Our goal is to compile as many articles, posts, scholarly piece about women authors and women's literature as possible. We've just scratched the surface in this category.
If you know of any articles, posts, etc., we can add them to the list. Just fill out the form at the bottom of this page.
If you know of any articles, posts, etc., we can add them to the list. Just fill out the form at the bottom of this page.
#KidLitWomen Seeks Solutions to Gender Inequity in Children's Publishing
by Kara Yorio. School Library Journal. March 7, 2018
by Kara Yorio. School Library Journal. March 7, 2018
Grace Lin and fellow author Karen Blumenthal found themselves talking again about gender inequity in children’s publishing while attending a writers’ retreat in January.
The data seems to say that, today, books by women are as valuable to the book-buying public as books by men. So why doesn’t the publishing industry seem to recognize this?
Books About Women Don't Win Big Awards: Some Data
by Nicola Griffith. May 26, 2015
by Nicola Griffith. May 26, 2015
"When women win literary awards for fiction it’s usually for writing from a male perspective and/or about men. The more prestigious the award, the more likely the subject of the narrative will be male.
Coverflip: Maureen Johnson Calls For An End To Gendered Book Covers With An Amazing Challenge
HuffPost. May 7, 2013
HuffPost. May 7, 2013
If a man writes ‘The cat sat on the mat’ we admire the economy of his prose; if a woman does we find it banal.
‘Female authors are overlooked but make better writers than men’ says male author
by Liane Wimhurst. INews. December 12, 2017
by Liane Wimhurst. INews. December 12, 2017
Women writers frequently speak of having to fight against pink book covers with soft focus images of beautiful young girls, while books by men are given covers that are arty and serious.
The Final Stronghold of Sexism in Publishing
by Faith Aeriel. Manhattan Book Review. July 8, 2016
by Faith Aeriel. Manhattan Book Review. July 8, 2016
While examples of gender-based inequality can be found anywhere if you look hard enough, there are four main areas where it seems to manifest itself in the industry: publishing, marketing, public reception, and the content of the books themselves.
First PublisHer’s Dinner: Working to Support Women in Publishing
by Hannah Johnson. Publishing Perspectives. March 20, 2019
by Hannah Johnson. Publishing Perspectives. March 20, 2019
On March 12, some 30 women leaders in publishing gathered for the event in London for, as the invitation said, “celebrating women in publishing, inspiration, and networking.”
5 Ways to Combat Gender Inequality in Book Publishing
Brooke Warner. Huffington Post. December 6, 2017
Brooke Warner. Huffington Post. December 6, 2017
"I had the great honor of keynoting the Story Circle Network Conference in Austin earlier this month, which gave me a unique opportunity to speak about book publishing in front of a women-only audience. It’s not that I’ve shied away in the past from speaking the truth about the gender bias that runs deep through the publishing industry, but there’s a different kind of energy and reception, of course, when you’re speaking to women who’ve lived it.
Gender Bias In Publishing Is Real — And This Study Proves It
by Kristian Wilson. Bustle. June 10, 2016
by Kristian Wilson. Bustle. June 10, 2016
"That the publishing industry ignores women writers isn't news, but that doesn't make evidence of its gender bias any less infuriating. Writer Catherine Nichols made headlines back in August 2015, when she revealed that submitting her manuscript under a male pseudonym garnered eight-and-a-half times more positive responses than submissions made under her given name.
The Gender Coverup
by Maureen Johnson. HuffPost. May 7, 2013
by Maureen Johnson. HuffPost. May 7, 2013
When I hear people talk about “trashy” books, 95% of the time, they are talking about books written by women. When I see or hear the terms “light,” “fluffy,” “breezy,” or “beach read”... 95% of the time, they are talking about books written by women.
Gender in Twentieth-Century Children's Books: Patterns of Disparity in Titles and Central Characters
Janice Mccabe, Emily Fairchild, Liz Grauerholz, Bernice A. Pescosolido, Daniel Tope. Gender and Society. April 2011
Janice Mccabe, Emily Fairchild, Liz Grauerholz, Bernice A. Pescosolido, Daniel Tope. Gender and Society. April 2011
Recent studies continue to show a relative absence of women and girls in titles and as central characters.
Homme de Plume: What I Learned Sending My Novel Out Under a Male Name
by Catherine Nichols. Jezebel. August 4, 2015
by Catherine Nichols. Jezebel. August 4, 2015
Most of the agents only heard from one or the other of us, but I did overlap a little. One who sent me a form rejection as Catherine not only wanted to read George’s book, but instead of rejecting it asked if he could send it along to a more senior agent.
Many people have been saying that this is a call for editors to step up their game. Editors ought to pay more attention to diversity in their publications. They need to reach out to more women writers. They must make a greater effort to review the books written by women.
Kamila Shamsie: let’s have a year of publishing only women – a provocation
Kamila Shamsie. The Guardian. June 5, 2015
Kamila Shamsie. The Guardian. June 5, 2015
Several years ago, Martin Amis chaired a literary festival panel on “The Crisis of American Fiction” with Richard Ford, Jay McInerney and Junot Díaz. I was in the audience, and halfway through the discussion leaned over to the person sitting next to me and said: “Clearly the crisis of American fiction is that there are no women in it.
