I agree with you Julie, unfortunately book stores want some way to pigeon hole a book.

Yep, book stores want a genre, so I'm going with inspirational womens lit. Let them find a spot for that...lol. Tate publishing is a Christian publishing house so they'll know where it fits best probably.

Thanks everyone. Libraians should know!! THough my husband reads books by both men and women, but I know I have one in a million...lol.

Men do read books written by women as long as the book has something to say to men. It'd be tough to find a "womanier" book title than mine, "Ribbons of Highway: A Mother-Child Journey Across America," but at least half of my readers are men. I have email relationships with male readers all over the country. And they're repeat buyers. They read the book, then come back for gift copies. If the book is for and about women, men won't read it. If it's about universal issues that speak to a broad cross-section of people, they will, as long as you brand it, position it and market it well.

Thanks Lori, I am prepared to market it well, and I hope to have a forward written by a male friend of mine. It has universal appeal. One person's travel into her past to become healthier for a better future.

That's great, Sherri. I wish you much success. Having a male friend write the forward is a wonderful idea. Cover design is also key. Having a cover that appeals to both men and women will increase your reach. My cover is a photograph I took on the journey that inspired the book. It's a lone biker riding down a thin road into a panorama of purple mountains, and it's the kind of image that has broad appeal -- freedom, adventure, travel, America, dreams...

Another suggestion is to secure early reviews and quotes about the book from men and use these in your promotional material. I put famed author William Least Heat-Moon and a well-respected male talk show host right up front on my website because I wanted to dispel the notion that "Ribbons" is a "chick book" right away.

I'm the Featured Author this month, ladies. Please come by and chat on the Featured Author Forum.

I love your phrase "One person's travel into her past to become healthier for a better future." It definitely sounds like a family saga genre, as well as inspirational. I am just starting my journey into writing, this is gonna be many years in the making and probably split into 2 if not 3 books, all creative non fiction. There might be a fiction piece as well, whatever the Lord lays on my heart. Good luck, and keep us posted!

I decided to go with Women's Fiction, this first book is one of a trilogy of a group of 3 friends. All books will refer back to each other and the same characters will be worked into each new book with the protaganist being a new woman for each book. Title of second book will be "Marysol".

You can see the cover of my book Bitter Water on my websight. If you check it out, leave me a note!