Does female MC = book aimed toward girls?

I personally love female MC's, but a lot of agents do seem to be searching for boy-driven MG/YA. Not sure why. There are also plenty who say "no boy books" So it really depends.

Your story sounds fun though, I'd just keep searching for agents. Don't worry about appeasing the ones who are looking for something else.

While agents would like more boy centered books, I'm sure they won't pass up a well written, interesting book with a female MC. I wouldn't worry about that part of it...if your book is good, a lot of agents will want to represent it regardless of the sex of the MC.

And...there are books with female characters that boys will read. I teach high school and a lot of my male students will read books with female main characters. Some of their favorites are Some Girls Are (Courtney Summers), Crank (Ellen Hopkins), The DUFF (Kody Keplinger, and Divergents (Veronica Roth).

Good luck querying!

That's interesting because, just last week or two, I saw a thread that basically said the opposite. It implied that YA books are predominately female-lead driven, and that it's male writers who have an advantage when it comes to getting published.

Personally, I think it's all crap - write a great novel and you can have a boy, girl or a giraffe as your main character and it will still be successful.

It shouldn't do, but depending on the story and the decisions made about marketing it, it might.

Some teen boys are reluctant to pick up books with female leads, is all I can think of.

It does not really matter what gender your protagonist is when it comes to who the story will appeal too.

What matter is the construction and tone of the STORY. I'd never be stupid enough to say that clearly splits along gender lines either, because I personally don't believe gender lines exist.

But if you write a detective story, people who like detective stories will probably enjoy it. If it includes other elements, then you might entice people who enjoy those elements into reading as well.

That's how it works, roughly.

I think it depends.

In general, most people still assume "female protagonist = girl's book", but not necessarily the opposite. That said, there are lots of contrary examples. For instance, I don't think that I'd call The Hunger Games a girl's book, despite that the protagonist is female. The same could be said for any number of others.

Mutive said:

In general, most people still assume "female protagonist = girl's book", but not necessarily the opposite. That said, there are lots of contrary examples. For instance, I don't think that I'd call The Hunger Games a girl's book, despite that the protagonist is female. The same could be said for any number of others.

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This; very much this. The boys in my eighth-grade ELA classes all lined up for MOCKINGJAY when it came out, and one boy in particular, a steady but very slow reader, had been waiting for it with ill-concealed impatience! That book sat on his desk as a badge of pride when it was his turn to borrow it; he loved that series.

The boys in that same class also liked James Patterson's MAXIMUM RIDE series, and the ALCHEMYST books, which have a pair of brother/sister protagonists (it's this one, Chumala, that I specifically thought of when you said the story was told through the perspective of your detective's sighted male friend).

I think in the case of all the above books, it is the action/adventure feel to the novels and the pacing of them which grabbed the readers. As Zoombie said, if there are readers who enjoy the type of story you write, they will read it.

Standard wisdom is boys only read books with boy MCs, while girls will read either... but we all know there are plenty of exceptions. Then there are some boy MC books, like Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You, and Flash Burnout, which probably have a predominantly female audience.

Publishers (and agents) ALWAYS say they want more male MC books, but they rarely buy them. In my experience, anyway. If it is a great book, let them decide where to shelve it and who to market it to later.

Mharvey said:

Personally, I think it's all crap - write a great novel and you can have a boy, girl or a giraffe as your main character and it will still be successful.

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I'm quoting this because it's awesome and I agree with it.

The Hunger Games has a female lead, and I've known boys who have read it. Of course, it isn't a really mushy, romance story. So, I don't think that a female MC will make it aimed towards girls. You just need a plot to work with it, in my opinion.

I don't think it sounds like a girly book, especially if you focus mostly on the blind detective/mystery aspect.

Sullivan Lee said:

Standard wisdom is boys only read books with boy MCs, while girls will read either... but we all know there are plenty of exceptions.

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This basically. It's why a book with an african american/black mc gets put in "urban fiction." The marketing department(s) seems to think white males only read about other white males.

I've read a few surveys, and overall men definitely show more reluctance when they're expected to put themselves in the mind of a female character. I think I read some just can't relate.

Sure the story matters too, but why does a girl have to have a freakin crossbow to appeal to male readers?

