Are self-help books all the same?

Here’s how yours can be different. I’m grateful to Chris Taylor, who wrote a piece on Mashable that breaks down everything you learn from self-help books — and why they’re all the same. If you’re an author, you may find it depressing.

What is the main problem with self-help books?

Bad effect: Self-help books give wrong and sometimes harmful advice, they give false hope, they make uncertain people just feel worse about themselves, or they make people refrain from seeking professional support.

What are the characteristics of a self-help book?

Here’s what responsible self-help writing does:

• Identifies a common problem.
• Shares personal experiences.
• Treats readers like equals.
• Backs up claims with research.
• Admits privileges or advantages.
• Points out what has worked for specific individuals, but doesn’t promise that the advice will work for everyone.

Why do people write self-help books?

People buy self-help books so that they can learn tools to better themselves, so you absolutely must give readers a takeaway. For example, if you ask your readers to answer questions, make sure to give them guidance as to how to interpret their answers or what to do based on the results.

Why do we read self-help books?

Somehow, we think that reading a book about business will get you closer to being a business owner. Or that a book about dating psychology will make you an irresistible seducer. Reading more makes us feel accomplished. But actually, whenever you read a self-help book, the work starts when you close the book, not when you open it.

How many self-help books are available on Amazon?

Without refining the categories too much, there are an astounding 417,000 and counting self-help results available on Amazon.com in the search for “self-help.” There are 50 top-selling books alone on anxiety and depression. Given this staggering collection, how can you possibly decide where to look for the self-help book that will most help you?

What should I look for when buying a self-help book?

Look critically at the quality of the writing. A self-help book is, first and foremost, a book and as such, it should be reasonably well-written.

Do you have a relationship with your self-help book?

Obviously, you don’t have an actual relationship with a book, because the book isn’t responding to you or treating you as a unique individual. Therefore, the successful self-help author has to do the next best thing, which is to make you feel as though you are in a relationship.