November 20, 2024
Self-help book genres are a staple of the publishing industry. An estimated 10 million books in various self-help book genres are sold every year. Since 2020, sales have increased more than 25%. If you have a strong idea for a self-help book, you can join a growing list of authors who have become best-sellers by helping people improve some part of their lives with self-help book genres.
Here’s why choosing any of these self-help book genres is a winning idea for any writer:
These titles help people learn to cope with stress, reduce their anxiety, and live more meaningfully. Titles in this popular genre include books like “The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery” by Brianna Wiest and “Master Your Emotions: A Practical Guie to Overcome Negativity and Better Manage Your Feelings” by Thibaut Meurisse.
In appealing to buyers of these books, it’s important to take a common cause of people’s unhappiness—like procrastination or negative self-talk—and offer a simple set of steps people can take to change their thinking—and their lives.
Can you guide people to greater spirituality and more connection to their faith? Whether your approach is faith-based or more spiritually open, you will find readers looking for a way to manage their spiritual lives. This is one of the top selling self-help book genres.
Your book could be a collection of daily prayers, meditations, or essays. At its core, this type of book must speak to people who want to reconnect with their own beliefs. This is a hugely popular genre, and the top books share a compassionate tone and simple, practical steps to embracing faith. The best authors in this genre use their firsthand experiences and challenges to create a book that feels deeply personal and emotional.
Examples include “Every Day Spirit: A Daybook of Wisdom, Joy, and Peace” by Mary Davis, or “A Midwinter God: Encountering the Divine in Seasons of Darkness” by Christien Valters Paintner.
When writing for this genre, it’s a good idea to select a niche. Decide whether your book is aimed at ministers, women with children, people experiencing grief, or some other specific group. This will help you stay focused and provide a guidebook for your marketing.
If you want to share cooking and entertaining tips, you’re in good company with many successful authors. The exploding popularity of TV shows dedicated to cooking and to home refurbishing has led to an equally huge interest in related self-help book genres. Martha Stewart and Chip and Joanna Gaines have built media empires selling these lifestyle tips.
Other authors who’ve developed followings in this genre include Alexandra Stoddard, the editors of the Apartment Therapy blog, Better Homes and Gardens, and other well-known names.
If you want to enter this market, you’ll face a lot of competition from established brands. However, if you offer something new and intriguing ,and you market it correctly, you’ll find book buyers willing to give you a chance.
These books provide detailed guidelines and motivation to people who want to transform their looks and their health. The best books in this genre use evidence-based techniques and suggestions for long-term maintenance. They also address the psychological and emotional blocks that prevent people from sticking to a plan.
There are hundreds of best-sellers in this genre, but some recent, popular titles include “The Functional Fitness Formula: The 7-Step Guide to a Healthier Body” by Frances Parkinson and “Bigger, Leaner, Stronger” by Michael Matthews.
Some books in this category are primarily cookbooks that focus on specific eating styles to improve weight and health. They include “The Plant-Based Weight Loss Solution” by Marina Savelyeva and Viktoria Waite, and “Fit Men Cook: 100-plus Meal Prep Recipes for Men and Women” by Kevin Curry.
Everyone wants success in love. Books that help people find relationships—or improve the ones they have—are hugely popular. Some well-known writers have sold in the millions because they offer help and hope to people struggling with love.
There are countless examples that include “I Hear You: The Surprisingly Simple Skills Behind Extraordinary Relationships” by Michael S. Sorensen, “The Relationship Alphabet” by Zach Brittle, and “Act Like a Lady: Think Like a Man,” by Steve Harvey.
Since this is a broad category, you will want to break down the specific type of relationship you’re writing about: dating, marriage, family, or friendship? Also, decide what specifically you want to offer help with: Is it communication, help with frequent fighting, whether to divorce or marry, or make smarter choices while dating?
Some people have done very well in this genre. John Gottman is one of the world’s leading marriage counselors. With his wife Julie, also a marriage therapist, he has written more than 40 best-selling books. The 2007 book “The Rules: Time-Tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right” sold more than 2 million copies in 25 languages. It is one of the best-selling self help books of all time. Since then, the authors have followed up with best-selling titles that include “The Rules for Online Dating.”
Do you have a winning idea for a relationship book? You’ll enter a crowded, fast-moving market. If you can offer real hope and guidance, you are almost certain to find buyers.
Motivational books, like inspirational and spiritual books, aim to help people live better lives. In most cases, these books take an approach that may be meditative or mindful without being explicitly religious or spiritual.
These books are written for people who feel their lives have become an endless, meaningless round of activities. The authors offer a way to learn new habits, develop positive thinking, and create a better way of living.
Marianne Williamson, author of “A Course in Love” and “Everyday Grace,” has become a multimillionaire helping people feel motivated and inspired. In recent years, James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” has become a smash best-seller for its simple, compelling plan for building healthy daily habits.
Examples of this genre include “How to Be a Coffee Bean: 111 Life-Changing Ways to Create Positive Change” by Jon Gordon and Damon West and “How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy” by Jenny Odell.
We all have to work, and most of us need help dealing with some aspect of making a living, dealing with coworkers, and making a career change. This is a large genre, and a writer who wants to enter it should focus on a specific niche audience. Decide whether you want to help people find a job, succeed in their current position, or make a total career transition.
Are you writing for women in the workplace, older workers, young workers, workers without college degrees, or those who are entering the job market after a long time away? The work life genre is huge, so picking a specific audience makes it easier to write and market your book.
Examples are “The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy” by Jon Gordon and Ken Blanchard, and “Rising Above a Toxic Workplace: Taking Care of Yourself in an Unhealthy Environment” by Gary Chapman, Paul White, and Harold Myra.
While the genres we’ve listed are currently the most popular, publishing trends change quickly. In the past few years, books on organizing and decluttering took the world by storm. They are still popular. Besides that, there is always room for a new book on other self-help book genres, like:
If you have a great idea for a self help book, get it published, and go find your buyers. If you need help with any aspect of getting your book into print, contact the experts at Publishing Xpress.
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