| Nobody Wants to Read Novels about Women Over Fifty – True or False? | Most Liked Hot Conversation |
“Women don’t want to read novels about women age 50+.” A writer told me she’s heard this from several high-ups in the literary world. Do you think it’s true or false? Please weigh in, if only to say True or False . Thanks so much!
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People who don’t want to read novels about women 50+ are the people who think women 50+ are dull and boring. Everyone else knows that women 50+ can be fascinating, adventurous, funny and altogether entertaining. We need to make sure that more people are aware of the truth. I’m hoping when my book hits the streets on Dec 1 that it will help our cause. It’s about a menopausal ad agency owner who helps solve the murder of a former colleague – I’ve had some feedback from people who think it’s funny – and the 50+ women in it are a large reason why. If you’re interested it is entitled: Is It Still Murder, Even If She Was A Bitch?
Sounds good. Can’t wait to read it. Why don’t they want to hear from the over 50 crowd. We have a lot to offer and are a fun group..at least that is what I think of myself and my friends.
LOVE the title. Good luck. Screw the nay sayers. What do they know?
Hello, women over 50 wanna hear about women over 50! And our demographic is growing. How about a story about a woman over 50 with a husband and family who finds a way to take an “eat, pray, love….”journey/sabatical without throwing it all away!
FALSE! We need more authors writing about this ever-growing group. We are fabulous in every way: from our wit to our authenticity, from our flair for to our understanding of life. Only a man will make such a ridiculous statement!
I am a novice writer and I write about women over 50. I absolutely wish there were more good novels about those of us with wit and wisdom earned through genuine experiences!
Completely ridiculous! Was it a man that made that comment?
False. A compelling story is what people want. Okay, maybe not your 20-something kids……but for the older audience (30 and up) I would say that the story is what people will connect to. Doesn’t matter the age.
OH so false. I love reading about people of all ages in well-written novels. I am particularly fond of those which depict women over fifty who are going about their lives in creative ways with the idea of a second-half/chance in the mix. The remarks strike me as being prejudice in several ways so they must surely be discounted.
False
False, false, false. It shows how fickle the publishing industry is, however, that statements like this gather momentum and become “true” to folks making decisions about which writers to represent and which books to publish.
I’m in progress in a book about a woman who was a nun in the 1960s and 1970s and left to face the world the rest of us lived in after the shelter of the convent: she’s a 45-year-old teenager in the 1980s facing love and work and betrayal from her god. Anyone interested?
Sarah, Sunblossom, Becky B, Magnolia Miller, Boomer Grandparent, Tiger, and Robin Donovan, Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, and to confirm what my heart was telling me. I personally believe that the time is right for such stories, because we’re all in the soup together, and it would be so helpful/inspiring/funny/reassuring to read about what other women our age are going through. Also, how they coped. But not necessarily non-fiction. Thanks again and happy reading!
False. I like reading about women (and people in general) of all ages….Ok Ok…I’m not so much into teen angst..but I can handle some of that too if well written.
False, Not only do I enjoy reading stories about 50 plus women I also enjoy watching Harry’s Law on TV which is about a woman over 50 sort of making a career change. Her whole out look on life and her sense of humor just cracks me up and I totally understand what she is saying and thinking.
I will look for your book.
Don’t look for it yet, Finding. It won’t be out until spring, but thanks for your kind words. Also for the recommendation about Harry’s Law
. I’m going to look for it.
I enjoy watching The Good Wife
on TV, because it has strong female characters, and I read twice the new book by Ann Patchett, State of Wonder
, for the same reason. The two main characters were forty and seventy years of age.
I definitely think it is false, the vibrant ladies over 50 are enjoying life, discovering themseves and want to share with other people of all ages. I just emailed an author about her new book which had a older lady, Harriet in the Old West. She was riding in a stagecoach with her niece, hot and dusty, still not there..
“Oh, just to take this corset off,” Harriett said to no one in particular, then chortled softly at her niece’s shocked expression at her bluntness. “It pinches horribly. I think I’ll throw it away for good.” She paused, thinking. “No…” Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Actually, I’ll burn it.” Carolyn Fyffe – Texas Twilight
I said, “I love to read about feisty, mature women…”
False… although who knows WHAT people “want to read” these days. I continue to be amazed at what makes it onto best seller lists. I think literary higher-ups, just like movie industry higher-ups, are far too attached these days to formulas. One hit book about someone’s life with their dog begats hundreds of books about lives with dogs, no matter how inferior the imitators may be.
