Do women like 'chick-lit' stories told from a man's point of view?

[SteveScaffardi]

I ask this question because last year I published my first novel. I never set out to write a 'chick-lit' novel, but the more reviews my book got, the more it got referred to as 'chick-lit for men.' On one hand I was pleased to get positive reviews, but on the other I was slightly concerned that I may have ended up writing the one style of genre I always gave my girlfriend a hard time for reading!

 

I have read novels by Mike Gayle and Nick Spalding, and as a man I can relate a lot more because the stories are often told from a guys point of view. But do female chick-lit fans find the male point of view as interesting or as fun as when told by the girl? I have tried picking up a few of my girlfriends chick-lit novels and I struggle if I'm honest (but that could be my male pride and ego refusing to allow me to enjoy the book!).

 

It would be interested to see what genuine chick-lit fans think the major differences are, and what they consider to be positive or negative when a guy writes chick-lit. From my point of view, I think I steer more away from romance and more towards the comedy element that everyone finds themselves in at some point when it comes to the dating game or relationships.

 

Don;t get me wrong - falling in love is great and all that, but I can't help but find those stories all a bit too 'nice'. I find it much more fun to read about all the things that go wrong! I could be completely wrong here, especially as my knowledge of the works of Louise Bagshawe and co is rather limited.

 

(And I only know that name because I just took a peek at my girlfriend's book collection!)

 

I am in the process of writing my second novel, so it would be good to get an even balance of what works from both the male and female perspective.

[Ruth]

Well...I guess everyone's different, but I personally prefer the kind of books that Mike Gayle or Matt Dunn write, to most chicklit written by women. Some female written chicklit is great (I really recommend Gemma Burgess's novels), and I'm certainly not a snob about the genre, but I generally find chicklit pretty predictable. (Girl meets boy, and after a few hiccups, they get together.)

 

I am not really surprised that you have struggled with traditional chicklit, as I think it is VERY heavily aimed towards a female market. LIke you, i find the comedy element is much more appealing than the romance element.

[SteveScaffardi]

This is true! I remember reading an article when the top ten best-selling authors one year were all men, and the criticism was that you could never relate to the characters in chick-lit.