Why Boys Don't Read Anymore ft. Frankfurt Book Fair and Best Books for Men — Daily Persuasion Ep. 43

Would you like to write a persuasive BOOK? One that changes minds and influencers behavior for years to come? Start with a GOLDEN book idea. Let NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Joshua Lisec teach you: https://lisecghostwriting.com/golden

ABOUT TODAY'S EPISODE:

What happens to a civilization when its boys stop reading?

In Episode 43 of Daily Persuasion, titled "Why Boys Don’t Read Anymore ft. Frankfurt Book Fair and Best Books for Men", bestselling ghostwriter Joshua Lisec takes us deep into the underreported, yet glaring, truth about the publishing industry — and how it's abandoned the male reader. From the global stage of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2024 to the trenches of middle school libraries, Lisec unpacks why boys don’t read anymore — and why it matters more than anyone wants to admit.

Drawing from recent insights at Frankfurt Buchmesse, Lisec exposes how mainstream publishing, often referred to as “Trad Pub,” is dominated by political ideologies that celebrate “diverse perspectives,” yet routinely exclude the kinds of stories boys and men actually want to read. The publishing world says it doesn’t know how to market to teen boys — but what it really means is it doesn’t want to publish books for them in the first place.

Lisec explains how Skyhorse Publishing, the indie powerhouse behind his latest book Bulletproof, bucks this trend by embracing bold, uncancelable voices. In a literary marketplace where cultural Marxism dictates what books “should” be written and read, Skyhorse Publishing stands out as a rare home for books that speak to men who read — and to boys who could.

But this episode isn't just a takedown of the industry. It’s a masterclass in persuasion techniques — the very persuasive techniques used by publishers, advertisers, and educators to shift reading habits toward ideological conformity. Lisec gives real examples of persuasion in advertising, along with tactical breakdowns of how to persuade someone to do something, especially when they’re part of a demographic being actively discouraged from curiosity, adventure, and independent thought.

From the Dangerous Book for Boys to gender-swapped, ideologically overloaded “updates” of classic stories, Lisec highlights how today's book covers and content signal loud and clear: These books aren’t for you, boys. And that’s no accident. As Lisec says, the cultural shift has been driven by a deliberate strategy rooted in persuasion psychology, backed by examples of persuasion that reinforce gender differences in reading under the guise of “progress.”

The Frankfurt Book Fair — officially known as the Frankfurt Buchmesse — serves as the backdrop for this broader conversation. With panels dominated by TED Talk-style speakers and recurring themes like “black feminism” and “freedom of expression,” the Frankfurt Book Fair 2024 proudly centers identity over readership. What’s missing? The voices of young male readers, and the best books for boys that once filled shelves: books about adventure, exploration, mythology, war, and frontier — the kinds of stories that built nations and raised leaders.

In this unforgettable installment of Daily Persuasion, Joshua Lisec reminds us that boys do want to read — they just don’t want to read what the industry insists they should. And until we recognize that, we’ll keep losing them — not just as readers, but as thinkers, dreamers, and future men.

So if you’re wondering why boys don’t read, how to recommend the best books for boys, or what happens when you let persuasion become propaganda, this episode is for you. Don’t miss Daily Persuasion Ep. 43 — where Joshua Lisec once again proves that the pen is only mightier when it tells the truth.