailing address so I can get it to you. You can send the mailing address to my e-mail contact: gotobulldog87@yahoo.com. Thanks again for your interest.—Juan Manuel Perez, 2011-2012 Poet Laureate for the San Antonio Poets Association, Original Texas Chupacabra Poet

        Book Summary: Are you looking for something horrifically unique in poetic tributes? Not satisfied anymore with odes to Cthulhu or litanies for lycanthropes? Bored to undeath with poetry anthologies about vampires and zombies? Well here it is, for the very first time in modern-American literature anthology history: Say hello to El Chupacabra! Join the Texas-based, San Angelo Writers’ Club on a poetic journey to redefine and improve upon the common bard into a chupacabrista, the quiet haiku into a chupaku, the lonesome sonnet into a chupponet, and so many other wondrous poetic devices yet to be seen by known English and Latino literature. This distinctive chupacabra chapbook, which stemmed from a poetry workshop by the original chupacabrista himself, is the genesis of an even larger volume of chupotry to come. It will certainly get you thinking about your definition of el chupacabra and the reclusive creature’s role in urban myth poetry and the ever-expanding American lexicon!

        ¡Que Viva El Chupacabra!

        The Editors

        Chapbook Specifics

        Poetry By: Tom Brady, Omar Fuentes, Marta Knobloch, Mary Lee Lenertz, Judie Oberheuser, Juan Manuel Perez, Janet Phillips, Kip Piper, and Carol Smith

        Publisher: House Of The Fighting Chupacabras, A Division of Moon Maiden Productions

        Address: PO Box 70, La Pryor, Texas 78872

        Publishing
        Date: October 29, 2012

        Genre: Speculative Poetry, Horror Poetry, Cryptozoology Poetry, El Chupacabra Poetry

        Editors: Juan Manuel Perez & Dr. Malia Ann Perez

        Paperback: 28 pages, saddle-stich

        Language: English/Spanglish

        Product
        Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.1 inches (Chapbook)

        Price: $5.00

        E-mail
        Contact: gotobulldog87@yahoo.com

        • Congratulations! Can’t wait to check it out. Have you sent a review copy to Steve Bennett, the books editor at the Express-News? If you haven’t, the mailing address at the paper is PO Box 2171, San Antonio, TX 78297-2171.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *