How to Write a Bestselling Self-Help Book

Earlier this year, I had the dubious honor of speaking at a conference right after self-help juggernaut Jack Canfield, the man behind the Chicken Soup For the Soul franchise, which has sold 123 million copies.

It was at a sales conference my firm hosted, and even though I was there to speak about company initiatives which was my strength, it was still intimidating to follow Jack, who was a guest brought in by my firm’s sales coach Cindy Ertman.

As I set up on stage and he packed up, I nervously quipped “thanks a lot, you’re an impossible act to follow,” to which he quipped right back “just kick off by thanking your opening act.”

Which I did to much success.

What a class act. It was an amazing 2016 memory for me. That’s saying a lot because I’ve never been big into the self-help world. But I am big into writers and writing, and Jack’s 123 million books sold and 500 million in print is as big as it gets.

So as I declutter my office this weekend, I’m jotting down the table of contents from his Success Principals book that he handed out that day. Every chapter is a universal concept, which is what makes the cartoon above so funny: it’s all about repackaging these concepts below in new and relevant ways. So I’m marking these concepts from the master down here for future reference.

The Success Principals – Table Of Contents

SECTION 1: FUNDAMENTALS OF SUCCESS
1. Take 100% Responsibility For Your Life
2. Be Clear Why You’re Here
3. Decide What You Want
4. Believe It’s Possible
5. Believe In Yourself
6. Use The Law Of Attraction
7. Unleash The Power Of Goal Setting
8. Chunk It Down
9. Success Leaves Clues
10. Release The Brakes
11. See What You Want, Get What You See
12. Act As If
13. Take Action
14. Just Lean Into It
15. Experience Your Fear and Take Action Anyway
16. Be Willing To Pay The Price
17. Ask! Ask! Ask!
18. Reject Rejection
19. Use Feedback To Your Advantage
20. Commit To Constant and Never-Ending Improvement
21. Keep Score For Success
22. Practice Persistence
23. Practice The Rule of 5 (everyday do 5 things that move goals to completion)
24. Exceed Expectations

SECTION 2: TRANSFORM YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS
25. Drop Out of the “Ain’t It Awful” Club (and surround yourself with successful people)
26. Acknowledge Your Positive Past
27. Keep Your Eye On The Prize
28. Clean Up Your Messes and Your Incompletes
29. Complete The Past To Embrace The Future
30. Face What Isn’t Working
31. Embrace Change
32. Transform Your Inner Critic Into An Inner Coach
33. Transcend Your Limiting Beliefs
34. Develop Four New Success Habits A Year
35. 99% Is A Bitch; 100% Is A Breeze
36. Learn More To Earn More
37. Stay Motivated With The Masters
38. Fuel Your Success With Passion & Enthusiasm

SECTION 3: BUILD YOUR SUCCESS TEAM
39. Stay Focused on Your Core Genius
40. Redefine Time
41. Build A Powerful Support Team and Delegate To Them
42. Just Say No!
43. Become A Leader Worth Following
44. Create A Network of Mentors and Others Who Will Up-Level You
45. Hire A Personal Coach
46. Mastermind Your Way To Success
47. Inquire Within

SECTION 4: CREATE SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS
48. Be Hear Now
49. Have A Heart Talk
50. Tell The Truth Faster
51. Speak With Impeccability
52. When In Doubt, Check It Out
53. Practice Uncommon Appreciation
54. Keep Your Agreements
55. Be A Class Act

SECTION 5: SUCCESS AND MONEY
56. Develop A Positive Money Consciousness
57. You Get What You Focus On
58. Put Yourself First
59. Master The Spending Game
60. To Spend More, First Make More
61. Give More to Get More
62. Find A Way To Serve

SECTION 6: SUCCESS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
63. Master The Technology You Need
64. Brand Yourself With An Online Persona
65. Use Social Media In A Way That Enhances Your Reputation
66. Use The Exponential Power of Crowdfunding
67. Connect With People Who Can Expand Your Vision

And regarding Chapter 67, I’d like to give Cindy a special shout out for opening my typically cynical eyes to these ways of thinking.
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Read Canfield’s Most Popular Books:
–The Success Principles

–Chicken Soup For The Soul (the original)