Recently, an article was posted in Yahoo finance called "Why Most Self-Help Book Stink (And a Few That Don't)" Written by Laura Vanderkam, she spoke with Christine Whelan, a literal student of the Self-Help genre, and together they take a look at 3 reasons, self-help books stink. Let's look at these 3 reasons and see how they fair against my self-help book,
"1. The "real people" are made up. Anecdotes are great for illustrating a point. So we learn that "Bob" and "Jane" learned to communicate well and now their marriage is all better! Um, yeah. Real life is messy, and using composite characters, or those with the details changed, are just other words for fiction. Which has its place, but is always suspect in a genre that claims to be true."
-So this is great news for me. My book is about you the reader and me the writer. I'm not made up and neither are you. Everything I talk about is genuinely from my own experience, research and mind.
"2. They promise that change is easy. "We want three easy steps to overhaul our financial life, or washboard abs in 60 seconds a day," Whelan says. "But here's the unpleasant truth: Behavioral change is among the hardest things we can set out to do, and any book that promises you instant changes is selling you snake oil." Put it this way. If changing our lives was painless, you'd see a lot more svelte, rich and happy people walking around."
-Again, more good news. There are books out there that claim that there is an easy way to quit smoking. So let me immediately get a few things straight. Before you decide to buy and read my book, understand this: THERE IS NO EASY WAY TO QUIT SMOKING. "Quitting" is almost damn near impossible and stopping flat out sucks. No where in this book will I promise or even elude to stopping being easy. It's a very simple process, but definitely, no way, no how, not easy. Anyone who tries to convince you that it's easy to stop a physical and emotional addiction is trying to get you to buy their product and not very interested in whether or not you actually use the product. My book was written to help people stop smoking, extend their lives and enhance the quality there of. You will laugh, cry, get mad, have a positive experience and (should you decide to follow the teachings of my book) stop smoking for good.
"3. There's probably no evidence. Most self-help writers aren't in the business of documenting whether their ideas work for the majority of people who try them. "There's no efficacy data on the vast majority of diet self-help books," Whelan says. "Who knows if positive thinking actually cures people. But self-help books use rhetoric and repetition to prove their points."
-How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone
Should you decide to buy and read my book, do so at your own risk and know that there will be straight talk, tough love, good humor and a plan for you to kick the habit once and for all.
Let me know what you think!