I did a book event a few years ago, and just before it started the organiser looked out at the crowd and said to me, “Ooh it’s nice to see so many men here!” I was taken aback, but then it was explained to me that literary events are often very woman-heavy, as we buy more books. Because of my past, and the type of books I write, what I bring is some of the music crowd, which is dominated by men.
Writing about music from a woman’s perspective though, or telling stories, as I do, that put women at the centre, can be risky. Men tend to think they own the stories around music, and can be aggressive in their assertion of that ownership. My current book is very feminist, and I expected a bit of pushback.
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