They have been there since long and their future seem secure. Yes, one is talking about self-help books, also called how-to books. Visit any bookstore, swanky or by the sidewalk, across Delhi, you will find such books always aplenty, simply because their takers have never been on the wane.
Declares Shiv Khera, a big name in the genre of self-help books, “There has always been a huge demand for good self-help books worldwide and there will always be.” Author of “You Can Win”, one of the most sold books in the genre, he says, “I write such books from my practical knowledge unlike some people who are writing these days just to earn a few bucks.” He warns readers against falling for “books written by many self-proclaimed management gurus these days.” “I don't consider myself as one of them as I am still a student of learning,” he adds.
To gain interpersonal skills and lead a happy personal life, and also to find quick tips for success at workplace, many people take succour in self-help books. Besides books by new-age writers, stories from the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Bhagvad Gita also do the rounds.
They are presented to the readers in a way that reveals secrets to success and managerial skills.
Side by side self-help books, booksellers say there is also a rise in the demand for management books. “With the rise in the number of management institutes, we often find students asking for newer titles to read on the subject. This has been happening since the last two-years particularly,” says a bookseller in Connaught Place. Also, many buy such books preparing for entrance tests in management institutes. Authors of management books, like Phillip Kotler and Udai Pareek, are particularly popular, he adds.
Concurs Aastha Dadheech, a student preparing for CAT, “These books help me to increase my general knowledge and awareness. Some of them also helped me to widen my world view by learning about different social issues.”
Naveen Mishra, Sales Manager, Wisdom Tree, states, “Each year, demand of management and self-help books increases because people today want to be more and more aware. For example, ‘Ping' by Stuart Avery Gold is a fine book in self-help and worth a read.”
Many professionals also prefer self-help books to solve their business issues. “I read Robert. T. Kiyosaki's book, ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad', which is based on economic research and helps in achieving goals in finance and investment field,” says businessman Biswajit Senapati. Yet another popular book on this regard is “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie.
With time, newer ways of presentation of ideas for success happen and out come more selp-help books. Management trainer Shailesh Thaker, who has just come out with his book “New Age of Leadership”, is already talking of a shift:“The new management idea is to be passion oriented and be quick in whatever you do. Today, leadership is not the only way to success but team work and spirit also form the basis to achieve great heights.”
