What is the Gender Breakdown of Authors?

The gender breakdown of authors depends heavily on the category being measured — fiction vs. nonfiction, trade publishing vs. academic publishing, genre fiction, bestseller lists, or historical trends. But overall, the publishing industry has shifted dramatically over the past 50 years.

Overall Book Publishing (U.S. & English-language market)

Recent large-scale studies show that women now publish roughly half — and in some sectors, slightly more than half — of all books.

Key findings:

• In 1970, women published about 25–33% as many books as men.

• By 2020, women produced the majority of books published in the U.S. market. 

• One study using Amazon, Goodreads, and Library of Congress data found women’s share rose from about 20% in the 1970s to over 50% by 2020. 

Approximate Current Breakdown (Trade Publishing)

Category	Male Authors	Female Authors
General trade publishing	~45–50%	~50–55%
Fiction overall	~35–45%	~55–65%
Romance / YA fiction	~20–35%	~65–80%
Literary fiction	Near parity, often female-leaning	Near parity or higher
Nonfiction overall	~55–65%	~35–45%
History / politics / military nonfiction	Often male-dominated	Minority female
Academic/STEM publishing	~60–75% male	~25–40% female

Fiction vs. Nonfiction

The clearest divide today is not total publishing, but genre:

Fiction

Women now dominate many fiction categories:

• Romance

• Young Adult

• Domestic suspense

• Contemporary literary fiction

Several bestseller lists and literary awards now skew female. 

Nonfiction

Men still dominate in:

• Political books

• Military history

• Economics/business

• Serious narrative nonfiction

• STEM and academic publishing

A recent analysis noted that over 60% of UK nonfiction bestsellers were authored by men. 

Academic & Scientific Publishing

Academic publishing remains male-dominated overall, though the gap is narrowing:

• Women represent roughly 40% of newer scientific researchers

• Men still publish more papers on average and hold more senior authorship positions. 

Historical Perspective

Historically:

• Publishing was overwhelmingly male until the late 20th century.

• Many female writers used male pseudonyms or initials:

  • George Eliot

  • J. K. Rowling

  • Currer Bell

    
    

Today, the market is much closer to parity overall, with women leading in many consumer fiction categories.

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