Is The Self Improvement Industry A Rip Off? Alot Of Those Books Written On Success Are Written By People?

They are written by people who are trying to improve themselves with your money, it is their self improvement they are working on not yours.

Anything that gives people hope, even false hope, will sell. Look at the millions of diet books sold, not to mention those that promote self confidence and success making. People assume that if it’s in print and costing money, it must have substance. Saying that I bought a book on depression years ago and it was of tremendous value …. although it was a case of you get out what you put in. But I have since bought many books on confidence and self improvement only to fail at the first post. No it’s not a rip off, ways to help and improve yourself will sell just like sex. People will always try and fail, mostly through their own lack of effort and understanding. If there is an element of rip off, it comes from the publishers and not the authors. But at the end of the day, it’s simply a case of ‘let the buyer beware’!

Its a pathway. Like all books, they vary in quality from naff to quite good.
Self improvement for the writer, very often, with occasional pioneers which do not sell so many. The pioneer’s work is then ripped off for best sellers.
Rival camps squabble for sales.

I devoted an episode of my psychology podcast to these self-help books and in the episode I point out what it is about them that intelligent, critical thinking people would find problematic and what they would look for in a good book. You might want to check it out here:http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2008/07/21/…
Michael
The Psych Files podcast
http://www.thepsychfiles.com

Yes.
“self-improvement” is essentially “self-teaching”, something which lots of people do already even without realising it.
p.s; yoyokill; i remember getting that one out from my school library when i was little lol.
Wasn’t a chance in hell i’d pay for it though, heh.

Answer is YES.
Although remember if you are buying things like that they are getting money.
Like selling How to make money book for 20 bucks.
Some sucker will buy it.