Further to my last post and the lack of data to determine what’s going on there, I wondered how Seven by Twenty fares in terms of gender parity. I don’t believe I’m particularly biased (although of course I’m a product of my culture and some biases are inherent there) and I don’t think I pay any particular attention to the sex of the writer when I’m choosing what to publish, nor do I think I should.
I don’t think that unequal numbers for published work necessarily requires editorial bias; an obvious alternative explanation is unequal submissions. I know some publications do have quite unequal submissions (it’s much talked about in science fiction circles for example). I don’t know why there are unequal numbers of submissions, when there are, but I know I’ve gotten discouraged from the general imbalance in publishing as a whole, and I can’t be the only female writer who has wondered if her talents wouldn’t be better spent on some more rewarding activity. Not that men don’t have these doubts, too.
Further, I think bias can come through in much more subtle ways: it’s not a matter of editors accepting a specific story from a man that they wouldn’t have accepted from a woman (I’ve got to think that sort of thing is fairly rare these days). It’s more likely that some submissions, some topics, some assumptions about character motivation, read differently to male editors (in general) than to female editors (in general) and if many more editors are male than female, then without any sexism or bad faith of any type on their part whatsoever there’s still going to be an imbalance just because of that different reading.
Most magazines, as far as I know, don’t keep track of data that would shed light on the lack of gender parity in publishing; one exception is Strange Horizons, which posts an annual fiction statistics roundup, which is very interesting reading (as a personal point of interest, I am one of the two people who have sold them 6 stories in the life of the magazine; only one person has sold them more fiction). I thought it would be interesting to look at the data I have for Seven by Twenty in a similar vein. This is a dodgy proposition to begin with because you can’t generalize from the pool of people who submit to 7×20 to the pool of all writers, but I thought it might at least yield some interesting questions.
Published Work
Up to yesterday morning:
Men:
- A. Jarrell Hayes (29 September 2010)
- Alan Summers (12 May 2010, 14 May 2010)
- Alex von Vaupel (11 August 2009, 26 August 2009)
- Alexander B. Joy (8 October 2010)
- Andrew O. Dugas (24 July 2009)
- Aurelio Rico Lopez III (28 August 2009)
- Ben White (1 October 2009, 10 August 2009, 2 October 2009, 28 September 2009, 29 September 2009, 30 September 2009, 8 July 2009)
- Brian Trent (13 July 2009)
- Casey Parry (9 November 2009)
- Charles Trumbull (3 December 2009)
- Chen-ou Liu (21 June 2010)
- Dan Powell (30 September 2010)
- Dave Moore (26 April 2010, 27 April 2010, 28 April 2010, 29 April 2010, 30 April 2010)
- David C. Kopaska-Merkel (11 January 2011, 24 September 2010, 1 February 2010, 1 September 2010, 10 July 2009, 10 June 2010, 10 September 2009, 11 June 2010, 11 September 2009, 13 August 2009, 17 January 2011, 2 February 2010, 20 May 2010, 21 December 2010, 24 December 2010, 3 February 2010, 4 February 2010, 5 February 2010, 6 September 2010, 7 June 2010, 7 September 2009, 8 June 2010, 8 September 2009, 9 June 2010, 9 September 2009)
- David G Shrock (26 October 2009)
- David M. Harris (13 January 2011, 21 July 2009)
- David Rheins (5 October 2009, 6 October 2009, 7 October 2009, 8 October 2009, 9 October 2009)
- Dennis Y. Ginoza (slated 23 December 2010, actual 5 Jan 2011)
- Doug Robertson (16 November 2009, 17 November 2009, 18 November 2009, 19 November 2009, 20 November 2009)
- Duane Gilson (1 November 2010, 5 November 2010)
- Francis Wesley Alexander (28 January 2011, 11 March 2010, 14 October 2009)
- Freeman Ng (23 November 2010, 6 January 2011)
