It’s been a good year for self-help publishing, with print-unit sales up 14% from this time last year, according to NPD BookScan. As we look to the coming season, a few trends have begun to emerge.
In “Bouncing Back,” we preview books that address the evergreen yet timely topic of resilience. “Hello? Is There Anybody in There?” digs into titles that aim to foster better communication in our public and private lives. And “Women on the Rise” looks at books centered on female empowerment.
Guided journals remain a popular self-help tool, and in “The Write Direction,” we peek inside a selection of forthcoming books. Another ongoing trend, NSFW self-help titles, is not only fueling this year’s uptick in the category’s sales, but also augurs well for the next slate of straight-shooting advice books (see “Real Talk”).
Speaking of trends: remember hygge? Check out “Livin’ la Vida Lagom” for the next Scandinavian lifestyle invasion, which promotes a very healthy-sounding concept in tough times: the idea of “just enough.”
Catherine LaSota is the interim associate director of the Center for the Study of Social Difference at Columbia University and runs the LIC Reading Series in Queens.
Below, more on the subject of self-help books
Bouncing Back: Self-Help Books 2017–2018
The subject of resilience had been gaining traction in self-help circles.
Hello? Is There Anybody in There?: Self-Help Books 2017–2018
Forthcoming titles help readers learn how to communicate better online and in real life.
Women on the Rise: Self-Help Books 2017–2018
The coming year brings books that aim to inspire women and help them empower themselves.
The Write Direction: Self-Help Books 2017–2018
New guided journals offer various paths to self-discovery.
Real Talk: Self-Help Books 2017–2018
Self-help may have finally shed its touchy-feely stigma, thanks to a slew of books with no-holds-barred language on and between the covers.
Livin’ la Vida Lagom: Self-Help Books 2017–2018
Move over, ‘hygge,' and meet the latest Scandinavian lifestyle export.
