It’s an old cliche: Men prefer science fiction; women prefer fantasy. (Of course, that’s a half-truth at best: After all, many men enjoy fantasy, and many women, science fiction.)
Yet, if men are mostly from Mars and women are mostly from Venus, how is today’s publishing world appealing to both?
Not very well, Kristin McTiernan argues on her Fictional Influence website and blog.
When McTiernan posted a video about the absence of contemporary men’s fiction, it went viral.
“I struck a nerve that resonated far beyond my usual audience,” McTiernan wrote on her Fictional Influence website.
“The comment section flooded with responses from men who felt invisible in today’s publishing landscape – readers hungry for stories that spoke to their experiences (from their perspective) without apology.”