- Hassan Riaz (31 March 2010)
- James Tanner (24 May 2010)
- Jason Everett Morris (10 November 2009)
- Jax (18 May 2010)
- Jeremy Lewit (13 October 2009, 30 July 2009)
- Jim Applegate (27 October 2009)
- Jim Kacian (5 April 2010, 6 April 2010, 7 April 2010, 8 April 2010, 9 April 2010)
- Jimmy the Peach (1 September 2009, 2 June 2010, 2 September 2009, 3 September 2009, 31 August 2009, 4 September 2009)
- Jonathan Pinnock (1 December 2009)
- Joshua Gage (14 June 2010, 15 June 2010, 16 June 2010, 17 June 2010, 18 June 2010)
- Kaolin Fire (24 September 2009, 7 July 2009, 8 March 2010)
- Kenneth Godwin (12 January 2010)
- Kevin Bishop (16 July 2009)
- Kevin Wolf (22 July 2009)
- Kijo Murakami (12 March 2010)
- Liam Wilkinson (25 June 2010)
- Marcus Goodyear (15 July 2009)
- Matt S (1 July 2010, 2 July 2010, 28 June 2010, 29 June 2010, 30 June 2010)
- Michael L. Evans (4 January 2010, 5 January 2010, 6 January 2010, 7 January 2010, 8 January 2010)
- Michael Trice (16 February 2010, 28 October 2009)
- Mike Donoghue (29 November 2010, 3 December 2010, 7 January 2011)
- Neal Whitman (31 January 2011, 4 February 2011)
- Peter Newton (15 March 2010, 16 March 2010, 17 March 2010, 18 March 2010, 19 March 2010, 18 October 2010, 19 October 2010, 20 October 2010, 21 October 2010, 22 October 2010)
- Ray Scanlon (1 June 2010, 1 October 2010, 18 January 2011, 21 January 2011, 25 October 2010, 5 October 2010)
- Richard Baldasty (2 February 2011, 4 January 2011)
- Richard Stevenson (13 December 2010, 14 December 2010, 15 December 2010, 16 December 2010, 17 December 2010, 6 October 2010)
- Rob McKnight (30 March 2010)
- Robert Borski (25 January 2011)
- Robert Laughlin (10 March 2010, 13 January 2010, 13 November 2009, 14 January 2010, 2 April 2010, 22 September 2009, 22 September 2010, 24 November 2009, 27 May 2010, 29 March 2010, 29 October 2010, 3 June 2010, 30 November 2009, 31 July 2009)
- Simon A Sylvester (27 January 2011)
- Stephen M. Wilson (25 January 2010, 26 January 2010, 27 January 2010, 28 January 2010, 29 January 2010)
- Steven @uriel1998 (22 January 2010, 4 December 2009)
- Steven Wolfe (24 January 2011)
- tc (22 February 2010, 23 February 2010, 24 February 2010, 25 February 2010, 26 February 2010)
Women:
- Alexa Selph (19 January 2010)
- Alison Williams (11 November 2009, 14 September 2009, 15 September 2009, 16 September 2009, 17 September 2009, 18 September 2009)
- Ana Cristina Rodrigues (15 December 2009)
- Angela Flowers-Lofton (22 March 2010, 23 March 2010, 24 March 2010, 25 March 2010, 26 March 2010)
- Beth Katte (16 December 2009, 19 August 2009, 20 January 2010, 25 November 2009)
- Brenda J. Gannam (10 September 2010, 12 April 2010, 13 April 2010, 14 April 2010, 15 April 2010, 16 April 2010)
- C. Martinez (26 October 2010)
- C.E. Hyun (26 January 2011)
- Carol Raisfeld (12 August 2009)
- Caroline Halliwell (18 August 2009)
- Celia White (15 October 2009)
- Christina Murphy (21 September 2010)
- Christina Nguyen (11 October 2010, 12 October 2010, 13 October 2010, 14 October 2010, 15 October 2010, 3 January 2011, 14 January 2011, 19 January 2011, 3 February 2011)
- Darusha Wehm (19 April 2010, 20 April 2010, 21 April 2010, 22 April 2010, 23 April 2010)
- Dawn Corrigan (20 January 2011)
- Deborah Finkelstein (13 September 2010, 14 September 2010, 15 September 2010, 16 September 2010, 17 September 2010)
- Deborah P Kolodji (7 December 2009, 8 December 2009, 9 December 2009, 10 December 2009, 11 December 2009, 30 August 2010)
- Deborah Walker (16 October 2009, 6 July 2009)
- Elena Naskova (14 December 2009)
- Evi Hoste (29 July 2009, 2 November 2009, 3 November 2009, 4 November 2009, 5 November 2009, 6 November 2009)
- Gwendolyn Joyce Mintz (5 January 2011)
- Heather Kamins (14 July 2009, 8 September 2010)
- Helen Buckingham (18 January 2010, 1 March 2010, 2 March 2010, 3 March 2010, 4 March 2010, 5 March 2010)
- Helen Davis (2 December 2010)
- India Hill (20 August 2009, 21 September 2009)
