Knowing Your Audience: How to Make Your Self-Help Books Actually Help

If you have written self-help before, if you’re working on a self-help book, or if your goal is to write self-help, congratulations!

You’ve found the answer to something that’s worked for you, and now, you’re wanting to pass that knowledge on to others. You want to help people, inspire the same change in them that happened to you. 

That’s fantastic, and you should keep doing what you’re doing. 

Self-help can be a fantastic, positive space to find community. Thousands of self-help texts are published every year, so there’s got to be something to it. 

There is, but what readers and authors of self-help should always keep in mind is that self-help is a little selfish. 

Doctor of Clinical Psychology Timothy A. Carey, Professor at Central Queensland University, said, “Self-help books are, by and large, stories about what the author found helpful in becoming the sort of person they want to be.” There is, without a doubt, value in the perspectives of other people, and those perspectives might resonate with you. However, it should not be considered a moral failing on the part of the reader if that advice given did not work for them.

My own advice in this blog might not help you, as a writer. I put forth my input as a product of strategies I’ve learned over time, through my training as an editor, and through my work with writers. I am qualified, but I am not exempt from this rule. 

As an editor of several self-help, I’ve found that the most effective texts:

• Do not promise to be the sole and permanent answer to a problem

• Do not insult the reader who cannot utilize their solutions for any reason

• Do have cited source material and properly contextualization of that material

• Do have examples and clearly stated explanations as to why their solution(s) should be included as a possibility

Authors do not control the reactions of their readership. Misplaced blame on the text due to not following instructions or a lack of motivation does happen, but this should not be the focus. 

What authors can do is put forth the effort to make sure the information they’re giving is accurate, that their language is accessible, and that their steps are manageable.

First, what worked for you isn’t necessarily going to work for them. As a self-help author, you’ve probably recognized that you’re not alone in your struggles, but your audience isn’t you. That’s not a moral failing on your part or on the part of your readership. 

Look at your project, your self-help book, as an opportunity to encourage your community to experiment and adapt. It probably took a lot of trial and error to come to your solutions. Establish your expertise as someone who has earned it, but know that you’re only human. 

Read. Cite. Repeat. As we’ve established, you as a self-help author know that you’re not the only person with the set of experiences you’re writing about. There is a wealth of research out there online, in libraries, in museums, everywhere. 

Use them, not just to make yourself look credible, but as a means of creating a better-informed audience. The reason why your methods work aren’t just because you said so. They work because there is a body of research out there that is as devoted to your topic as you are. You’ll be in conversation with them, and you’ll have your own, original analysis of the data they’ve provided. 

That said, don’t forget to read what they have to say carefully. Taking a source out of context can damage the trust your readers have in your message. Show your sources the same courtesy that you’d ask from your readers. 

Set up the reader to take action. You put a lot of work into finding solutions that work for you. Writing your self-help book, though, isn’t going to be the same as reliving your path to success. 

Make sure that you create a structure that’s easy for your readers to follow. Include different options, and don’t forget the “why”. A shared goal isn’t enough. Your readers should understand why they should follow your advice, out of all others, to achieve their desired outcome. Asking your readers to read your mind or giving them a “because I said so” isn’t the best motivator. 

As a self-help author, you’re establishing yourself as a member of a community who desires change, and you have the opportunity to contribute something meaningful. As a writer, you have a new task ahead, putting your journey on paper. Put as much thought into this project as you do to the life changes you’re maintaining, and success is only a word away.