Author |
Topic |
SirUrza
Master of Realmslore
USA
1283 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 18:26:20
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Ahhh been ages since I read that, but that was a Wizards work too if I'm not mistaken and I remember the disguied torture, just not that detailed lol. |
"Evil prevails when good men fail to act." The original and unapologetic Arilyn, Aribeth, Seoni Fanboy. |
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GothicDan
Master of Realmslore
USA
1103 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 18:26:23
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Erik:
I agree with everything you said. I don't want to know a character's sexual orientation unless it contributes to the plot or helps develop the character in a meaningful way (be they straight, bisexual, OR homosexual). A casual flirtation here and there, though, would be just fine in social circumstances, and it would be a nice hint without having to go into a big, superfluous explanation or gratuitous scene.
However, it's the opinion of some at WotC that homosexuality is so rare in the Realms as to not being represented at all, despite evidence that was brought to the contrary (including facts from Ed himself).
Being homosexual, I personally hate when people push GBLT issues where they are not needed; I won't even get started on the gay 'pride' marches. |
Planescape Fanatic
"Fiends and Undead are the peanut butter and jelly of evil." - Me "That attitude should be stomped on, whenever and wherever it's encountered, because it makes people holding such views bad citizens, not just bad roleplayers (considering D&D was structured as a 'forced cooperation' game, and although successive editions are pointing it more and more towards a me-first, min-max game, the drift away from 'we all need each other to succeed' will at some point make it 'no longer' D&D)." - ED GREENWOOD |
Edited by - GothicDan on 11 Jul 2006 18:27:56 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36798 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 19:00:34
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quote: Originally posted by Kuje
I have to bring up the "most fantasy readers are males" comments. According to the August 2006 issue of the Writer's Digest magazine and the editor who wrote the article, this isn't true. She says that the majority of people who read fiction, which fantasy is apart of, are female and only 20% of males, ranging from teens to adults, read fiction.
But does it do a separate breakdown for genre? More girls may be reading than boys, but when it comes to fantasy, it's a male-dominated playground. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 19:25:41
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quote: Originally posted by GothicDan
I don't want to know a character's sexual orientation unless it contributes to the plot or helps develop the character in a meaningful way (be they straight, bisexual, OR homosexual). A casual flirtation here and there, though, would be just fine in social circumstances, and it would be a nice hint without having to go into a big, superfluous explanation or gratuitous scene.
Well said. People are just people, and they shouldn't do anything that doesn't serve the story in some way, whether it's to express a sexual urge or eat an apple.
quote: However, it's the opinion of some at WotC that homosexuality is so rare in the Realms as to not being represented at all, despite evidence that was brought to the contrary (including facts from Ed himself).
Well, I suppose I am not one of that number.
Cheers
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Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
1814 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 19:42:10
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It's possible that the majority of general fantasy readers aren't male, but my impression is that the majority of FR readers are. It's just my impression, though. I don't have any hard data to back it up. |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 19:59:36
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quote: Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote: Originally posted by Kuje
I have to bring up the "most fantasy readers are males" comments. According to the August 2006 issue of the Writer's Digest magazine and the editor who wrote the article, this isn't true. She says that the majority of people who read fiction, which fantasy is apart of, are female and only 20% of males, ranging from teens to adults, read fiction.
But does it do a separate breakdown for genre? More girls may be reading than boys, but when it comes to fantasy, it's a male-dominated playground.
It doesn't, she just says that 80% of fiction readers are female and 20% are male. Fantasy is a genre of fiction though.
"Conventional publishing wisdom has it that guys just don't buy fiction. Men account for only 20 percent of novel sales."
Karen Holt, deputy editor of Publisher's Weekly, says: "The gap starts early, as girls in elementary and middle school read a lot more then boys, picking up a lifelong habit that most men never develop. Whether by cause or effect, most novels are published with women in mind."
There's more quotes about most novel buyers are women and even a genre of males writing for males, a few years back, had failed.
And so, if 80% of females are reading and buying fiction, it stands to reason that it's not a male dominated genre and neither is fantasy since fantasy is a sub-genre of fiction. The number's don't add up if 20% of males are reading and buying fantasy while there's over double that of females that are reading and buying fiction.
Here's some more stat's to back it up:
Women buy 68% of all books. --Lou Aronica, Senior V-P Avon Books. Publishers Weekly, March 22, 1999. http://www.PublishersWeekly.com
And:
55% of fiction is bought by women; 45% by men. --Publishers Weekly, May 12, 1997, page 13.
