Self Help for Self Improvement and Better Sleep!

By Beth Farrell — Library Journal, 08/15/2009

(this story first appeared on Library Journal.com August, 15, 2009)

Serenity. Fulfillment. Happiness. Wisdom. Hot sex (yes, hot sex). A multitude of current and forthcoming self-help audiobooks promise listeners that, despite the constant doom and gloom in today’s headlines, these higher states of being are well within reach.

Seeking more enlightenment

Forbes recently reported that Americans spent $11 billion in 2008 on self-help books, CDs, seminars, coaching, and stress-management programs—13.6 percent more than they did in 2005. Why the uptick? According to a recent Publishers Weekly cover story (“Bailouts of the Self-Help Kind,” PW 4/6/09), conventional publishing industry wisdom holds that personal improvement titles do very well in economic recessions.

Self-help in audio format especially is gaining momentum like never before. LJ‘s most recent listing of audios “most borrowed in U.S. libraries” (Audiobook Best Sellers, LJ 6/1/09) shows these titles are flying off library shelves: 15 out of the 20 titles listed are self-help! Collection development specialist Lindsey Levinsohn of OverDrive, a supplier of downloadable digital media to libraries, reports that circulation of self-help titles in digital formats has increased by more than 60 percent over the past two years.

And for the first time in over a decade, audiobooks were considered in a new “Self-Improvement Audiobook” category of this year’s National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Books for a Better Life Awards (Audio NewsBriefs, LJ 2/1/09).

Offering more enlightenment

Many big-name self-help authors are with mainstream publishers: e.g., Simon & Schuster Audio has titles by Phil McGraw, Joel and Victoria Osteen, and Rhonda Byrne, while Random House Audio and Books on Tape feature titles by Mitch Albom and Deepak Chopra. Other notable publishers of audio self-help are Recorded Books (via its Your Coach in a Box and Recorded Books Development imprints), Oasis Audio (four of whose titles were nominated for Audie Awards this year), Macmillan Audio, BBC Audiobooks America, Tantor Media, HarperAudio, Hachette, Penguin, Hyperion, HighBridge, Listen & Live, New World Library, Shambhala, Sounds True, Hay House, and Bolinda.

In addition to purchasing these publishers’ titles on CD and in preloaded Playaway digital format, many librarians order them as digital downloads through distributors like OverDrive, OCLC NetLibrary/Recorded Books, and Ingram Digital. Digital downloads are an excellent delivery format for self-help, as they give patrons a quick and anonymous path to advice on potentially sensitive subjects.

So. Increasingly more library patrons want self-help titles, and increasingly more publishers want to sell them. With the overwhelming number of options now available (Amazon.com lists over 8000 self-help audiobooks, while OverDrive offers its library partners nearly 1000 such titles), how do we choose?

Where science meets self-help

While the goals of many self-help audiobooks—contentment, serenity—might seem warm and fuzzy, many of these titles are grounded in science. Daniel Amen’s Magnificent Mind at Any Age and Richard O’Connor’s Happy at Last, for example, are based on the most recent findings in psychology and neuroscience. And the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) model developed by best-selling self-help author Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979 is now offered in over 200 medical centers, hospitals, and clinics worldwide.

Reviewing authors’ credentials and previous publications is the best way to vet their qualifications. Those self-help titles based on medical research or recommending medical treatments need to be weeded regularly.

A secure investment in hard times

Top-selling audios from Sounds True, which has been publishing self-help titles since 1985, are Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness for Beginners and Jack Kornfield’s Meditations for Beginners. Associate director of marketing Shelly Vickroy believes this indicates that the current economic crunch may be causing people to seek out information on those topics for the first time.

“It’s easy to understand why the message of hope and love is so appealing in these tough times,” says Books on Tape (BOT) marketing director Cheryl Herman. BOT recently launched a Christian Interest category imprint, whose best-selling self-help titles include Joyce Meyer’s Never Give Up! and Susan Isaacs’s Angry Conversations with God.

Oasis Audio publisher Dan Balow notes steady sales of titles in what he refers to as the “evergreen” areas of marriage and spirituality, Oasis’s specialty. Among the most popular of these titles are Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages and Shaunti Feldhahn’s “For Men Only”/“For Women Only” series.

Beyond Dr. Phil and The Secret

Most libraries already stock titles by best-selling authors like Stephen R. Covey, Phil McGraw, Rhonda Byrne, and Eckhart Tolle, so this article’s focus will be on popular quality titles by lesser-known but no less reputable authors. Also, because so many libraries have tight materials budgets, audios available at a variety of price points and in various formats are included.