Welcome to the patriarchy and whatnot

missesdash said:

This basically. It's why a book with an african american/black mc gets put in "urban fiction." The marketing department(s) seems to think white males only read about other white males.

I've read a few surveys, and overall men definitely show more reluctance when they're expected to put themselves in the mind of a female character. I think I read some just can't relate.

Sure the story matters too, but why does a girl have to have a freakin crossbow to appeal to male readers?

Welcome to the patriarchy and whatnot

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This. I don't think some people realize that we still live in a patriarchy, and there's still a huge gender divide. The feminist movement of the 60's and 70's didn't solve everything. Girls are still expected to relate to boys--actually, they're forced to, because in all genres but YA boys dominate as the protagonists--but boys aren't expected to relate to girls. At all. That's why we have women's lit and women's studies, because women are still a "special interest". >_> Same thing with other marginalized groups: POC, LGBTQ, etc etc.

Fun fact: Joanne Rowling adopted the pen name of J.K. Rowling because marketers thought that boys wouldn't want to read a book written by a women. That is fucked. And a great example of what I'm talking about.

ETA: Just wanted to add something else. If anyone's read the A Song of Ice and Fire series, there are two sisters in there who are polar opposites, Arya and Sansa. Sansa is the lady, the one who adheres to traditional femininity, while Arya skews towards traditional strength (aka masculinity.) The fan favourite, of course, is Arya, who is a woman, yes, but one that embodies traditional strength and is thus more, I don't know, "worthy" of our like, because traditional femininity is weakness, and a lot of women want to reject that. So yeah, Arya is still a girl, but because she embodies male characteristics she's more well-liked. I guess it explains why boys might like Katniss of The Hunger Games more, because they feel they can relate to that aspect.

It's also worth noting that Sansa is a very passive "protagonist", when we're in her PoV. She always goes with the flow, gets married off like a piece of merchandise and never really stands up for herself.

Arya is very active. She does not accept any hand she's ever dealt and it's her way or the highway. Yes, she is a tomboy, but that's not *really* why she's popular I don't think. It's that she's an admirable kid, has her own goals and plans, and sees them through against all odds. Very much unlike Sansa.

I think it's less that Sansa is the icon of femininity and more that she's... well... a passive, boring character. Hell, George R.R. Martin wrote about 300 characters - and like 20 of them get PoVs. Some are bound to fall flat.

Bottom line, a girl can still be strong *and* feminine. They can want things, fight an uphill battle to get these things, and inspire readers without becoming men with breasts.

Read the Daughter of the Empire trilogy by Raymond Fiest. Phenomenal story about a very feminine girl (hell, she starts out as the equivalent of a nun in a convent) who is thrust into a patriarchal leadership role in a society where women are usually treated as property. She becomes ruthless and strong, but never really loses her femininity. She plays the game of politics, even marries herself off... very Sansa-ish, but never loses sight of the prize: to rule her house in no man's shadow.

Mharvey said:

It's also worth noting that Sansa is a very passive "protagonist", when we're in her PoV. She always goes with the flow, gets married off like a piece of merchandise and never really stands up for herself.

Arya is very active. She does not accept any hand she's ever dealt and it's her way or the highway. Yes, she is a tomboy, but that's not *really* why she's popular I don't think. It's that she's an admirable kid, has her own goals and plans, and sees them through against all odds. Very much unlike Sansa.

I think it's less that Sansa is the icon of femininity and more that she's... well... a passive, boring character. Hell, George R.R. Martin wrote about 300 characters - and like 20 of them get PoVs. Some are bound to fall flat.

Bottom line, a girl can still be strong *and* feminine. They can want things, fight an uphill battle to get these things, and inspire readers without becoming men with breasts.

Read the Daughter of the Empire trilogy by Raymond Fiest. Phenomenal story about a very feminine girl (hell, she starts out as the equivalent of a nun in a convent) who is thrust into a patriarchal leadership role in a society where women are usually treated as property. She becomes ruthless and strong, but never really loses her femininity. She plays the game of politics, even marries herself off... very Sansa-ish, but never loses sight of the prize: to rule her house in no man's shadow.

