between the rock and the cold, cold sea

Over at Tor.com, they've recently released the list for the eighth month of Barnes&Noble "Booksellers' Picks." (The post in question is here, btw.)

As I said in a comment over there, the recent publication of the 2011 SF Count over at Strange Horizons inspired me to do a little maths. Namely, the proportion of male to female authors or editors featured in the Barnes and Noble Booksellers' Picks.

Here are the numbers from the eight months since September (human error may have crept in):

Total: M=68, F=24, NA=1

So, for every one (1) featured book by women, there are approximately two point eight (2.8) featured books by men.

Ahem.

Women authors represent a) more than one quarter of books published and b) definitely more than one quarter of the reading public.

A roughly 3: M:F ratio is rather disproportionate, don't you think? Definitely not a "Well done, B&N! Good show!"

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Numbers by month:

Apr: M=7.5, F=3.5, NA=1

Mar: M=8, F=5

Feb: M=8.5, F=5.5

Jan: M=14 F=1

Dec: M=6, F=3

Nov: M=9, F=3

Oct: M=5, F=3

Sept: M=10, F=0

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So I'm a little pissed, all things considered. Tor.com is pretty good, on the numbers, at representing Stuff Women Write - 41.6% of their reviews, according to the SF Count. Which makes the numbers for their collaboration with B&N all the more disappointing.

To be specific, riffing off Jaime's post here, concerning women authors and the recent SF Signal Mind Meld.

Borrowing her idea, I give you a list of women authors on my shelves here below.

Small prints and assorted caveats:

Authors are listed alphabetically by last name, with apparent gender of co-author noted where applicable. I've also noted where I'm aware of pseudonyms-in-use. This list does not include any non-autobiographical nonfiction or any poetry. The symbol ^ denotes non-SFF (mostly historical mysteries, with some modern mysteries/crime). The symbol $ denotes authors whose main presence on my shelves is in urban fantasy. The symbol ! denotes authors whose presence on my shelves includes works of SF.

And now, I give you.... (badda-boom-chish) The List!

List Of Authors Who Happen To Be Women Whose Books I Possess:

Aguirre, Ann !
Alexander, Alma
Andrews, Ilona * (pen-name, male-female co-author pair) $
Armstrong, Kelley $
Asaro, Catherine !
Ball, Margaret
Barr, Nevada ^
Bauer, Sabine C. !
Bear, Elizabeth !
Berg, Carol
Bickle, Laura $
Bishop, Anne
Black, Holly $
Borchardt, Alice
Bradley, Marion Zimmer !
Bray, Patricia
Brennan, Marie
Britain, Kristen
Briggs, Patricia
Brown, Rachel Manija
Bujold, Lois McMaster !
Bull, Emma
Caine, Rachel* (pen-name) $
Carey, Jacqueline
Carriger, Gail
Cashore, Kristin
Charnas, Suzy McKee !
Cherryh, C.J. !
Christensen, Elizabeth !
Clamp, Cathy (co-author with initials) $
Cochrane, Julie (co-author with male) !
Collins, Suzanne !
Cooper, Susan
Crispin, A.C. !
Cunningham, Elaine !
Czerneda, Julie E. !
De Pierres, Marianne !
Downum, Amanda
Duane, Diane !
Eddings, Leigh (co-author with male)
Emerson, Kathy Lynn ^
Evans, Linda (co-author with male) !
Fallon, Jennifer
Fletcher, Jane
Flewelling, Lynn
Fortune, Julie * (pen-name) !
Franklin, Ariana ^
Friedman, Celia S.
Furey, Maggie
Galenorn, Yasmin $
Gee, Emily
Gentle, Mary !
Gilman, Laura Anne
Goodman, Alison
Griffith, Nicola ^ !
Guon, Ellen (co-author with female)
Hall, Sarah !
Hambly, Barbara ^
Hamilton, Barbara * (pen-name of Hambly, Barbara)
Hamilton, Laurell K. $
Harris, Charlaine $
Harrison, Kim * (pen-name) $
Hendee, Barb (co-author with initials)
Hobb, Robin * (pen-name)
Hodgell, P.C.
Hoffman, Nina Kiriki
Huff, Tanya ! $
Hunter, Faith $
Hurley, Kameron !
Jacoby, Kate
Jones, J.V.
Kerr, Katherine
Kiernan, Caitlín R.
Kiernan, Celine
Kirstein, Rosemary !
Kittredge, Caitlin $
Kritzer, Naomi
Kushner, Ellen
Lackey, Mercedes
Larbalestier, Justine $
Larke, Glenda
Lee, Sharon
Lee, Sharon (co-author with male) !
Lee, Tanith
LeGuin, Ursula K. !
Lindskold, Jane
Lisle, Holly
Liu, Marjorie M. $
Lo, Malinda $
Lowachee, Karen !
Malan, Violette
Malcolm, Sally !
Marillier, Juliet
Marr, Melissa $
Mead, Richelle $
Miller, Karen
Mitchell, Syne !
Mills, K.E. * (pen-name for Miller, Karen)
Moesta, Rebecca (co-author with male) !
Monette, Sarah
Moon, Elizabeth !
Moriarty, Chris * (pen-name) !
Murphy, C.E. $
MacAlister, Katie $
McCaffrey, Anne !
McDermid, Val ^
McDonald, Sandra !
McGuire, Seanan $
McIntyre, Vonda !
McKenna, Juliet E.
McKillip, Patricia A.
McKinley, Robin
McLeod, Suzanne $
Norton, Andre
Novik, Naomi
Pierce, Tamora
Priest, Cherie $
Rardin, Jennifer $
Rawn, Melanie
Reeve, Laura E. !
Reichert, Mickey Zucker
Reichs, Kathy ^
Richardson, Kat $
Robb, J.D. * (pen-name)
Roberson, Jennifer
Robins, Madeleine E.
Robson, Justina !
Rosenblum, Mary !
Ross, Deborah J. !
Rowling, J.K.
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn !
Russ, Joanna !
Sagara, Michelle
Saintcrow, Lilith $
Sayers, Dorothy L. ^
Scott, Holly (co-author with gender-neutral) !
Scott, Manda
Sedia, Ekaterina
Shannon, Merry
Shearin, Lisa
Sherman, Delia (co-author with female)
Sherman, Josepha (co-editor with female)
Shinn, Sharon
Sinclair, Linnea !
Sizemore, Susan $
Smith, Kristine !
Smith, Sherwood
Spencer, Wen
Stevermer, Caroline
Thompson, Victoria ^
Thurman, Rob * (pen-name) $
Traviss, Karen !
Tyers, Kathy !
Vaughn, Carrie $
Viehl, S.L. * (pen-name) !
Walton, Jo
Weis, Margaret !
Wells, Martha
Wentworth, K.D. !
Wilce, Ysabeau
Williams, Liz !
Willis, Connie !
Wood, Suzanne !
Wrede, Patricia C.
Wurts, Janny

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That's 165 names, folks. Perhaps slightly fewer discrete persons, but not by much. Let's call it 160 individuals. My personal library runs to something like 1400 volumes - yep, I'm a hoarder - and I'd say it's at least 60% female-identified.

If I've got time, I'll run through the male names tomorrow and run a numbers comparison.