The Better Man

Selling Points: The landscape of consent is evolving. From the "No Means No" movement to the "Yes Mean Yes" 2014 California law, the landscape of consent is evolving. Education around these changing norms is essential. Post #MeToo, confusion abounds regarding consent. From USA Today: "Giving consent for sexual activity isn't always saying 'yes' or 'no.' Following the #MeToo movement, another hashtag that's filling up newsfeeds is #WhatConsentMeansToMe, about what gives the green light for sex. Because some still don't know." Consent on college campuses is a critical area of concern. Sexual Citizens: A Landmark Study of Sex, Power, and Assault on Campuses (Norton, 2020) transforms how we see and address widespread sexual assault on college campuses. Chanel Miller’s book, Know My Name, is a New York Times bestseller. Men still don’t know how consent works. From VICE: "New research suggests that straight men are likely to misinterpret situational factors, such as having previously engaged with a woman intimately, as consent." More men are asking for consent—and it’s awkward. From The New York Post: "Verbal consent is, thankfully, the new standard for sex as we move from a 'no means no' to a 'yes means yes' world — but with that comes a potentially not-sexy moment for men and women when getting in bed together." A “Healthy Masculinities” movement is emerging. From VICE: "The ManKind Project is part of a nationwide genre of classes and programs—run by gender researchers, social justice groups, NGOs, and artists—that have come to be known as the 'healthy masculinities movement,' a grassroots effort to reshape the way men define and embody manhood in order to curb the problems its more toxic expressions can create. And while that often starts with curbing anger and aggression, it typically comes to encompass far more." The rise of the dangerous incel movement and misogynist influencers like Andrew Tate indicates young men’s desperate need for healthy guidance. From The Guardian: "Almost 1,000 references to dehumanising misogyny or violent action are recorded each day in the 'incelosphere' as the toxicity of male supremacist content continues to intensify." Target Audiences: This book is for adult men of all orientations, in relationships of all kinds—whether long-term, casual dating, or anything in between. The core target audience will be educated readers in coastal cities and college towns, but we will widen our marketing and publicity campaign to include “average Joes,” as well.