tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13639087.post5097313407075344521..comments2023-11-18T22:19:35.259-05:00Comments on MuseInks: Lost BoysAmi Hendricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16113842141579251283noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13639087.post-56743063772853402102011-09-06T16:53:04.745-04:002011-09-06T16:53:04.745-04:00David,
If you used to love reading, what (in your...David,<br /><br />If you used to love reading, what (in your considered opinion) could lure you back to the fold? What would it take? What was missing that made you turn to other media? <br /><br />I think that writing for a particular gender OR writing in a given genre might limit a particular author's readership. I have no problem with authors who specialize in an area. I do, however, find fault with publishers who pander to a particular gender demographic. But that's probably my problem and not theirs. After all, they must always keep their eye on the bottom line. <br /><br />Which brings me full circle: what can be done to keep boys reading -- and keep publishers publishing books for ALL readers? <br /><br />I believe part of the answer, for good or for ill, lies with self-publishing and e-books. They allow authors whom publishers bypass to cultivate a readership anyway...Ami Hendricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16113842141579251283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13639087.post-54759441127743592502011-09-06T12:10:40.120-04:002011-09-06T12:10:40.120-04:00Ah, this is sad... And yet I find hope in your pos...Ah, this is sad... And yet I find hope in your position on the issue. I (a boy) used to absolutely love reading, but have always been in it for the story and characters which anymore I seem to get my fix from other media--video-games, role-playing, TV and movies.<br />I've never really liked the idea of writing for one gender or the other, since off-hand that seems like an unnecessarily severe limit on your readership. Though I have to admit I do love genre, and though I can't stand bullies I do like undead if handled well.David A Ludwighttp://by.davidaludwig.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13639087.post-12300796639236344582011-09-04T00:21:08.790-04:002011-09-04T00:21:08.790-04:00Dawn,
I hope you succeed in giving your son the gi...Dawn,<br />I hope you succeed in giving your son the gift of a lifelong love of reading. Who knows? Maybe you and he will be able to convert your husband as well. <br />Here's wishing you an armful of boy-friendly books at the library, with a lengthy wishlist of great titles to check out later. <br />And here's hoping that many writers hear about your desire to find great "boy books" and determine to find ways to provide them for your son and others like him.Ami Hendricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16113842141579251283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13639087.post-40710436601132681612011-09-03T06:11:47.492-04:002011-09-03T06:11:47.492-04:00I'm really struggling to find books that will ...I'm really struggling to find books that will peak my nine year old son's interest in reading. There's so many great books out there for girls--we NEED someone writing for our boys! <br /><br />It doesn't help that my son hears his dad saying reading is boring or teasing me about crying over a book I'm reading, telling me, "It's not real! It's just a book!" He doesn't get it...because he doesn't read. But I don't want our son to end up in the same boat, believing reading is boring and missing out on everything there is to experience in books! <br /><br />I love the link to Guys Read and the lists of books for boys to read--guess where we're heading later today?? The library!!<br /><br />As for me--I haven't fallen for Twilight, I have no interest in the undead or bullies. We need to expose our kids to something more positive, more encouraging-there's enough ugliness in the world already. It doesn't need compounded in the books they're reading.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08737102703412263192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13639087.post-53238677018632156892011-09-02T13:45:37.396-04:002011-09-02T13:45:37.396-04:00Sharon,
I, too, was surprised at the current clim...Sharon,<br /><br />I, too, was surprised at the current climate. I double checked the dates on several of the current dire "why boys aren't reading" articles I came across to see if they were 20 years old. <br /><br />I live for the day when publishers will reap what they are sowing during this Mean Girls phase, and their readership shuns them and publicly castigates them for their shortsightedness. <br /><br />I also live for the day when some YA nonfiction books hit it big with characters & story that appeal to both genders. Maybe that would encourage the publishers to rethink their WishLists.<br /><br />...As long as I'm dreaming, I'd like Shiloh Fernandez to star in the movie version of my WIP... ~sigh~Ami Hendricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16113842141579251283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13639087.post-60183560255050257462011-09-01T22:33:52.414-04:002011-09-01T22:33:52.414-04:00I don't see how this is possible in a post-Pot...I don't see how this is possible in a post-Potter world! I mean, seriously.<br /><br />Girls have always read male characters. It was a problem that there weren't as many good girl protags as boys. <br /><br />I never understood the allure of mean girls, even -- or especially -- when I was being tortured by them.<br /><br />As for the vampires ::head:desk:: Are there ANY markets left that want non-genre work? It seems like almost every CFS I see is for paranormal this, shapeshifter that, fantasy, SF, etc. Is realism ever going to come back into style?<br /><br />Rant, rant, rant.Sharon Wachslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03962059672610138178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13639087.post-62401425222045725632011-09-01T13:49:42.610-04:002011-09-01T13:49:42.610-04:00Glitterword:
Hear, hear! I would argue that the l...Glitterword:<br /><br />Hear, hear! I would argue that the literary world could readily do without another "mean girls" book. Ever. But it can't do without 3-dimensional protagonists that connect with both genders of all ages. <br /><br />The publishing industry pros are horrifically shortsighted if they think pandering to only the lowest common denominator of their possible readership will result in anything more than literate girls who begin to put into practice the bullying tactics they've been spoonfed as "entertainment." <br /><br />Let's hear it for the boys! And the girls! Vive la difference!Ami Hendricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16113842141579251283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13639087.post-4983540191730495362011-09-01T10:47:51.837-04:002011-09-01T10:47:51.837-04:00I agree. There are probably several books out ther...I agree. There are probably several books out there being turned down because of the main characters gender and thinking it wont sell, but in actuallity it has to do with whether someone can relate to the character not whether its a girl or a boy. Bring back the boys!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com