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Do you think self-help books should be long?

by Lucian Lada
5 replies
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I've stumbled upon some good short self-help books and I wonder if there is a reason to make them long. It might be a little more information, but I feel like they would be diluted too much.

What's your take on it?
  • Profile picture of the author MoneyMagnetMagnate
    Nike stole the shortest self-help book ever from the Buddists...it's called :"Just Do It." :rolleyes: (The End)

    There will always be argument for quality over quantity of content, and whether they got their moneys' worth.

    A book only needs to be as long as it needs to be. The talent lies in knowing how long that is.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Re: Do you think self-help books should be long?
    Not disproportionally to their width.


    The length of any text - no matter what the format, should be the length it takes to give the information necessary. Period. 5pg - 1000pg. How much do you have to write to succinctly and/or entertainingly get your points across? That's the length the text should be.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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    • Profile picture of the author Lucian Lada
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      Not disproportionally to their width.


      The length of any text - no matter what the format, should be the length it takes to give the information necessary. Period. 5pg - 1000pg. How much do you have to write to succinctly and/or entertainingly get your points across? That's the length the text should be.
      I totally agree. The reason I've asked this question because I've stumbled upon a book that is like the stripped-down version of another one, says the author.

      I find it very useful, and I wonder why he made the lengthier one in the first place, maybe to cater for the ones that enjoy reading a lot?
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    They should be as long as they have to be. I have seen books DOZENS of pages long that I could describe better in ONE SHORT SENTENCE! By that, I mean one PHRASE! Pages is WAY too long!

    On the other hand, I have seen books that were GOOD, but akronyms reference to supposed standards, etc.... could have been explained. I m currently trying to figure out how to do something, but the manuals give NO example! Are THEY missing something? Am I missing something? Does the routine have bugs? WHO KNOWS? An example wouldn't hurt, and would add NO pages to the book!

    Steve
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