Now, I know those are dated stats but it shows that the stats have only increased since 1997 and 1999. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
Edited by - Kuje on 11 Jul 2006 21:04:43 |
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GothicDan
Master of Realmslore
USA
1103 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 20:08:59
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Thanks, Erik. I look forward to reading your short story - I recently purchased Realms of the Elves. :) |
Planescape Fanatic
"Fiends and Undead are the peanut butter and jelly of evil." - Me "That attitude should be stomped on, whenever and wherever it's encountered, because it makes people holding such views bad citizens, not just bad roleplayers (considering D&D was structured as a 'forced cooperation' game, and although successive editions are pointing it more and more towards a me-first, min-max game, the drift away from 'we all need each other to succeed' will at some point make it 'no longer' D&D)." - ED GREENWOOD |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 20:30:44
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quote: Originally posted by GothicDan
Thanks, Erik. I look forward to reading your short story - I recently purchased Realms of the Elves. :)
Well, I hope you enjoy it.
No overtly homosexual characters with lines in that, though two do indeed make an appearance.
Lots of sex, though. Some of it could've been other than heterosexual activity, I suppose. Hadn't really thought about it.
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
Edited by - Erik Scott de Bie on 11 Jul 2006 20:31:22 |
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GothicDan
Master of Realmslore
USA
1103 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 20:34:15
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Heh. I wasn't even aware it was overtly sexual in any way. But the fact that you even included any (even if they don't "act" homosexual in any way) cheers me. I wish other novelists could separate themselves (and real world culture) from fantasy as well as you. |
Planescape Fanatic
"Fiends and Undead are the peanut butter and jelly of evil." - Me "That attitude should be stomped on, whenever and wherever it's encountered, because it makes people holding such views bad citizens, not just bad roleplayers (considering D&D was structured as a 'forced cooperation' game, and although successive editions are pointing it more and more towards a me-first, min-max game, the drift away from 'we all need each other to succeed' will at some point make it 'no longer' D&D)." - ED GREENWOOD |
Edited by - GothicDan on 11 Jul 2006 20:36:00 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36798 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 21:11:45
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quote: Originally posted by Kuje
quote: Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote: Originally posted by Kuje
I have to bring up the "most fantasy readers are males" comments. According to the August 2006 issue of the Writer's Digest magazine and the editor who wrote the article, this isn't true. She says that the majority of people who read fiction, which fantasy is apart of, are female and only 20% of males, ranging from teens to adults, read fiction.
But does it do a separate breakdown for genre? More girls may be reading than boys, but when it comes to fantasy, it's a male-dominated playground.
It doesn't, she just says that 80% of fiction readers are female and 20% are male. Fantasy is a genre of fiction though.
"Conventional publishing wisdom has it that guys just don't buy fiction. Men account for only 20 percent of novel sales."
Karen Holt, deputy editor of Publisher's Weekly, says: "The gap starts early, as girls in elementary and middle school read a lot more then boys, picking up a lifelong habit that most men never develop. Whether by cause or effect, most novels are published with women in mind."
There's more quotes about most novel buyers are women and even a genre of males writing for males, a few years back, had failed.
And so, if 80% of females are reading and buying fiction, it stands to reason that it's not a male dominated genre and neither is fantasy since fantasy is a sub-genre of fiction. The number's don't add up if 20% of males are reading and buying fantasy while there's over double that of females that are reading and buying fiction.
You're assuming that the distribution of numbers is constant across genres. It isn't. Of the people reading fiction, there may indeed be more females than males. But that doesn't mean that each genre within fiction is going to get that same distribution -- if it did, it would mean that there's as many guys reading romance novels as there are reading fantasy. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 21:23:43
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quote: Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
You're assuming that the distribution of numbers is constant across genres. It isn't. Of the people reading fiction, there may indeed be more females than males. But that doesn't mean that each genre within fiction is going to get that same distribution -- if it did, it would mean that there's as many guys reading romance novels as there are reading fantasy.
Nope,
Sorry I'm not assuming that since what the editor is saying in her article does not match what you are claiming. Sorry, Wooly but you are arguing over what a editor is claiming and I think she wouldn't write an article like this if she didn't know the sales figures. If only 20% of the sales figures say that males read/buy fiction then it's not male dominated. 80%, last time I went to school, is still more then 20%.
So, show me a source that says more males buy/read fiction that disagrees with what the editor is saying with her sales figures, and then I'll believe you. Until then, you are not showing me any evidance to back up what you claim while I've found at least three to four figures that claim different stats then what you are claiming.
