by Mara Purl
“There’s no such thing as Men’s Fiction.” This was Andrew Klavan’s immediate response to my question about whether he’d want to debate this issue at the then-upcoming 2008 Ventura Book Festival.
More recently, fellow authors and readers alike have expressed surprise, saying they didn’t know Men’s Fiction was “a thing.” Is it? It seems to me, it’s been hiding in plain sight all along.
Good or Bad Fiction?
“Fiction” used to be the comprehensive name for all books that a weren't non-fiction.
I remember a conversation with my father, an omnivorous reader. I described some of the sub-genres that were emerging at the time: mystery, thriller, romance, and several others. He pondered this for a moment then remarked, "But is it good fiction or bad fiction? That's the only thing that matters."
From his perspective, it seemed simple. But that was before books could be digitally delivered with technology that opened both new possibilities and fresh responsibilities.
24/7 Access to Every Genre
The digitization of cultural works, namely books, began in the 1970s. Flash forward to the early 2000s, which is when universities began opting in to Google’s Book Search project.
Note: This was a project against which the Author’s Guild filed a lawsuit in 2005 because authors had not given their permission for their works to be searched, and this project was thus (the first of many) copy infringments.
That kind of search referred to interior content. Meanwhile the ability to search for books by title and theme was greatly enhanced. Customers looking only for a particular type of book could begin to find it through brand new search functions. And search they did, creating the requirement on the part of publishers to label their books not only by genre, but by sub-genre.
Of course, there had always been mysteries and thrillers, romances and family sagas. But now, one didn't have to walk through bookstores or investigate library shelves to find them. Now one could search them out at home, and a few years later, from anywhere on a smart phone.
Part of Why “Women’s Fiction” Developed
In this vast pantheon of available titles, most were written by and for men. Eventually those written by and for women were labeled as such. But since all other fiction was essentially men's fiction, labeling it would be like putting up planet-wide signs to say oxygen was in the air. Men's fiction was that omnipresent and we didn't need to be reminded.
Then things changed. The sheer volume of female readers became a significant factor.
Surveys over the past decade indicate that while about 35 percent of readers are men, approximately 50 percent of readers are women.
Though they, like male readers, read just as omnivorously as those of previous generations, they also expect delivery of curated content to their shelves and devices.
Women’s Fiction Tests
In the 1985 comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, cartoonist Allison Bechdel created an episode called “The Rule.” She attributes the idea to her friend Liz Wallace. The Bechdel-Wallace Test measures the inclusion and representation of women in works of fiction. The work can be listed as Women’s Fiction if it has: 1) at least two women; 2) who talk to each other; 3) about something other than men.
This test inspired two others.
- The Mako Mori is a test about female characters having their own narrative arc
- The Finkbeiner is a test about the portrayal of women in science.
During that initial debate, perhaps Andrew Klavan and I created the first Men’s Fiction test.
Book Festivals & Breakthroughs
Back in the day, authors in SoCal (Southern California) could take advantage of a built-in tour of book festivals each autumn. Panels, presentations, readings and signings were held for about three weeks each Fall, from Ventura to San Luis Obispo.
As I prepared for the Ventura Book Festival that year, I read about fellow presenter Andrew, author of thirty-plus crime novels, several screenplays, a memoir, and more. Impressed with his writing, and figuring it to be about as different from mine as could be, I wanted to do a deep dive into what exactly made our genres so distinct from one another.
So I called him. You saw his response at the top of this post. My response to his comment was, “There is Men’s Fiction if there’s Women’s Fiction.”
Note: you might enjoy reading my earlier post on Women’s Fiction. As noted there, in today’s parlance, this is fiction written about women.
We could thus assume that Men’s Fiction is written about men. This is, of course, an over simplification. It’d be more accurate to say that Men’s Fiction is aimed at the traditional male audience.
Andrew immediately agreed to the debate. Not only did we have a blast; the room where our session was held filled to the maximum and we had our audience engaged from start to finish, as evidenced by the nodding heads, the laughter, and the applause.
Okay, so we were onto something. But what?
It’s not Two Buckets

In our discussion, we quickly realized we weren’t talking about two buckets. Rather, we discovered these descriptors exist at the two ends of a scale, and we started to identify some markers along its length.
1. Velocity
Men’s fiction tends to move fast; women’s fiction lingers. If you’re in the mood for a fast-paced page-turner, you could race around Rome with Dan Brown in The DaVinci Code. But if you want to slow down, you could delve into Victoriana with Anne Perry’s richly detailed view of London in her Thomas Pitt mysteries.
2. Detailed Descriptions
My favorite way to explain this is by asking you to imagine a dinner scene.