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I don't agree with you re: Sansa. That's just a matter of taste, and yeah, she isn't a fan favorite, but I know plenty of people who love her. I like both girls, honestly, but I'm wont to defend Sansa. I do find Sansa interesting. First and foremost because between her and Arya, she is the most realistically portrayed for women in that world. GRRM writes some great women, and the women of his world mirror those of ours. (As an aside--this is why I believe Cersei gets so much hate and Jaime doesn't. She's a woman and the only power has at her disposal is sexual, so she's seen as a slut when really it's just a bargaining tool. Jaime, meanwhile, is praised for his redemption arc... what redemption arc, I ask?)

ANYway, Sansa is like most other ladies of Westeros who aim for/aspire to be feminine. Arya is the exception the to rule, the special snowflake who doesn't want to adhere to the norm... and I think it's interesting to read about the lady who doesn't want to be different, for a change. She doesn't scheme like Cersei or learn to fight like Arya. She's one of your girls that just wants what most other girls her age want, and that's really relatable. What I'm saying is: Not everyone wants to be or can be special snowflake. And I think she gets flak for that where Arya gets praise. Moreover, Arya can be strong and feminine (I never said she wasn't), but when I say she's praised for her strength, it's the traditional strength she's praised for. She may preserve her femininity, but people are still cheering for her because she adheres to traditional strength. That's what I'm trying to say. She proves that girls can kick ass, yeah, and there's no question about it, but the real issue is that that seems to be the reason why people like her. (And also why people hate Sansa and Cersei.) And by "people", I mean the majority of fandom, just to be clear.

I'll definitely check out your suggestion though, it sounds superb. Also, I totally didn't mean to derail this thread, I'm just obsessed with ASOIAF, haha.

waitingfordawn said:

I don't agree with you re: Sansa. That's just a matter of taste, and yeah, she isn't a fan favorite, but I know plenty of people who love her. I like both girls, honestly, but I'm wont to defend Sansa. I do find Sansa interesting. First and foremost because between her and Arya, she is the most realistically portrayed for women in that world. GRRM writes some great women, and the women of his world mirror those of ours. (As an aside--this is why I believe Cersei gets so much hate and Jaime doesn't. She's a woman and the only power has at her disposal is sexual, so she's seen as a slut when really it's just a bargaining tool. Jaime, meanwhile, is praised for his redemption arc... what redemption arc, I ask?)

ANYway, Sansa is like most other ladies of Westeros who aim for/aspire to be feminine. Arya is the exception the to rule, the special snowflake who doesn't want to adhere to the norm... and I think it's interesting to read about the lady who doesn't want to be different, for a change. She doesn't scheme like Cersei or learn to fight like Arya. She's one of your girls that just wants what most other girls her age want, and that's really relatable. What I'm saying is: Not everyone wants to be or can be special snowflake. And I think she gets flak for that where Arya gets praise. Moreover, Arya can be strong and feminine (I never said she wasn't), but when I say she's praised for her strength, it's the traditional strength she's praised for. She may preserve her femininity, but people are still cheering for her because she adheres to traditional strength. That's what I'm trying to say. She proves that girls can kick ass, yeah, and there's no question about it, but the real issue is that that seems to be the reason why people like her. (And also why people hate Sansa and Cersei.) And by "people", I mean the majority of fandom, just to be clear.

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I hated Sansa in the beginning of the book. Not because she was too feminine, or because she wanted to get married to a handsome and powerful man who could rtect her, but because she lets the fantasy marriage/prince thing control her. When her direwolf dies, I was completely sympathetic. Even though I didn't like how she blamed Arya for everything because admitting Joffrey is a douche would ruin her perfect fantasy marriage, it was a relaistic response to her situation. And, when she becomes a more active character later in the series, I actually liked her as a character. I can't say how many other male fans disliked her for the same reason.

I like Arya because she is an active character. The fact that her activeness takes the form of tomboyishness which is a bit odd in the setting in question has nothing to do with it. If she wanted a husband and went after that actively, I would like her just as much. She has a goal, and she fights for it. That's what makes her sympathetic.

I actually love Cersei. I mean, she's an obvious villain... she has that against her. She was responsible for Eddard Stark's death - pretty sure he was the only actually good person over 20 in the entire book.