Even if 5% of the 80% of females that read fiction buy fantasy that is still 4% of the market of females that read/buy fiction.
And if we use the same 5% of the 20% of males that read fitction buy fantasy that is only 1% of the market of males that read/buy fiction.
And thus, female buyers of fantasy still beat male buyers of fantasy if those buyers are only buying fantasy because 4% is more then 1%. |
Edited by - Kuje on 11 Jul 2006 21:36:23 |
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Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 21:39:21
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They most likely do, however, if of those 20% of males reading 80% do read fantasy and of the 80% females only 5% you will prolly have the majority on the male side. |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 21:40:44
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quote: Originally posted by GothicDan
Heh. I wasn't even aware it was overtly sexual in any way. But the fact that you even included any (even if they don't "act" homosexual in any way) cheers me. I wish other novelists could separate themselves (and real world culture) from fantasy as well as you.
Well, I wouldn't say that I "separate" myself from fantasy -- my writing is more an expression of my inner self, about as un-separated as you can get. But I understand what you mean: divorcing real world stigma from fantasy writing. It's important that a fantasy world be consistent, but not consistently our own.
There are, indeed, two homosexual (in this case, lesbian) characters in "The Greater Treasure."
And, depending on how you look at it, there's at least one homosexual (in this case, gay male) character in Ghostwalker, though his sexuality isn't that important in the novel and doesn't bring that much to bear on it, and one character who's somewhat. . . well.
And that's all I've got to say about that. I don't want this thread to become about sexualities in the Realms -- 'twas originally about sex in general -- though I have much enjoyed our discussions, Dan.
Cheers
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Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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GothicDan
Master of Realmslore
USA
1103 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 21:54:53
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I too, Erik. Thanks for your thoughts and time. :) |
Planescape Fanatic
"Fiends and Undead are the peanut butter and jelly of evil." - Me "That attitude should be stomped on, whenever and wherever it's encountered, because it makes people holding such views bad citizens, not just bad roleplayers (considering D&D was structured as a 'forced cooperation' game, and although successive editions are pointing it more and more towards a me-first, min-max game, the drift away from 'we all need each other to succeed' will at some point make it 'no longer' D&D)." - ED GREENWOOD |
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Shere Khan
Acolyte
36 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 22:02:24
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quote: Originally posted by Kuje
It doesn't, she just says that 80% of fiction readers are female and 20% are male. Fantasy is a genre of fiction though.
quote:
"Conventional publishing wisdom has it that guys just don't buy fiction. Men account for only 20 percent of novel sales."
And so, if 80% of females are reading and buying fiction, it stands to reason that it's not a male dominated genre and neither is fantasy since fantasy is a sub-genre of fiction.
You're stretching the original quote too far. This is like saying that since Bush won the US election he must also have won the state of California because California is part of the US. Yet he did not win California, he lost there.
You must take into account that the single largest segment of the fiction market consists of romance novels. The romance market is huge and dwarfs sci-fi/fantasy in size. In addition, the romance market consists almost entirely of voracious female readers. Romance novels aimed at men on the other hand have been a dismal failure. So the romance subcategory skews the fiction numbers significantly.
Sci-Fi/Fantasy has historically been heavily male-dominated. Female authors used to have great difficulty getting publishers to even look at their novels. That has been changing over the past 15 years or so with the cultural popularization of the genre (LoTR, Buffy, Charmed, Angel, etc...) and the explosion of successful female authors. There are also some immensely successful hybrid authors such as Laurel K. Hamilton who package what would otherwise be considered a raunchy romance novel into a fantasy setting. While I don't know the current numbers, I'm not inclined to believe that 80% of sci-fi/fantasy readers are female. In addition, I don't believe that FR novels (excepting Salvatore's works) have penetrated particularly far into the female demographic.
That said, I think that if it hasn't happened yet, it's only a matter of time before most fantasy readers are female. As a long time reader of fantasy novels I have felt the genre changing over the past two decades in order to accomodate their tastes. So I do agree with you on the bigger picture Kuje.
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Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
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GothicDan
Master of Realmslore
USA
1103 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 22:11:16
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Remember, there's no single religion or culture that dominates the Realms, Mace, so that answer is: it varies. |
Planescape Fanatic
"Fiends and Undead are the peanut butter and jelly of evil." - Me "That attitude should be stomped on, whenever and wherever it's encountered, because it makes people holding such views bad citizens, not just bad roleplayers (considering D&D was structured as a 'forced cooperation' game, and although successive editions are pointing it more and more towards a me-first, min-max game, the drift away from 'we all need each other to succeed' will at some point make it 'no longer' D&D)." - ED GREENWOOD |
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GothicDan
Master of Realmslore
USA
1103 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 22:14:45
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To Shere Khan:
Kuje's assumptions are not completely unfounded. Let's say that only a quarter of males read fantasy (a good estimate, I think), which is 5% of male fiction readers. Let's say a tenth of females read fantasy (which is significantly a smaller percentage), and that still means 8% of female fiction readers.
