As you’re probably aware, not all motivational books are that… well, motivational. Just like any kind of niche, there are good ones and bad ones. Whether you’re writing one of these books yourself or you’re browsing titles for yourself, you need to be able to sort the wheat from the chaff. Here are three bad traits to be aware of in motivational books.
First of all, avoid books that claim that no “personal action” is necessary. This is pretty obvious, but countless self-help books still manage to sell, claiming that you’ll get great results with no work at all. If you’ve bought one of these books, throw it out immediately! Think about the term “self-help”. The “self”, if you hadn’t guessed, is you! If you want to get the results promised by the book, you’re going to have to put some effort in. Good motivational books should always be guidelines towards a more successful life, like How to Win Friends and Influence People. They should not be a magic tome that will make your problems disappear. Saying that there’s no effort from the reader required can be an effective marketing technique. However, you should always treat this as a sign that there’s no substance behind the book.
Make sure you’re not wasting any money on books which don’t have a reputable publisher. Knowing what a “reputable” publisher is can be a little tough, seen as there are so many out there. You probably know a few of the biggest publishing names already. Then there are other, niche-orientated firms like top motivational book publisher Motivational Press. It’s true that the label the book has been released by doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality of the read. If you can’t find any other red flags, do some research into the publishing company tied to the motivational book. Look at some of their bestsellers, and some impartial reviews of those titles. If all you find are books that bombed miserably, then move along. Never go with a publisher who’s had to pick up the scraps after all the better firms have got to the talent.
Finally, another little bit of detective work. Look into the author’s background, and how much authority they have to write their book. The best motivational books, in my experience, are a combination of instruction and narrative. People are inspired by stories, there’s no denying that. The author’s own experience should attest to the value of what they’re telling you. It’s often easy to forget that anyone can write a book on career success.
It takes a real professional, with a length of personal experience, to write something with any real substance. Before paying out for a title, make sure to look into the author as well. If they’ve risen to the top of their industry, or overcome some huge personal obstacle, then go ahead. If all they’ve done is write self-help guides however, you can cross the book off your list.
Whenever you’re looking for a good motivational book, run it through these checks. If they pass all of them, then you may have stumbled upon a real gem!
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