Again, she's just very active, *extremely* ambitious and just without mercy in any way... yet she is definitely feminine. She's not a kick-ass/take names girl. She's a spider.

*continues derail*

I love Cersei, especially in AFFC. It was hilarious reading all of her insane thoughts

I disliked Sansa in the first book because she was such an idiot/ too naive to read without cringing, but in the later books I didn't mind her at all. Arya is cool in many ways, but I feel like her character is almost stock, as she feels exactly like Alanna from THE SONG OF THE LIONESS (tomboy goes off to fight).

Btw, why don't more boys read Tamora Pierce's books? It seems that mostly girls do, but her books are pretty action-packed/kickass and should appeal to boys. Only, they all have girl MCs who are often front-and-center on the cover. Maybe that explains it.

chocowrites said:

Btw, why don't more boys read Tamora Pierce's books? It seems that mostly girls do, but her books are pretty action-packed/kickass and should appeal to boys. Only, they all have girl MCs who are often front-and-center on the cover. Maybe that explains it.

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I've only read a few Tamora Pierce books, and that would have been about ten years ago, but don't they mostly have very feminist, girl-power themes and messages? I could imagine why they don't appeal to boys the same way as girls, kind of like the Spice Girls appealed way more to girls.

(not dissing Tamora Pierce -- I adore the Spice Girls, lol)

I feel like you guys are slightly missing my point, but oh well. Whatevs. *shrugs* I must say though, I'm liking this Cersei love. So many people hate her. I personally like her because she's a villain. Morally ambiguous characters are always the most fun to read about.

As for the Tamora Pierce books, well... many people have already said it. Boys aren't expected to read "girl" books. Feminism is only for women, apparently (that's so second wave...). I'll be the first to confess didn't like them much, though. I didn't like the Trickster series either, and that's about all of her books that I've read. It was my inability to connect to the characters, now that I think about it, which has all to do with me and not the quality of the books. Most people I know love her books.

waitingfordawn said:

This. I don't think some people realize that we still live in a patriarchy, and there's still a huge gender divide. The feminist movement of the 60's and 70's didn't solve everything. Girls are still expected to relate to boys--actually, they're forced to, because in all genres but YA boys dominate as the protagonists--but boys aren't expected to relate to girls. At all. That's why we have women's lit and women's studies, because women are still a "special interest". >_> Same thing with other marginalized groups: POC, LGBTQ, etc etc.

Fun fact: Joanne Rowling adopted the pen name of J.K. Rowling because marketers thought that boys wouldn't want to read a book written by a women. That is fucked. And a great example of what I'm talking about.

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I just wanted to pop in and say: HOLY COW THIS! We don't need more "boy books", we need a cultural shift. How about we get people to read about someone other than themselves? How about we finally put this stigma of everything female and feminine as weak, uninteresting, and just for women to bed?

Ahem. Carry on.

KateSmash said:

I just wanted to pop in and say: HOLY COW THIS! We don't need more "boy books", we need a cultural shift. How about we get people to read about someone other than themselves? How about we finally put this stigma of everything female and feminine as weak, uninteresting, and just for women to bed?

Ahem. Carry on.

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Yeah. I always find it interesting that people are unable to relate to "women's" issues. It's like there's this stigma against all that is female. Thankfully, it seems like things are changing a bit with TV, especially Nickelodeon.

Anyway, for me, it doesn't matter. I'm prejudiced against weak, whiny, self-absorbed, privileged characters. That's the only that factors in to me when I'm looking at a protagonist.

I grew up (8 - 11) in Alabama and I didn't notice much of a reading choice based on protagonists. Surprisingly, a lot of the kids liked to read because they had it based on rewards systems and they didn't judge too much on whether or not it was a girl or a boy book.

I wish people would just give kids books to read and stop trying to decide if they should read a certain book or watch a certain TV show based on whether the MC is a girl or a boy. I find it sad that some movies still think it's comedy to have a guy shy away and plug his ears whenever a girl mentions anything related to menstruation because it's icky. I mean, it is for me, but it's not exactly comical.

/derail

So, write your book. And I'd talk to some teenage boys who read YA. I don't know a lot, but I do know one who reads (and writes) a lot of PNR and UF from female POV.