One of the most popular genres in the book publishing industry is the self-help category. Perceptions about such books differ from person to person, but there can be no denying the fact that these books sell millions of copies with each passing year.
Self-help books have been around for many decades now, and people have very contrasting views on them. There is a group of people who believe that self-help books are very influential and helpful, and these are the people who are a part of the readership of these books. The most popular self-help books sell in millions and are a part of the public consciousness for years at a stretch, so their influence cannot be argued against. Another group of people believe that self-help books are just marketing gimmicks and do not offer anything to a reader.
Depending on which side of the fence you sit on, you can have your own opinion on these books. Personally I believe that self-help books will get you nowhere and only make you feel more inferior, but that is just my personal opinion. It is not my privilege to judge people who read such books, as this is a choice that they are perfectly entitled to make. I also cannot argue against the fact that these books have sold a mammoth amount of copies, and there are many people who absolutely swear by them, so there must be more to these books than I can understand.
The Top 15 Self-help Books
There are many problems that people face in life, and it is a fact that many people resort to these good self-help books of all time in order to overcome these problems. Some people have an inferiority complex, some people wish to learn how to lose weight, some people want to know how to become more confident, save more money, get over a bad break up, abusive spouses, be more assertive, and so on and so forth. The list is virtually endless, and there are many motivating people out there who are willing to embrace this weakness of people in order to sell books that claim to help them. Whether you fall into this category or not is your prerogative, but here are some of the most popular self-help books that have altered the course of history.
| Sr. No. | Book Title | Author | Year of Release | Copies Sold |
| 1 | How to Win Friends & Influence People | Dale Carnegie | 1936 | 15 million worldwide |
| 2 | How to Stop Worrying and Start Living | Dale Carnegie | 1948 | 5 million worldwide |
| 3 | The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People | Stephen Covey | 1989 | 15 million worldwide |
| 4 | Rich Dad, Poor Dad | Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter | 2001 | 20 million worldwide |
| 5 | Who Moved My Cheese? | Spencer Johnson | 1998 | 26 million worldwide |
| 6 | The Secret | Rhonda Byrne | 2006 | 19 million worldwide |
| 7 | Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus | John Gray | 1992 | 50 million worldwide |
| 8 | Think and Grow Rich | Napoleon Hill | 1937 | 70 million worldwide |
| 9 | The Art of Happiness | Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler | 1998 | 5 million worldwide |
| 10 | The One Minute Millionaire | Robert G. Allen and Mark Victor Hansen | 2002 | 60 million worldwide |
| 11 | Jonathan Livingston Seagull | Richard Bach | 1970 | 40 million worldwide |
| 12 | You Can Heal Your Life | Louise Hay | 1984 | 35 million worldwide |
| 13 | What Color is Your Parachute? | Richard Nelson Bolles | 1970 | 10 million worldwide |
| 14 | How to Talk to Anyone | Leil Lowndes | 2003 | 5 million worldwide |
| 15 | The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success | Deepak Chopra | 1994 | 5 million worldwide |
Each of these books of all time have something to offer to readers who read them with an open mind. They have influenced the thoughts and actions of many people from all around the world, and will continue to do so in the future as well. But the effect that they have will depend from person to person. Either way, they have firmly entrenched themselves in people’s minds, and when someone is looking for self-help books, these are the most effective books that they should be looking for.
