Do men read little fiction?

Are men stopping reading fiction? The question isn't meant to be alarmist. The New York Times asked it early summer in response to several pieces of evidence, one of which was visible in its own publication: in 2004, half of the authors appearing on its famous bestseller list were women and the other half were men. This year, however, the ranking is composed of more than three-quarters of women. Could this data influence your hypothesis in any way? And, on the other hand, is Spain on the same path?

One of the conclusions reached in the aforementioned report, which cites various sources in the American publishing industry and focuses specifically on heterosexual men, is that more and more novels are being written and read by women. This reality is also shared in Spain, as evidenced by the report on Reading and Book Buying Habits in Spain, which shows that 65.5% of Spanish readers read books for leisure in their free time, and that, of these, 71.7% are women.

"Man usually undergoes a progression as a reader that goes from fiction to essay" Fernando Benzo, Secretary General of the Federation of Editors' Guilds

“There is no exact figure indicating how many women and men read novels and essays, but considering that fiction is the most widely read genre in our country, it seems clear that women are the ones who sustain them,” says Fernando Benzo, general secretary of the Federation of Publishers, who invites us to speak with booksellers about what seems obvious. “From ongoing conversations with them and with publishers, we also find that, generally speaking, men tend to shift as readers from fiction to essays, while women remain more stable in the field of fiction.”

Some experts warn of the "dangers" this may entail. David J. Morris, professor of creative writing at the University of Nevada, has written on the subject in various international media. "If you are concerned about the health of our society, especially in the Trump era, and the distorted conceptions of masculinity he helps foster, the decline and fall of men of letters should be of concern." He also argues that reading fiction "is an excellent way to improve emotional IQ," asserting that "novels help us form our identities and understand our lives. That's why we need a more inclusive literary culture that appeals to young people." He adds that the "marginalization" of young people "seems to have been a major factor in this year's presidential election. No voter showed greater commitment to Trump than young white people."

If you are concerned about the health of our society, the decline and fall of men of letters should be of concern.” David J. Morris Professor of Writing

Who knows if analyses like this are the reason why book clubs designed for men to read fiction are becoming more common in North America? Something that, at least for now, "is not a common practice in Spain," says editor Gloria Gasch, who doesn't think they're a bad idea, since "clubs are ideal places to socialize at all levels because you know the people who attend have certain intellectual interests," although she acknowledges that attendance is typically 80% female at certain ages, "although among young people these barriers are gradually dissipating."

Silvia Sesé, Anagrama's editorial director, agrees with these figures and also remains hopeful about young male readers, unlike Morris. "I've seen more young men returning to fiction in recent years. It's true that the clubs we run at Anagrama mix fiction and non-fiction, with a social and political focus, but this is a clear difference I see compared to ten years ago."

Fiction reading clubs for men are not a common practice in Spain.

Benzo also relies on young people, whom he considers "more diverse," although he warns, as a consumer, that "most campaigns dedicated to young adult literature are fiction, yes, but focused on female readers. The sector is aware that young people aged 14 to 24 are the age group that reads the most and that the number of female readers is higher, so they are targeting them with various strategies, such as the recent trend of tinted edges."

On the other hand, publishers like Siruela are filling what until now was a "void" in the children's and young adult literature space. While its catalog is rich in fiction for young adults, it's worth noting that it has strengthened its non-fiction offerings. "Previously, there were hardly any essays dedicated to them. And those that did exist were mixed in with the rest. We ourselves included them in the historical collection Tres Edades (Three Ages). But a few years ago, we decided to separate non-fiction into a separate collection, which we called Nos gusta saber (We Like to Know), and which has proven to be a success," says Ofelia Grande, head of Siruela.

The non-fiction boom is evident across all ages. Ofelia Grande Editorial Director of Siruela

The non-fiction boom, the editorial director continues, “is evident across all ages. More and more varied works are being published, as all kinds of hybrids, more amenable to the pure academic essay, have arrived in bookstores. In terms of figures, at Siruela, a few years ago our editorial plan was 50% fiction, 25% non-fiction, and the rest children's and young adult. Now, non-fiction has reached 50%.”

From Tusquets, Juan Cerezo also appreciates the rise of essays and non-fiction and believes that "it's a proven trend that there are more female readers than male readers in fiction, and that many male readers consider essays preferable to fiction, especially from a certain age, as Josep Pla recognized." However, he insists that "there are genres, such as detective novels, historical novels, science fiction, as well as fiction based on real events, or works of literary ambition, that are also read by men. At the Madrid Book Fair, I saw many readers of various ages buying fiction. All is not lost."

Novels, the great erotic attraction of the Internet

According to the Reading Habits Barometer, the percentage of women who read in Spain is higher than that of men across all age groups. Similar scenarios are occurring in other countries, so it's no surprise that this translates into an increase in social media accounts collecting photos of men reading. "They're like Pokémon. You have to catch them," jokes one user on the Instagram account Hot Dudes Reading . This success is extending to dating apps. On Tinder, the number of bios of men who define themselves as readers has increased by 16% in 2025. Do they read fiction?