# Romance novels aimed at male readers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 2, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978 "2006-10-02T15:31:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/1 "2006-10-02T15:31:47Z")
I’ve never been into romance novels, but recently I learned they account for [34.6%](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_novels#Popularity_of_romance_novels) of all fiction sold in North America; so, out of professional interest as a public librarian, I’m trying to learn more about the genre. One thing I’ve notices about the romances I’ve read so far is that all of them – not just the Harlequin and Silhouette “series” romance, but all of them – seem to be written for female readers. The male POV is not ignored, some of the third-person narrative presents the man’s thoughts, but still, all the stories seem to be cast in the mold of women’s romantic fantasies, not men’s. One telling point: The authors spend a lot of words on descriptions of how handsome/sexy/muscular/well-built/good-smelling/etc. the man in the story is, and far fewer words on the woman’s beauty. In fact, while the man is **always** an obvious hunk from the start, the woman can get away with being a bit plain and mousy – at least in her own eyes, until her lover sets her straight on how beautiful she is. Are there any romance writers who write primarily for male readers? By “romance writers,” I mean only those whose books are recognizably within the genre and will be found in that section of the bookstore, or in that section of the library with heart stickers on their spines. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/2 "2006-10-02T16:04:38Z")
No, there really aren’t. Men (in general) don’t want to read romance novels so there’s not a market for it. (BTW, I worked at a bookstore for years) That seems to be one of the major differences between men and women, menare excited _visually_ and women want the story. A good example of this are novels written for gay males. There are elements of romance in them but they’re a _lot_ heavier on the graphic sex than the romance novels (even the explicit ones) that women read. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/3 "2006-10-02T16:16:58Z")
Male romance novel = porn. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/4 "2006-10-02T16:19:06Z")
The collected works of the _Penthouse Forum_ is about as close as you’re going to get, methinks. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/5 "2006-10-02T16:33:52Z")
Nope. Or at least, not that I can think of, and I used to be a person of some repute in this area (I worked at the corporate level for the #2 bookseller in the US and one of my major areas was Romance.) It is a female audience. According to [Romance Writers of America stats](http://www.storyforu.com/stats.htm), 93% of all romance readers were women in 2002 BTW, the RWA has a definition for what a romance novel is: \*A romance novel is a book in which a love story is the central focus of the book, and that has an emotionally satisfying ending that results from a positive resolution to the central love story. \* Most people agree that the Kathleen Woodiwiss wrote the very first one – _The Flame and the Flower_ – in 1972. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/6 "2006-10-02T16:39:36Z")
[QUOTE=Hello Again] BTW, the RWA has a definition for what a romance novel is: \*A romance novel is a book in which a love story is the central focus of the book, and that has an emotionally satisfying ending that results from a positive resolution to the central love story. \* [/QUOTE] Sounds like the classic “Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl” plot would qualify. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/7 "2006-10-02T16:53:15Z")
I think the closest you’re going to get is Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, Ian Fleming et al, as well as the Star Trek, Star Wars, etc. novels. Outlandish stories of strong, intellingent dashing men who save the day and sweep the women off their feet. It’s not so centered on “love” as on powerful alpha male fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/8 "2006-10-02T16:57:28Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] I think the closest you’re going to get is Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, Ian Fleming et al, as well as the Star Trek, Star Wars, etc. novels. [/QUOTE] Though it’s unlikely that anything like 93% of the readers of these books are male. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/9 "2006-10-02T17:19:14Z")
As I’ve mentioned before on the Board, the 1982 song _I’ve been to Paradise (but I’ve never been to Me)_ , awful as it is, actually has lyrics for a _male_ singer on the sheet music. If you thought the as-released female version was bad, this is worse. Again,. I’ve noted that it seems pretty obvious to me (although not to most critics) that the song is directed from the heroine of those romance novels to her readers. The spoken part, especially, tells the reader being addressed that _she_ is the one leading a life in the Real World, and that the singer/heronie is the one missing out. A big reason the male version doesn’t work is that there really isn’t a male equivalent to female romance novels. If you want your sonmg character to chide male readers about fantasizing too much about being Conan, James Bond, The Executioner, or a Tom Clancy hero, you’re gonna need a different approach. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/10 "2006-10-02T18:30:27Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] Sounds like the classic “Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl” plot would qualify. [/QUOTE] It is a classic plot, but when you think about it, its rather uncommon in literature. In most classic literature things generally end badly for the heroine who steps out for love (a la _Anna Karenina_, _Madame Bovary_, etc). In many other cases, the romance is a “side note” to the central story, it is not the story itself. Although _Emma_ may well qualify under this definition, I think most people would agree its the exception (and, an arguement could be made that the romances themselves are incidental to the point of the book). ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/11 "2006-10-02T18:37:08Z")