Of course, the reasons that formulas exist is because people buy the books and see the movies. And interstingly enough, I do think a 50s Woman Film Formula has emerged: Just take a look at “It’s Complicated” and “Something’s Gotta Give.”
Speaking for myself, I am interested in writing and film that shuns formula. I don’t really care about the age of the characters or subjects. Olive Kitteridge
, a novel whose main character is a midlife teacher, won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Not too shabby.
Sorry, I ramble…
Moongirl, I LOVED O Kittridge!! One of my all time faves. Also Abide with Me by same author, E Strout.
Definitely false! I recently read a book by one of my favorite authors (Barbara Delinsky) and realized that while the main character was young, the other characters were a daughter in her mid-50s and a mother (and her fiance) in their 70s. I enjoyed the interaction of these characters. If it’s well written, they’ll read. ♥
TL your last sentence sums up what I learned from getting feedback from a good number of women. I was trying to counter what an agent told a writer friend of mine, and all of the comments I’ve gotten, in a half-dozen social networks, confirmed that women will read good writing, regardless of subject almost. Thanks.
I comb the shelves,lists,etc exactly FOR stories of women over 50.
We are diverse and exciting. Oh what adventures we have had and still need.
Speaking for myself & my friends of course!
I don’t want to read a book about 20 year olds! I can watch my daughters for that! There’s so much drama back then, and I’ve lived it. I DO want to find out what exciting women my age are doing. The other night I went to a concert with my older neighbor and it was mostly attended by an older audience. I felt so old sitting there, and 2 hours of watching the same foot stomping dance actually woke me up! I vowed to NOT do that again. I still feel like I’m locked inside my 60 year old body with my 40 something trying to get out! Time to put on some Elivs and Ronnie Dunn music and rock my day! How about you?
DianneSue, so you’re saying you don’t want to relive your 20s (amen to that) but you’re not ready for the rocker and the porch (ditto.) Which means you get to figure out your own middle road, what works for you personally. You may not have a lot of role models, and you aren’t sure what’s going to make you happy so you’ll try and discard ideas and strategies until you find a good fit, regardless of reactions by loved ones and friends. THATS EXACTLY what I want to read about!!! God bless you for helping me with this, because that’s exactly what I’m going to write about!
Totally FALSE
Women over 50 have wisdom, the ability to disengage from the craziness and drama of our earlier years….but the real drama of this age is our authenticity, our ability to live in the present and see life more clearly. I love older women with complex histories and characters. Write on!
Thanks, FrizzyLee and Cowgirl! I am as high as a kite from the positive responses to this question.
And in 1968, CBS (Columbia School of Broadcasting) rather abruptly told me (when I applied for admission because I strongly wanted to go into broadcasting as a profession) that they appreciated my interest but there really was no place for women in broadcasting other than secretarial ….
DON”T BELIEVE IT, MY FRIEND!
We are definitely a growing demographic ….. go for it!!!
I wrote an essay about the Beatles – Graffiti on the Wall about their Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Album Cover / Mural.
The 50s were identified by young women’s limited choices of teaching, nursing, clerical or getting married, not necessarily in that order. The 60s were identified by flower children, music of Woodstock; eleven acts including Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, the Who…
Tom Brokaw, noted TV newscaster wrote a book, “Boom” concerning issues of the time, including women in the sixties. They were “stepping up to the plate,” so to speak and to paraphrase a line in the book, “We are not going to take it anymore, we want to be part of what is happening.”
I thought it was interesting that Tom Brokaw wrote a book about the sixties and issues of women at that time – see above…
In 1968, CBS told her that broadcasting was’nt suitable for women..
Totally disagree! I’m reading a fabulous book now, called, “You’re Old, I’m Old . . . Get Used to It” by Virginia Ironside, one of my favorite authros. Such wit and insight she has.
Totally disagree! I’m reading a fabulous book now, called, “You’re Old, I’m Old . . . Get Used to It” by Virginia Ironside, one of my favorite authors. Such wit and insight she has.
I’m in the process of publishing a non-fiction book about women over 50. I’m hopeful the research and interviews in the book will clarify who we are and how we view the world. Like most groups, we aren’t homogenous!
IttyBitty, Mrs.B and Mary, thanks for weighing in. I am happy to tell you that I have not received ONE vote saying we would RATHER read about youngsters. Mary, what’s the name of your book?
