Self-Help Book Genre

Books in the self-help genre are popular choices for readers everywhere, bringing assistance and advice to numerous aspects of life. From mental health to finance books, self-help books bring real insight that readers can apply to their everyday lives, helping them reach their goals, overcome challenges, and more. Writing and publishing a self-help book is a challenging yet rewarding process, with the potential to help thousands of people and help you grow your career.

While self-publishing a self-help book have many benefits, including total creative control, it can be hard to know where to start. Luckily, Palmetto Publishing offers numerous publishing services for independent authors to guide them through the entire book publishing process. Read on to learn more about the self-help book genre, as well as how to publish self-help books and an overview of the industry-leading publishing services that Palmetto Publishing offers.

What Is the Self-Help Book Genre?

The self-help book genre contains nonfiction books written with the intention of instructing the reader on how to solve a problem or improve an area of their life or providing other guidance. These books are also known as “self-improvement” books, often giving advice on how to improve oneself mentally, physically, financially, etc. Common self-help topics include improving one’s finances, bettering one’s mental health, getting one’s life in order, growing one’s confidence, and strengthening relationships.

Some examples of books in the self-help genre include:

• See Life Through Rose-Colored Glasses by Robyn Barnhardt
• Leading and Managing Simultaneously by Mark Hubble
• Thoughts of Serenity by Jillisa Lynn
• Getting Your Life Together by Tonya Zeigler
• Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
• The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Miguel Ruiz
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry
• The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle

As apparent from these examples, many self-help books can also fall into other genres, like how-to, inspirational, or memoir. Yet, the overarching similarity among them all is that they are nonfiction books providing guidance on how to improve an area of the reader’s life or inspire them to try something new. Self-help books additionally typically relay knowledge from the lived experiences of the authors, sharing guidance that worked for them personally.

Publishing Self-Help Books

Each book genre has unique publishing methods, marketing strategies, formatting requirements, and other standards that authors must consider, and the self-help genre is no different. For example, self-help books typically require an inspiring or witty title and eye-catching cover to grab potential readers’ attention. Overall, the publishing process for self-help books involves these steps:

• Editing the book for grammatical errors, cohesiveness, etc.
• Designing the front and back cover of the book
• Professionally formatting the book’s interior
• Printing physical copies
• Marketing your book

Self-help books are commonly self-published, allowing new authors to start their careers or reach niche audiences. Independent authors can follow these steps for self-publishing themselves, or they can partner with experts to guide them through the process. Working with a professional publishing company like Palmetto Publishing ensures your self-help book stands out among its competitors in the genre.

Benefits of Self-Publishing

Self-publishing your self-help book can bring many benefits over traditional publishing. While publishing through a traditional publishing company adds a layer of legitimacy, it has many downsides, like long waiting times, low royalties, alterations to content, and overall lack of control. Self-publishing, on the other hand, allows authors to:

• Publish their work quickly
• Remain in total control of creativity, content, and design
• Publish books for niche audiences
• Begin advertising as soon as they desire to
• Earn the most royalties from book sales
• Be a published author

While self-publishing is no easy feat, the rewards make the process worth it. Plus, professional publishing service providers for independent authors are here to help make the process a breeze.

How Palmetto Can Help

Self-publishing your self-help book can be challenging, as there are many steps involved to get it done right. Self-publishing authors not only have to write their books but must also learn how to format, print, and advertise their books. Working with a professional publishing company like Palmetto Publishing takes you through each of these steps with ease, helping ensure your book’s success. Take a look at our industry-leading publishing services below to learn how we can help get your book into the hands of your readers, fast.

Writing

Palmetto Publishing starts assisting writers as early as during the book writing stage. We provide countless free writing resources to guide you through the writing processes for any genre, including self-help books. Here, you will find helpful information on content writing, organization, storytelling, plot development, working through writer’s block, and so much more. Our guide ” Book Writing Process 101″ is a great place to start, revealing how to become a better writer.

Editing

Having a second eye to edit your book is essential for a self-published author. Palmetto provides book editing services to do just that. With this service, our team of professional editors read and polish your work, checking for grammar, cohesiveness, tone, and typos, and assessing your work in comparison to market research for your genre.

Cover Design

It’s no secret that people judge books by their covers — literally. Having an eye-catching cover on your self-help book is essential to reach more readers, and working with an expert cover designer can help. Palmetto’s cover design services help authors create the perfect covers for their finished works, with consultations, revisions, and Getty images included.

Interior Formatting

Interior formatting is what makes your book look professional and legitimate, so make sure to get it right. Palmetto’s interior formatting services ensure your self-help book is up to the genre’s standards. We offer à la carte services for your unique formatting needs, from e-books to custom formatting packages.

Illustrations

Palmetto’s book illustration services are excellent for self-publishers who are looking to bring their stories to life. With this service, authors can choose from a variety of our in-house illustrators to match with their ideal artists. After consultations and revisions, the completed work is ready to add to your page(s).

Printing

Palmetto also offers book printing services for self-publishers. We partner with IngramSpark to print high-quality, industry-grade hard copies of your work, allowing you to get your book to your audience in record time.

Marketing

Marketing is no easy task, and it requires extensive time and research to get it done right. Working with a book marketing expert like Palmetto can help you successfully spread the word about your book. Our marketing services include press copy creation, press releases, media outreach, author websites, and more to increase exposure and revenue.

Conclusion

Self-publishing a self-help book can be challenging, but the potential benefits make it worth your while. Partnering with a professional publishing company like Palmetto Publishing allows you to focus on what you do best: writing. We take care of the editing, formatting, printing, and marketing processes for you, so you can reap the rewards of your written work.