What do you expect from a self-help book?

6 replies
What do you expect to get from a self-helf book that claims to be able to make you "successful" and what would make you purchase such a book.

If i see a legitimate sounding author who writes a book that has tools that claim to be able to make a person more successful i usually give it a shot, although most of them (over 90%) i consider rehashed trash - occasionally i find very useful stuff. In the rare case that i am convinced i expect there to be something new to add to my thinking that i did not have before, for instance - a lesson about how to act towards people etc.

So my questions to you are

What do you expect from a self-help book, what would make you not feel ripped off and satisfied.

what would make you actually invest in such a book.


-John
#book #expect #selfhelp
  • {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5381983].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    Complete information that's easy to understand. Not just partial answers and another product to buy to get the rest of the info.
    Signature

    Cheers, Laurence.
    Writer/Editor/Proofreader.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5381994].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Aesop87
    Actionability is key. A good book will give you clear steps and activities that you can implement right now. People don't need theories and vague, rehashed advice; people need to DO things. That's why they bought the book, so that's what the book had better provide.

    Really, the specific action doesn't matter so much -- it could be any number of different methods. The important thing is that the reader can take it and use it instantly, because getting started is the hardest thing. There needs to be as little barrier to this as possible.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5385499].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Nikolas
    I will agree with Aesop87. A practical guide would be great.

    For instance I've read a book for a hypnosis method which was great in terms of theory but I couldn't understand how to do it, while a guy told me how to do it in 10 minutes.

    The point is that the book should be focused on the action and less in the theory.

    Hope that helps
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5385701].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Nereah
    Most self help books are quite inspiring, as they give examples of those who have overcome such obstacles that yours seem very minor and that is why I can invest in them. They are books which are not read in a day but you can always refer back to throughout the year.
    Signature

    Planning an event

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5386359].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author danlew
    For a self-help book, I would suggest that you should create a simple step-by-step guide about it (especially for dummies). It should be newbie-friendly, because most of them are not yet experienced about helping themselves to get motivated and maintain their daily schedule.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5388172].message }}

Trending Topics