It's still not a male-dominated industry. I know numerous females who read fantasy, from Dragonlance to Wheel of Time to Piers Anthony to Terry Pratchett.
The fact that WotC ASSUMES that females wouldn't be interested in fantasy is what makes their demographics show it - because they keep writing novels that specifically appeal to male readers (and often I'm not one of them, myself). Elaine Cunningham and Margaret Weis are two huge names in fantasy D&D novel writing, and their novels do appeal more to females than the novels of males do.
It's a self-perpetuating condition, it seems. |
Planescape Fanatic
"Fiends and Undead are the peanut butter and jelly of evil." - Me "That attitude should be stomped on, whenever and wherever it's encountered, because it makes people holding such views bad citizens, not just bad roleplayers (considering D&D was structured as a 'forced cooperation' game, and although successive editions are pointing it more and more towards a me-first, min-max game, the drift away from 'we all need each other to succeed' will at some point make it 'no longer' D&D)." - ED GREENWOOD |
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Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 22:15:15
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I know, it still would be interesting to know.
Also are there STDs in the Realms?
...maybe I have to look into the Book of Erotic Fantasy just for that sort of crunch... |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
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GothicDan
Master of Realmslore
USA
1103 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 22:17:24
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What do you mean, it would still be interesting to know, exactly? You know, now. It varies from region to region, so there's no answer to your question as stated.
I doubt that some cultures even have a legal marrying age (such as the Uthgardt). |
Planescape Fanatic
"Fiends and Undead are the peanut butter and jelly of evil." - Me "That attitude should be stomped on, whenever and wherever it's encountered, because it makes people holding such views bad citizens, not just bad roleplayers (considering D&D was structured as a 'forced cooperation' game, and although successive editions are pointing it more and more towards a me-first, min-max game, the drift away from 'we all need each other to succeed' will at some point make it 'no longer' D&D)." - ED GREENWOOD |
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Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 22:23:29
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quote: Originally posted by Shere Khan
In addition, I don't believe that FR novels (excepting Salvatore's works) have penetrated particularly far into the female demographic.
?
I'd have thought most of Salvatore's readers are teenage males. |
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Dremvek
Seeker
70 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 22:34:44
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Regarding the fiction stats: You really can't extrapolate out the data when you are saying all of fiction. What percentage of all fiction does fantasy sales represent? 5%? 10%? Seriously, it's not a huge market. How many fantasy books or FR books crack the top 10 in a general fiction bestseller list?
Let's assume that fantasy readers are only 10% of fiction readers (which I would even guess to be on the high side). Fantasy readers could be 100% male, and sitll fall into the statistic that Kuje has provided.
Now let's even assume that fantasy reading is 50% male, 50% female. How is that skewed by huge releases such as Harry Potter? That single book series has sold as many books probably as all of FR combined, with the exception perhaps of Salvatore.
Basically, what I'm saying is you can't make those judgements based on 1 statistic. Let's say there's a party and 100 guests are attending. You learn that the average net worth of the people at the party is $800 million. You can't make the assumption that it's a party of all millionairs - it could be 98 dirt-poor people with Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. It doesn't take much to skew these averages.
In the same way, these book reading averages can be skewed. Perhaps 50% of all fiction being read is romance novels. Perhaps 99% of these readers are female. If that's the case, then your ratio for all non-romance fiction becomes 60% female and 40% male. |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 22:46:45
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quote: Originally posted by Mace Hammerhand
I know, it still would be interesting to know.
Also are there STDs in the Realms?
...maybe I have to look into the Book of Erotic Fantasy just for that sort of crunch...
Yes there are and I think Ed's mentioned them before. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 22:51:28
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As I said,
Until someone shows me stats that say that fantasy fiction is male dominated and that disagree with the sales figures that this editor mentioned in her article then her stats are what I'm going to believe over someone that keeps going, "Fantasy fiction is is male dominated."
Now, again, all I ask for is stats to show that this is the case. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 23:00:30
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quote: Originally posted by Kuje
Until someone shows me stats that say that fantasy fiction is male dominated and that disagree with the sales figures that this editor mentioned in her article
Uhm, but as people have been trying to get across several times in several consecutive posts in the last few minutes, a figure that shows there're more male fantasy readers than female would not necessarily contradict the sales figure this editor mentioned.
