Tag Archives: stereotypes

Why should romantic comedy be for women only?  Why? I mean, really, why?

I bet now you’re thinking about it, there doesn’t seem to be a good reason.  That’s why fellow author Janice Horton and I are introducing:  #romcom4all

Closet romance lovers, reveal thyselves! Come on now, don’t be  shy!

I had the tremendous pleasure of welcoming Janice on my CentreStage feature on my blog this week, and her great post sparked a fabulous debate on the subject of reading-related gender stereotype.  As a result of which, we decided, through the winding course of the discussion threads, to start a campaign called #romcom4all.

What the heck is that about, you wonder?  It’s quite simple; it does exactly what it says in the #hashtag: it encourages everyone to admit that they read romcom.  And we mean, everyone!  In particular, however, this is meant to encourage the male of the species to come out of the closet and speak out.

Men do read romance.  Yes, they do.  I know that for a fact!   They just don’t talk about it, they don’t like to admit it, and they certainly wouldn’t want to be seen holding a romantic novel in their hands while travelling on the Tube.  So how do I know men read romance?  Easy.  I’ve had quite a few members of the male species read Sophie’s Turn.  Some were beta readers, but some were actual customers who bought Sophie’s Turn on Amazon, and one was a reviewer who wasn’t too shy to write and publish his review in his very own local magazine; you can read his review here.

If you think about it, it’s kind of obvious.  Everyone loves a happy ending.  Everyone wants to be loved.  Why should men not enjoy a romantic novel?  Several male readers have commented that a romantic novel is a fantastic way of getting insights into the female brain, understanding ‘the other side.’

In fact, the clever man will read romance as a ‘how to’ manual.  Even if our seeming erratic behaviour or overly emotional responses continue to perplex the male reader, at the very least he gets to take away the comforting knowledge that his beloved is quite normal.  Now I wouldn’t say that my male readers are serial romance readers, nor are they likely to come out of the closet any time soon.  But it does make me smile to think that they are out there, enjoying a cracking romantic read.

Here’s what the amazing Janice Horton has to say regarding #romcom4all:

This week I’ve been completely bowled over by a fabulous independent review of my contemporary romance novel Reaching for the Stars on Amazon UK. Why bowled over, you might ask? Well, as I explained on Nicky’s ‘CentreStage’ blog this week – it was because it was by a man!

Okay – he confessed to downloading my book by accident and then reading it anyway – but the fact remains that he enjoyed it, took the time to write a fabulous review, and then to download my previous book Bagpipes & Bullshot.

All of this made me wonder why bookshops, both on the high street and online, continue to label Relationship Novels as ‘Women’s Fiction’ as if men should have nothing to do with them?

It’s stereotyping in the extreme. Yet the market for relationship novels continues to expand and men and women are breaking the stereotypical role image every day in real life.

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So: do men have a lot to learn from a romantic relationship novel?And are men more likely to read romance on an ereader?

What do YOU think?

Ladies, how do YOU feel about the segregation of ‘Women’s Fiction’?Gentlemen, are YOU man enough to read a romance novel?

Fellow author Janice Horton and I are calling for a tag campaign to bring ‘Romcom for All’.  We will be tweeting using the hashtag #romcom4all. Please join us and share your views!

Click here to go to Janice’s Blog

Please feel free to leave a comment before you go, share this post on Facebook or your other social networks, tag this blog with your own blog post so that we can follow YOU – and don’t forget to and tweet YOUR thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag #romcom4all. We look forward to hearing from you!

About fellow author Janice Horton:

Janice writes romantic and descriptive novels with humour. Look out for her Amazon bestselling Bagpipes & Bullshot and latest novel Reaching for the Stars. Janice is a regular blogger and you can find her on Twitter and Facebook. When not writing novels, Janice writes lifestyle articles and has had work published in national and international magazines and regional newspapers. She has also been involved in BBC Scotland’s ‘Write Here Write Now’ project. She is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association and an Associate Author and Editor at Loveahappyending.com. Janice will be speaking at the Loveahappyending.com Summer Audience Event in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, on the 16th June 2012.  You can find Janice’s books on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.