The market for self-help books is enormous. People are always looking for ways to improve themselves and their relationships, to get their lives going in the direction they want. As one editor described it, there are three kinds of readers in the self-help market: those who are in trouble and need help, those who have had troubles in the past, and those who like to read about others' troubles.

Virtually every self-help author has impressive credentials that give him or her a strong aura of authority — a clinical psychologist, for example, or psychotherapist. If you don't have those kinds of credentials, chances are your proposal in this field will be rejected. To improve your chances, try to find a partner who does have the required background. (For more information on working with a coauthor, see Chapter 4.)

Self-Help Subcategories

Books about human relationships — and how to make them better — form the foundation of many of today's self-help books. Topics run the gamut, from dating to marriage, from being a parent to dealing with your aging parents, from coping in a single-parent family to smoothing the transition to a blended family. Sometimes the focus is on knowing and understanding your own personality; sometimes it's on understanding the people around you and the dynamics of your relationships with them. These books typically offer practical advice, often in the form of exercises, for dealing with common problems that crop up in any close, extended relationship. Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray and Self Matters by Phillip McGraw (a.k.a. “Dr. Phil”) are two bestselling examples in this category.

Addiction and recovery books used to focus solely on alcohol and substance abuse, but today the category is much broader. There are books about sex addictions, addictions to work, even addictions to miserable relationships. Again, authors of these types of self-help books nearly always have some kind of professional expertise and extensive educational backgrounds in their fields.

Success is a major theme in many self-help books, and it is defined in many different ways. Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson helps the reader adjust to changing roles and goals in the workplace, for example. The One-Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey address ways to be more efficient and more effective at work; some of the techniques also can apply to other areas of your life. Other books focus on figuring out what you want to accomplish, changing careers, living your dream, and so on.

Self-Help Credentials

Relationship and addiction/recovery books lean heavily toward psychology and sociology, and the authors of these books usually have extensive professional experience as therapists or counselors, as well as advanced degrees in psychology or social work. It's virtually impossible for the layman to sell this type of book unless you're collaborating with such an expert; readers tend to gravitate toward those authors who have a proven track record in helping people work out their problems, so that's what editors look for in considering proposals.

Your own life experience can qualify you as an expert for other types of self-help books, though. If you've had a successful career in sales, for example, you have the expertise most agents and editors will look for when considering a book on proven sales techniques. Your background in running and growing a small business can provide the authoritative feel for a guide on small business strategies.

The self-help shelf is crowded, with lots of self-help authors having other platforms to promote themselves and their books. To break into this category, you'll need exceptional credentials, a solid promotion plan, and a topic or angle that will help your book stand out. Agents and editors will reject any proposal that looks like an imitation of existing books.