*bangs head against wall* |
Edited by - Winterfox on 11 Jul 2006 23:02:02 |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 23:04:46
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quote: Originally posted by Winterfox
quote: Originally posted by Kuje
Until someone shows me stats that say that fantasy fiction is male dominated and that disagree with the sales figures that this editor mentioned in her article
Uhm, but as people have been trying to get across several times in several consecutive posts in the last few minutes, a figure that shows there're more male fantasy readers than female would not necessarily contradict the sales figure this editor mentioned.
*bangs head against wall*
You're point? I still want to see the stats that claim fantasy fiction is male dominated since the editors sales figures disagree. It's not that hard to answer. If no one can supply them, then I don't believe that fantasy fiction is male dominated since, as I said more then once, 80% is still more then 20% the last time I went to school. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
Edited by - Kuje on 11 Jul 2006 23:05:45 |
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Shere Khan
Acolyte
36 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 23:28:48
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quote: Originally posted by GothicDan
To Shere Khan:
It's still not a male-dominated industry. I know numerous females who read fantasy, from Dragonlance to Wheel of Time to Piers Anthony to Terry Pratchett.
I didn't say it is male-dominated. I said it used to be. As I mentioned previously, that has been changing for the past 2 decades. It may well be that female fantasy readers are in the majority now. If not, then they soon will be. Nevertheless, both mathematically and logically speaking, the conclusion that female fantasy readers are in the majority can't be logically or mathematically drawn from the evidence that was presented regarding fiction readers as a whole. I'm not saying the conclusion was totally incorrect, only that assumptions that -might- turn out to be incorrect were made in order to reach it.
quote:
The fact that WotC ASSUMES that females wouldn't be interested in fantasy is what makes their demographics show it - because they keep writing novels that specifically appeal to male readers (and often I'm not one of them, myself). Elaine Cunningham and Margaret Weis are two huge names in fantasy D&D novel writing, and their novels do appeal more to females than the novels of males do.
It's a self-perpetuating condition, it seems.
I agree with you 100% here. Margaret Weis (along with Tracy Hickman) was responsible for the hugely successful Dragonlance trilogies which opened the door to the rest of the D&D books that have been published since. Elaine has also been highly successful. Interestingly enough, both authors favor character development over gratuitous combat scenes. But they are few among many. |
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GothicDan
Master of Realmslore
USA
1103 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 23:47:13
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I think we're severely lacking some statistics, here. I can't find any good ones on Google myself.
But according to a friend of mine, a recent 'chick' magazine said that, if you count Buffy/Angel as fantasy, there statistically are more female fans of FANTASY. Not just fiction. Adding in the wild success of authors like Laurel K. Hamilton, Nora Roberts/JD Robb, and Anne Rice - all of which I would consider fantasy writers - then, well, I think I could see females at the very least rivaling males in terms of fantasy readers.
So there's something to chew on, too. |
Planescape Fanatic
"Fiends and Undead are the peanut butter and jelly of evil." - Me "That attitude should be stomped on, whenever and wherever it's encountered, because it makes people holding such views bad citizens, not just bad roleplayers (considering D&D was structured as a 'forced cooperation' game, and although successive editions are pointing it more and more towards a me-first, min-max game, the drift away from 'we all need each other to succeed' will at some point make it 'no longer' D&D)." - ED GREENWOOD |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 23:53:53
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quote: Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
And, depending on how you look at it, there's at least one homosexual (in this case, gay male) character in Ghostwalker, though his sexuality isn't that important in the novel and doesn't bring that much to bear on it, and one character who's somewhat. . . well.
I think I know who the gay male character was (at least, that's how I saw him).
But most of all, as a straight female I'd love to see more handsome nude men in these books. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams." --Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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GothicDan
Master of Realmslore
USA
1103 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 23:54:36
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Here here! /cough |
Planescape Fanatic
"Fiends and Undead are the peanut butter and jelly of evil." - Me "That attitude should be stomped on, whenever and wherever it's encountered, because it makes people holding such views bad citizens, not just bad roleplayers (considering D&D was structured as a 'forced cooperation' game, and although successive editions are pointing it more and more towards a me-first, min-max game, the drift away from 'we all need each other to succeed' will at some point make it 'no longer' D&D)." - ED GREENWOOD |
Edited by - GothicDan on 11 Jul 2006 23:54:55 |
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