Romance=Western. (is there a way to make an equivalency sign?) Read a few and find out. (seriously, in a romance, the male figure is not nearly as well delineated as the female. In a Western, the opposite it true). ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/12 "2006-10-02T18:43:10Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] Sounds like the classic “Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl” plot would qualify. [/QUOTE] That’s often the pattern in romance novels; there’s some initial declaration of love or at least attraction but some misunderstanding or lack of communication (or evil abduction) forces them apart. It makes the final, “I loved you the minute I saw you, let’s get married” that much more satisfying. > [@Hello Again](#): > > It is a classic plot, but when you think about it, its rather uncommon in literature. In most classic literature things generally end badly for the heroine who steps out for love (a la Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary, etc). In many other cases, the romance is a “side note” to the central story, it is not the story itself. Although Emma may well qualify under this definition, I think most people would agree its the exception (and, an arguement could be made that the romances themselves are incidental to the point of the book). Persuasion and Pride and Predjudice both feature initial attraction and misunderstanding, progressing to reunion and a happy ending. When I read The Scarlet Pimpernel I realized it has so many of the elements of the modern romance novel…one person stubbornly refusing to listen to the other, misunderstandings about motive and identity, wonderfully romantic things that the reader hears about but one of the lovers doesn’t see (Percy kissing the ground Marguerite walks on, literally)\*, intrigue that forces them apart, adventure that teaches one new things about the other, final wonderfully romantic reunion. \*Modern ones will show the irresistable feelings the guy has for the girl without letting her know. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/13 "2006-10-02T18:51:33Z")
[Romance covers](http://worldoflongmire.com/features/romance_novels/) ---
**Author:** ![QuizCustodet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ba0ec/32.png) [@QuizCustodet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuizCustodet)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/14 "2006-10-02T18:56:08Z")
The closest that I can think of are the _Skolian Empire_ books by Catherine Asaro, starting with _Primary Inversion_. The author is a theoretical physicist by trade, and the books have a romantic plot set within a fairly ‘hard’ sci-fi universe. The first book is more sci-fi than romance; ensuing novels shift towards romance. (WAG: there was enough romance in the first book to turn off most of the male audience, so she decided to play to the female audience instead) It’s also interesting because the love story in _PI_ is in some sense gender reversed - the female protagonist is much more stereotypically manly than the male. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/15 "2006-10-02T18:56:32Z")
You know, I’d rather look at pictures of guys blowing each other all day than the covers of your average trashy romance novel for ten minutes. Well, maybe not _all day_, but those things are repulsive. And no, I don’t wish to denigrate gay tastes for porn or anything like that, I just don’t swing that way, and hence don’t find looking at guys getting it on all that pleasurable. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/16 "2006-10-02T20:34:58Z")
[QUOTE=QuizCustodet] It’s also interesting because the love story in _PI_ is in some sense gender reversed - the female protagonist is much more stereotypically manly than the male. [/QUOTE] Actually I think the relevant reversal – the way you would write a romance to appeal to male readers and their fantasies – would be to make the female character, not manlier, but more attractive and desirable than the male – or at least, that’s what he thinks at the start of the story. I.e., he’s a geek/nerd/nebbish and she’s a goddess but they find love anyway. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/17 "2006-10-02T20:37:41Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] I think the closest you’re going to get is Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, Ian Fleming et al, as well as the Star Trek, Star Wars, etc. novels. Outlandish stories of strong, intellingent dashing men who save the day and sweep the women off their feet. It’s not so centered on “love” as on powerful alpha male fantasy. [/QUOTE] But those stories still **focus on the male.** A male-oriented romance wouldn’t – the female would be the Object of Desire and haunt the male’s thoughts from the first moment he sees her. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/18 "2006-10-02T20:40:13Z")
Actually there is a [website](http://www.romancenews.net/) devoted to “Romantic Fiction for Men,” but I can find nothing there that I would be likely to find on the romance-novels rack. And a lot of what there is Japanese – written by Japanese writers for Japanese readers – which throws up yet another (cultural) barrier. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/19 "2006-10-02T20:44:00Z")
Sebastian Faulks’s war series are probably the closest I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978/20 "2006-10-02T20:49:19Z")
[QUOTE=Hello Again] According to [Romance Writers of America stats](http://www.storyforu.com/stats.htm), 93% of all romance readers were women in 2002 [/quote] I guess [Mr. Garrison](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Hair_Tampons) had a point there . . . [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-aimed-at-male-readers/374978.md?page=2)