- Jessica Otto (17 February 2010, 19 February 2010, 25 May 2010, 27 September 2010)
- Joanne Merriam (14 August 2009, 23 July 2009)
- Jodi Diderrich (2 December 2009)
- Judy B. Jacobs (23 November 2009, 23 September 2009)
- Julia Patt (27 December 2010, 28 December 2010, 29 December 2010, 30 December 2010, 31 December 2010)
- Julie Bloss Kelsey (26 May 2010, 28 May 2010)
- Kath Abela Wilson (15 February 2010)
- Kathy Nguyen (3 August 2009, 4 August 2009, 5 August 2009, 6 August 2009, 7 August 2009)
- Kris Lindbeck (1 February 2011)
- Leslie Perletz (13 May 2010, 17 May 2010)
- Lindsay Below (28 October 2010, 4 October 2010, 7 October 2010)
- Maya Malhar (22 November 2010, 24 June 2010)
- Meera (7 September 2010, 9 September 2010, 27 October 2010)
- Meredith Ralston (3 September 2010)
- Miriam Sagan (8 November 2010, 9 November 2010, 10 November 2010, 11 November 2010, 12 November 2010)
- Nathalie Boisard-Beudin (20 July 2009, 15 January 2010, 6 December 2010, 7 December 2010, 8 December 2010, 9 December 2010, 10 December 2010)
- Nicola Scholes (19 May 2010)
- Nora Nadjarian (9 March 2010)
- Peg Duthie (17 July 2009, 27 July 2009, 27 August 2009, 19 October 2009, 20 October 2009, 21 October 2009, 22 October 2009, 23 October 2009, 17 December 2009, 1 April 2010, 8 February 2010, 9 February 2010, 10 February 2010, 11 February 2010, 12 February 2010, 2 November 2010, 3 November 2010, 4 November 2010, 1 December 2010)
- Rebecca L. Brown (20 September 2010)
- RJ Payne (9 July 2009)
- S. Kay (12 October 2009, 25 September 2009, 11 May 2010, 31 August 2010, 2 September 2010, 23 September 2010, 30 November 2010, 20 December 2010, 22 December 2010)
- Sabra Wineteer (28 July 2009)
- Sarah Ahmad (4 June 2010)
- Shawn Hansen (17 August 2009)
- Sondra London (24 August 2009)
- Stella Pierides (10 January 2011)
- Sue Burke (18 December 2009, 11 January 2010, 23 June 2010, 12 January 2011)
- Sylvia Hiven (12 November 2009)
- Tanya Dikova (21 January 2010)
- Tina O’Neil (25 August 2009)
- Wendy Babiak (21 May 2010)
Total Male Authors: 56
Total Times Men Published: 175
Total Female Authors:57
Total Times Women Published: 167
Left out of the data:
- T. D. Ingram (published 5 times) – I know this author’s first name, which I haven’t seen anywhere online so I’m not going to publish it here. It’s a somewhat unisex name. According to the Baby Name Wizard, it’s about three times more likely to be a boy’s name than a girl’s name. Since I don’t know this author, I’m not willing to guess.
- R. Gatwood (published 3 times) – I don’t know this author’s first name and have no bio information with pronouns.
Solicited vs Unsolicited Submissions, and Data on Rejections
Just because I’ve published somebody, it doesn’t follow that they submitted their work (Kijo Murakami, for example, didn’t rise out of the grave to send in his haiku). I actively solicit work that I like (especially when I seem to be receiving a run of one type of thing to the detriment of another type of thing I want, and especially when I was first starting out and didn’t have much slated ahead). And, of course, the publication numbers are useless as a metric for editorial bias absent the submission numbers.
I started to put together numbers of men vs women for solicited work and for rejected work, but got bogged down pretty quickly on what sort of data I’d need to examine. Since I’m starting from scratch (I don’t keep a submission log, but have kept all emails, so the data is there), I’m wondering what information people think would be helpful. What sorts of info would you like to see? Raw numbers of submissions vs acceptances/rejections? Should I break out rewrite requests? Should I track number of first-time vs return submitters? What else? (I’m not releasing names of people I rejected, of course.)
This is the tool I used to make the above pretty pie charts.
ETA: I feel I should mention that I’m not trying to support a binary view of gender with this post. I know people are more complicated than that.