Why more women than men read my books
Why more women than men read my books
And why I'm not giving up on men
Hey friends!
Today is a big day — my A Little Crazy podcast officially launched early this morning on platforms everywhere including Spotify. Hope you’ll give it a listen, a follow, and a share.
I discuss writing on the podcast, as my new memoir by the same name (A Little Crazy) publishes next week.
I share in this episode in an interview by
how there's an assumption I often encounter that men are the primary readers of my memoir Dear William, written from a vulnerable husband and father's perspective about infidelity, insecurity, addiction, and recovery.But that assumption is wrong. Women, to date, have read Dear William since its release in late 2021 in numbers running two-to-one over men based upon anecdotal evidence. It's the same for my guidebook for parents, Things Have Changed, with tips for helping children manage the student mental health and substance misuse crisis. Second to women, my readers are students, including young men and women; while men are easily a distant third in readership.
That fact is no surprise when you consider that historically, women read more books than men. But there's something more to it than that. One, I find from experience that mothers are consistently more eager to read and learn about student substance misuse and family trauma and more enthusiastic as well to get their child into treatment. At the same time, many men and fathers are more eager for the problem to fix itself and go away — let someone else have the books and all the discussion.
Two, many women are drawn to the male voice of vulnerability because they seek more from their spouses; and they find such writing refreshing, a sort of long sought treasure. I've had more than a few read one of the books and tell me they "put it on" their husband's bedside table, "hoping" for a pickup. Sometimes it works, and other times it does not.
The good news is that more men this past year have become Dear William readers—typically due to word-of-mouth from friends who explain, "It's not what you think it is." Several ministers nationwide who counsel men have also started recommending Dear William. It’s taken three years, but I’ll gladly take the small steps of progress.
Still, I'm expecting today's launch of my new weekly podcast, A Little Crazy, to deliver similar results—the program, hosted by a vulnerable, middle-aged man, nonetheless consumed by more women than men, initially at least.
It will likely be more of the same next week when my new memoir is published on Tuesday, ironic since it's a vulnerable story of a man fighting for his marriage, family, faith, and sanity amid the pressures of work and expectation. And it’s men who need the book most.
I'm thankful to all readers and listeners, especially women who passionately share my works. However, I am determined to continue building my audience so more men come along to learn and practice vulnerability because the benefits to our health and the health of our closest relationships, including spouses and children, are significant.
Men need vulnerable, relatable storytelling.
Thus, my plan is not to give up. My next book, which I'm currently developing a proposal for, will more directly target men in relational, more approachable subject matter and therefore hold more wide appeal than the mental health and substance misuse subjects. And, as I earn the trust and following of more male readers, they are more likely to look back into works including Dear William and A Little Crazy.
Here's hoping (and praying), anyway, since more men need it.