Do Women Dominate Publishing?

Planet Money ran an article last week on women and publishing that has me completely flummoxed. As I sink into my thoughts on this piece, I want to preface it by saying that I *adore* Planet Money; it’s my fave show/podcast, and I’ve been a devoted listener for years.

The piece argues that women dominate the book business, and asks why this is not the case for other creative industries. But I don’t agree with the warrant upon which their argument about other industries rest, that women do indeed dominate publishing.

The first and most confusing evidence the article brings to make their argument centers on women authors. The lede discusses a woman, Jessie Gaynor, who has a novel coming out:

“Gaynor is part of a sea change in book publishing that has seen women surge ahead of men in almost every part of the industry in recent years. Once upon…