False….I personally love to read about women in my age bracket and beyond. I can usually relate in some way even if our lives are totally different. No matter if it is fiction or nonfiction,women of our age have more experience in the good and the bad of what life has to offer.
People enjoy reading books they can identify with whether it is their personal experience or not. I know because that is the one thing women say they like about my non-fiction book. It speaks to them and their issues. We like to know we exist and are appreciated.
Your book sounds great!!!!! I will read it in a New York Minute!
Absolutely false!
I agree with all of you… false! I am always looking for novels about women over fifty. I have written down the ones that have been read by some of you and will read those as soon as I can. Thanks!
Another FALSE!! I’m fascinated reading the lives of those in their 50′s+ In fact last week as I was moving into a new house and my 81 year old dad and his 94 year old “friend” were helping me move in I started asking her about what she’d been doing the last 50 years…….in short living and loving it! now that’s a story to be written!!
Wow. If nobody wants to read novels about women over 50, then I wasted several years writing mine. A Collector of Affections: Tales from a Woman’s Heart
has a savvy and sassy protagonist who meets a charming seatmate during a flight to Madrid. They run off together when they land. I wondered how this 50+ woman would be reviewed. So far, she has fans not only for her lifestyle but because she resonates with the seasoned woman. Romance and the older woman are perfect together. Don’t listen to the naysayers on this one.
I think it doesn’t matter how old are heroes of novel- only matter if it’s interesting written
To all of the fantastic ladies who responded to this post, thank you, and especially thanks for mentioning the titles you liked. What a great way to learn about books about the midlife experience.
I wish Amazon and the rest would create a category for us. There is no way to search for “midlife fiction.” All you get is too much of the same. But I’m going to start lobbying. Maybe if we all do, we can bring about a change.
I don’t think it’s about what 50+ women will read, I think it’s about the perceived value of marketing toward said women. And in our youth-obsessed culture typically run by men (and women) for whom 50 is a distant future point, the idea of marketing to that demographic is financially antithetical.
I’ve been making this argument since I tried to launch a record label in the early 2000′s focused on signing NEW boomer-aged artists; we had tremendous response from potential buyers (and artists!) but the “business” people who are slaves to the easy money and fickle (aka malleable) tastes of youth, were gun-shy. And now, as a 50+ woman attempting to an agent for a novel in the literary fiction category (aka, the kind of books older women read, horrors!:), even one with a mid-30′s character (though several 50+ major characters), I’m finding it hard to crack the code.
Why is that?
Because younger people spend their money and support their tastes much more vibrantly, actively and enthusiasically than women our age. They try new things. They seek out and support new artists. They go out at night! They share the gems they find. They stand in line to buy that new thing, see that hot movie, get an autograph from that buzz worthy star. In other words, they’re the perfect group to market to.
Women our age? Not so much…
I myself have marketed to women of this age-range and found there were too many who claim to want product angled toward their tastes but who too often don’t then get out of the house to buy it, get out to see that movie or play, get out to buy or download that music, get out to patronize that business, listen to that band, or visit that art installation. Young people DO do all those things, all the time and with financial enthusiasm; hence, the market markets to them.
I buy and support artists and businesspeople of every age and always will; age cannot dictate what we choose to enjoy or support. But if we DO want to demand more good product specifically geared to our age range, our best response is to enthusiastically SPEND OUR MONEY on it: support the artists, entrepreneurs, writers, musicians, chefs, etc, who are our age, who are providing worthy product, and who need our proactive involvement, audience, and buying power on every level. Comment on articles, get on social media, link the work of artists you admire, pay attention and share the good stuff you find. The more noise we make, the better. And the best noise we can make is our purchasing, audience and sharing power.
Hey, Lorraine, good to see you here and thanks for the thoughtful comment. (Folks, you can read more of Lorraine’s awesome posts here.)
But to your point, L, I agree that money, great basketsful of money, represents an indicator of marketability, which would therefore speak to those gatekeepers like agents, advertisers, film makers, etc. I also agree that people need to support the things they love (great story about that happening HERE.)
However, you might just have been too early. The boomers are becoming seniors, with more money and time to spend (on average) than other groups, and their numbers are growing. Here’s more on that subject. As soon as the market reaches critical mass, the kids’ll be complaining that we once again dominate everything. At least, that’s what I’m basing my Midlife Fiction writing career on! Best wishes.