Connect with Your Audience

Making a connection is a key component to self-help books. A self-help book should convey to the reader – you’re not alone. If you’re publishing a self-help book, you can establish a connection with a variety of means:

• Authentic tone. Using conversational language can help engage the reader.
• Sharing stories. Successful self-help books offer empathy while providing guidance. Stories, whether personal or hypothetical, can help convey that you understand.
• Consistent format. For your self-help book structure, choose a format and maintain it. For example, you could begin each chapter with a topic, provide a story or anecdote, followed by bulleted lists of information and exercises.
• Clear and concise language and format. Self-help books should be easily digestible. Some good ideas include adding bulleted or numbered lists, checklists of activities or a list of questions to consider.
• Interactive elements. The reader wants to feel like they’re making progress and accomplishing something by reading your book. Include exercises or a workbook with activities at the end of each chapter or section.

Format Your Self-Help Book

When formatting your self-help book, consider these factors:

• Page size. Choose the page size you prefer. At 48 Hour Books, the most popular page size is 5.5 x 8.5 inches. We offer standard sizes, but we can print almost any custom size. To find out what you prefer, visit a library or book store - and bring a ruler, so you can measure. And if, for instance, you like the feel of a 200-page book, but your book only has 50 pages, choose a smaller page size. The smaller page size will equal more pages.

Publish Your Self-Help Book

• Binding options. Paperback books, also known as perfect bound or softcover books, are a popular binding option. At 48 Hour Books, we print perfect bound books in just 48 hours (or faster, if needed). For self-help books, you also might consider spiral coil binding, especially if you’re using a journal format or if your book contains worksheets or activity pages. A spiral coil binding allows books to lie flat, so it’s easy to write. We print coil bound books in five business days.
• Paper options. Paper selection can depend on the use. If readers should write in the book, consider a heavier paper, such as 70# white offset.
• Cover options. Your self-help book cover design is one of your best marketing assets. You want a captivating cover that targets your audience. 48 Hour Books offers eye-catching special cover design options such as foil stamping, leather covers, dust jackets and Diamond 3D printing.