Male and female writers’ media coverage reveals ‘marked bias’
by Alison Flood. The Guardian. March 18, 2019
by Alison Flood. The Guardian. March 18, 2019
Kate Mosse, who founded the Women’s prize for fiction 24 years ago, said: “Literature with a capital L is still not seen as a neutral literary voice if it is women writing from their own point of view.”
Novelist Meg Wolitzer Is Better Than Franzen and Eugenides. If the Literature Industry Weren’t Sexist, Everyone Would Know That
by Brian Howe. Indy Week. April 18, 2018
by Brian Howe. Indy Week. April 18, 2018
Long books by men are ambitious; long books by women are unfocused. (Reviewers, Wolitzer thinks, look to women for the “painted-egg precision of short stories,” not the big zeitgeist-y novel.) The double standards roll on, powered by gender imbalances not only in who gets published, but in who gets major prizes, who gets reviewed, and who reviews them.
The Overwhelming Gender Bias in 'New York Times' Book Reviews
Jane C. Hu. Pacific Standard. August 29, 2017
Jane C. Hu. Pacific Standard. August 29, 2017
The researchers found that two-thirds of reviewed books were written by men, and that reviewed books tended to reflect gender stereotypes, an effect the researchers call topic bias.
Here’s the problem with female protagonists: There aren’t enough of them. And we don’t even notice it.
Report from the Field: Gender Inequality Within Literary Prize Culture
by Sharifa Petersen. VIDA. November 27, 2017
by Sharifa Petersen. VIDA. November 27, 2017
Although women read more than men and books by female authors are published in roughly the same numbers, they are vastly overlooked for prizes in comparison to male authors.
Scent of a Woman’s Ink
Francine Prose. Harper's Magazine. June 1998
Francine Prose. Harper's Magazine. June 1998
It’s not at all clear what it means to write “like a man” or “like a woman,” but perhaps it’s still taken for granted, often unconsciously and thus insidiously, that men write like men and women like women—or at least that they should. And perhaps it’s assumed that women writers will not write anything important—anything truly serious or necessary, revelatory or wise.
The elephant never goes away on its own. Neither will gender bias. Removing bias (and elephants) is best handled by exposing its presence, exploring its impact and educating ourselves on how to coax it out from the public domain.
It's just that women get forced to understand men if we want to enjoy media and tell stories, while men are allowed to treat women as these weird extraterrestrial creatures who can never be comprehended, but must be fought. It's like we're somehow the opposing army in an alien invasion story, here to be battled, defeated, and tamed, but never acknowledged as fully human.
While women have made strides in media and publishing, it seems we’re still often subject to the whims of men.
Submit Like A Man: How Women Writers Can Become More Successful
Kelli Russell Agodon. Medium. May 24, 2015
Kelli Russell Agodon. Medium. May 24, 2015
If I had to make one general statement about what I most learned at the press as an editor, the big revelation was that men and women submit their work differently.
This bookstore found the perfect way to show how sexism affects publishing
by Robbie Couch. Upworthy. March 8, 2017
by Robbie Couch. Upworthy. March 8, 2017
Store owner Harriett Logan — with the help of her employees and a few volunteers — deliberately flipped around all the fiction books written by men, hiding their colorful spines from view.
"This is a story about a woman who was erased from her job as the editor of the most famous literary magazine in America.
At a reading or a launch, during a perfectly nice chat with very respectable people, I’ll suddenly find that my blood is boiling. It’s always a shock to witness actual, articulated sexism, so it takes me a while to process the fact that I have just been told by the guy I’m talking to that he doesn't read female writers. He doesn't see why he should.
25 Things To Know About Sexism & Misogyny In Writing & Publishing
by Chuck Wendig. TerribleMinds. June 10, 2013June 10, 2013
by Chuck Wendig. TerribleMinds. June 10, 2013June 10, 2013
I know there’s someone out there saying, “Wait, is this really a problem? Sexism and Misogyny in writing? In publishing? In science-fiction and fantasy? Are you sure this isn’t just a small bunch of very loud women with their panties all whirled around in some kinda panty tornado?” And there I’d correct you and note that I am a dude and, in fact, my panties are indeed whirling about in a panty tornado because this is a problem in our respective industry and it sucks.
Viewpoint: Gender Bias In The Literary World
Evie Gaughan. Women Writers, Women['s] Books. October 30, 2016
Evie Gaughan. Women Writers, Women['s] Books. October 30, 2016
Many female authors in the past were forced to use a male pseudonym in order to get published and I think they would be shocked to discover that this practice still happens today.
When It Comes To Women's Writing, How Do Publications Stack Up?
by Lynn Neary. NPR. February 26, 2014
by Lynn Neary. NPR. February 26, 2014
"We have these stark blue-and-red charts that offer up data, and there's no negating it. When we present it, it's no longer a question of, 'Is there an imbalance?' Now, it's a question of, 'Why is there an imbalance? Do we want to change the imbalance?'"
It's a truth universally acknowledged that, although women read more than men, and books by female authors are published in roughly the same numbers, they are more easily overlooked. Their marginalisation by top literary journals, both as reviewers and the reviewed
Writing under a male name makes you eight times more likely to get published, one female author finds
by Jess Denham. Independent. August 6, 2015
by Jess Denham. Independent. August 6, 2015
Catherine Nichols had been met with disappointment after disappointment after sending letters to agents. Until she decided to use a man's name, that is.
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