My husband is retiring in May. Because of this, the subject of age has been on my mind. And it seems I’m not alone. Since President Biden stepped down and Kamala Harris became the Democratic Candidate for the US presidency, the topic seems to be on many people’s brains. Media pundits have had much to say about what makes someone too old to hold public office, and Hollywood recently added to the discussion. The horror film The Substance, about a fading celebrity who takes a drug to temporarily become a younger version of herself, came out this year. FYI, Demi Moore was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance.  Hopefully, her stellar acting will shine a spotlight on the issue.

Sadly, ageism isn’t confined to Hollywood or presidential politics. Studies show its effects are felt in industries such as business, finance, tech, manual labor, hospitality, marketing, media, medicine, and retail. But what about in books? Are fictional characters immune to our society’s negative perceptions of aging? Wanting an answer, I decided to do some internet research. Below are the average age ranges of protagonists in adult fiction categories.

General fiction—25 to 35 years old.

Romance novels—25 to 35 years old. (Females being younger than males.)

Women’s fiction—mid to late 30’s.

Fantasy—20 to 30 years old

Sci-Fi—late teens to mid-twenties

Literary novel—25 and 30 years old

Historical fiction—18 to 25 years old

Horror Novels—25 to 35 years old

Mystery—mid to late thirties.

Thriller—25 to 35 years old

It’s clear from the info noted above that the publishing industry skews toward protagonists under forty. But how do book-buying statistics compare? The average age of a book buyer is forty-two. The largest book-buying group is between 45 and 64 years of age.

Given these stats, why are most protagonists so much younger? I can’t say for sure, but it might have to do with the young age of the slush pile readers vetting manuscripts. Most are twenty-somethings who likely gravitate toward protagonists dealing with the same life issues they are. Also, publishing is a business. Editors, agents, and publishers probably believe books with younger protagonists will sell more copies. But authors play a factor, too. The odds of getting a manuscript traditionally published are only one to two percent. If a writer knows that his or her odds of getting a book deal will be better if they create a younger protagonist, most will do it.

            Okay. Ageism does impact novel characters, but what can writers do about it? Should we write young protagonists in the hopes of selling more books or snagging an agent? That choice is yours alone to make, but there are some things we can do as writers to combat ageism as it pertains to protagonists.

1. We can write in genres that do, at times, focus on older characters. Classic mysteries often have detectives in their forties, fifties, and even older. Think Agatha Christies, Miss Marple, and The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman. Coming of Age novels written from the perspective of an older person looking back, historical and literary fiction are also more flexible regarding the age of their protagonists.
2. If you’re centering your book on a middle-aged or older character, make sure that you do him or her justice. Gransnet.com stated in their June 27, 2019, article that most readers feel that protagonists over forty are cliques.  Don’t give your mature female protagonist hot flashes, make her hate sex, or make her anxious, irritable, and vulnerable. Don’t put your aging male character on Viagra and plop him in a retirement home in Orlando. Older people are vibrant, active, active, and complex. When writing about them, show us all their sides and point out their strengths.
3. Support books written about mature protagonists such as A Man of Ole by Fredrik Backman, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson, and Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.
4. Go ahead. Break the age-range rule and write a book about a mature character. The benefit of writing an older character is that their life experiences allow you to add depth and richness to your novel and could set it apart. Clint Eastwood’s 2018 film, The Mule, which is based on a true story by Leo Sharp about a ninety-year-old horticulturist who becomes a drug carrier for the Mexican cartel, is far more gripping because of the protagonist’s age.

I want to end this post by telling you why I believe being aware of ageism in novels and creating books with mature readers is essential. For me, it boils down to wanting mature people to feel confident about their lives. According to confidence coach Trish Blackwell, it’s hard to be happy if you don’t believe your future can be better than your past. People over forty need to see protagonists falling in love, climbing mountains, battling evil, and becoming bad-ass businesspeople at sixty in books so they can envision their futures and work toward them in life. We need fictional role models, just as we need living and breathing role models, to give us encouragement and hope.

Also, based on the stats, I truly believe there is an untapped market for novels with protagonists over forty.

What are your thoughts on the topic?

If you’ve read or written a book about a mature protagonist, please share the title with me. I’d love to read it!