Men make up their minds about books faster than women, study finds

Reader analytics company finds male readers want an author 'to get to the point quickly " or they are gone, gone, gone'

Men and women are equally likely to finish a book - but men decide much faster than women if they like a story or not, according to analysis of reading habits by Jellybooks.

The start-up, which focuses on book discoverability and reader analytics, has tested hundreds of digital titles on hundreds of volunteer readers over the last few months. Working with many of the UK's major publishers, it uses a piece of JavaScript in the ebooks to look at readers' habits: when they pick up, complete or abandon a title. The test groups were made up of significantly more female volunteers, with a 20/80 male/female split.