If you’re reading Men’s Fiction, the man walks in, glances around the restaurant, chooses a seat where his back is not exposed, and he can see the front door. He orders a steak and takes the measure of the people in the room, vigilant throughout his meal.
If you’re reading Women’s Fiction, the woman walks in, takes a moment to assess the decor. We see the color of the tablecloths, the type of floral arrangements on the tables, the view out the window, the aromas filling the room. We note how short the servers’ skirts are (if they’re female), the level of manners as she’s being served, the volume of conversations, the type of music being played through the speakers.
3. Wardrobe
In Men’s Fiction, the protagonist wears a shirt, pants, and a jacket. Enough said. Clothing on the females in most scenes is only mentioned if she’s in a sexy dress, spaghetti straps, or short skirt that climbs her thighs as she sits, or drifts upward in a breeze.
In Women’s Fiction, the main character chooses what to wear according to her next activity? Let’s say she dons a tailored suit, silk blouse, sleek heels, and stylish purse. She smooths her hair and captures it in a French twist, checks her makeup, and makes sure to take a coat if it’s chilly.
The important “secret code”
“Why do I have to know all that?” my husband asked while we discussed the upcoming debate.
“Because it’s code,” I explained. “My readers are mostly women. When they read that description, they get that the woman is living in a city, is a professional, is experienced enough to have been working for at least a few years, and takes her career seriously. Since I’ve said it with the wardrobe, I don’t have to say it again when I describe the character.”
A secret code? Yes! And really, not so secret. Something else that hides in plain sight.
4. Feelings
It will come as no surprise that Women’s Fiction lingers over something else too: how the characters feel. When Dan Brown’s main character is racing around Rome, there are no breaks in the action. That’s the point. And it’s great fun for the reader to do his or her best to keep up.
But when Robyn Carr’s protagonist finds herself in the presence of a certain man, she pauses to consider her feelings. What’s triggering her reaction? Is she haunted by a previous encounter? Is she confronted by something she’s never felt before? Why has her pulse sped up? Is he standing too close? Though the “action” may have stopped, the story is actually ramping up. Not only do we get her feelings, as the story continues we also get her take on other characters’ feelings, and how it might be driving them.
In Men’s Fiction, the feelings, whatever they might be, tend to be revealed by the action. My mentor and friend Louis L’Amour would show his cowboy “lighting a shuck” and racing across the landscape to head the bad guy off at the pass. He didn’t describe the man’s feelings; he showed the strength of those feelings through the action. That works! It’s just a different way of telling the story.
5. Interior Dialogue
The breakthrough that allowed readers inside the thoughts of a female protagonist was created by Jane Austen.
Until then, Regency fiction tended to place nicely dressed characters onto the chess boards of their rigorously mannered society. We saw their expectations and manipulations. But when we meet Elizabeth, she reveals her innermost misgivings about this life that’s so restrictive. We see and feel her pride and her prejudice through her actions and her dialogue.
Now, the interior mindscape of characters is a key part of Women’s Fiction and is virtually unthinkable without.
Text & Cover Styles
As these respective genres were increasingly honed in the sometimes awkward collaboration amongst authors, publishers, and readers, the interiors and exteriors of books shifted to show their respective “codes.”
In bookstores, and on Amazon category pages, specific colors became prevalent: for Men’s Fiction, red and black; for Women’s Fiction, pastels. There is much more to the art and science of cover design, but that’s a separate conversation.
Meanwhile the page length, plot points, story arcs, pacing, sentence length, vocabulary all also became codified to match their respective genres. Plenty of authors break these rules. Yet many also work hard to deliver within the recommended framework.
Why is it so important to clearly define genre?
Because of all the goals authors try to achieve, perhaps there’s one that’s most important. Our readers are counting on us to deliver what we say we’ll deliver. If we say it’s a work of literary fiction, then it needs to be; if it’s Men’s Fiction, it better have those taut, muscular elements; if it’s Women’s Fiction, you can count on us to deliver multiple layers of thoughts, relationships, and feelings.
As an author, you make sure your readers can count on you. What do you make sure you deliver? Do these elements it fit within the genre for which your books are coded? Do you feel your writing enhances your genre? We'd love to hear your answers down in the comments!
About Mara

Mara Purl is the best-selling author of the Milford-Haven Novels & Novellas a series of Women's Fiction books which have won 75-plus book awards, appeared on multiple best-seller lists, and are based on her hit Milford-Haven, U.S.A., with 4.5 million listeners on BBC Radio. Mara wrote for the A.P., the Financial Times of London, and Rolling Stone among many others. As an actress, Mara is best known from Days Of Our Lives and she's a frequent speaker and presenter at local and national book events, has served on the boards of author and publishing organizations for 25 years, and has taught writing and literacy programs in Colorado, California, Alaska, and Japan.
You can find out more about her at marapurl.com
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