The selections are divided into the following sections: “Mind” (a hot topic being neuroplasticity of the brain, or the brain’s ability to form new neural connections throughout life), “Body” (titles geared toward improving overall health or designed to help listeners cope with specific conditions), and “Soul” (titles meant to uplift one’s spirit). Audiobooks designated with a star [*] are essential. For additional audio titles, see the online version of this article at www.libraryjournal.com.

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BETTERMENT OF THE MIND
*Amen, Daniel G., M.D. Magnificent Mind at Any Age: Natural Ways To Unleash Your Brain’s Maximum Potential. 10 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 12½ hrs. Books on Tape. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4159-6015-8. $100; 10 CDs. retail ed. Random House Audio; digital download.
Psychiatrist Amen (Change Your Brain, Change Your Life) espouses natural approaches to bolstering brain power, from changes to diet to changes in thinking. Narrator Marc Cashman’s conversational tone aids comprehension of this information-packed guide useful to listeners of all ages. (LJ 11/1/08)
Dyer, Wayne. Excuses Begone! How To Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits. 8 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. NA hrs. Hay House. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4019-2310-5. $39.95; digital download.
Dynamic speaker Dyer (www.drwaynedyer.com) cites recent studies about the neuroplasticity of the brain, imploring listeners not to believe they’re victims of their DNA and/or upbringing. With the PBS special tie-in, expect interest.
*Hyman, Mark, M.D. The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First. 5 CDs. retail ed. abridged. 6 hrs. S. & S. Audio. 2009. ISBN 978-0-7435-7048-0. $29.99; Playaway digital; digital download.
How detoxifying and fortifying the body can maximize brain function, alleviate depression, and improve memory. Hyman’s (www.drhyman.com) earnest, energizing narration has the feel of a lecture from a favorite college professor. Practical advice, engagingly delivered. (Audio, LJ 4/15/09)
Katz, Lawrence C. & Manning Rubin. Keep Your Brain Alive: 83 Neurobic Exercises To Help Prevent Memory Loss and Increase Mental Fitness. 2 CDs. retail ed. abridged. 2 hrs. HighBridge Audio. 2008. ISBN 978-1-59887-824-0. $14.95; Playaway digital; digital download.
The late Katz (neurobiology, Duke Univ. Medical Ctr.) and Rubin (60 Ways To Relieve Stress in 60 Seconds), who narrates, share easy, fun exercises designed to stimulate the production of nutrients that grow new brain cells. An excellent, affordable first-time audio production of the 1999 print edition.
O’Connor, Richard. Happy at Last: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Finding Joy. 8 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 10 hrs. Macmillan Audio from BBC Audiobooks America. 2008. ISBN 978-0-7927-5662-0. $79.95; NA CDs. retail ed. abridged. 5 hrs. Macmillan Audio; digital download.
Psychotherapist O’Connor (Undoing Depression) believes we each have a “happiness set point”—and the power to raise that set point ourselves. Rick Adamson’s spirited reading of this accessible guide to rewiring the brain is a joy in itself. (LJ 10/15/08)
Williams, Mark & others. The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness. 4 CDs. retail ed. abridged. 5 hrs. Sounds True. 2008. ISBN 978-1-59179-665-7. $29.95; digital download.
You need not be clinically depressed to benefit from this informative self-help program from a dream team of academics and practitioners. With easy-to-use techniques and a CD of guided meditations led by the renowned Jon Kabat-Zinn. (LJ 5/15/07)

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BETTERMENT OF THE BODY
Cox, Tracey. More Hot Sex. 8 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 9¾ hrs. Bolinda Audio. 2009. ISBN 978-1-921415-39-5. $64; 1 MP3-CD. library ed.; Playaway digital.
Breezily narrated by Mary-Louise Walker, Cox’s (www.traceycox.com) comprehensive follow-up to her 2000 best seller, Hot Sex and Hot Relationships, will especially appeal to listeners in long-term relationships.
Howell, Kelly. Mind Body Healing. 2 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 2 hrs. Books on Tape. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4159-5576-5. $24; Playaway digital; digital download.
Howell (founder, Brain Sync) is a longtime proponent of “brain wave therapy,” wherein precisely tuned sound waves evoke certain states of mind (e.g., concentration, deep calm). The soothing sessions on this audio original are designed to activate the body’s natural healing abilities.
*Roizen, Michael F., M.D. & Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. You: Being Beautiful; The Owner’s Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty. 10 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 12½ hrs. Recorded Bks. 2009. ISBN 978-1-7361-9182-1. $102.75; 10 CDs. retail ed. S. & S. Audio; Playaway digital; digital download.
Listeners of all types and ages will appreciate the New York Times best-selling authors’ tips for looking, feeling, and being beautiful. Narrator Johnny Heller, one of the best in the business, entertains as much as he informs. (LJ 10/1/08)
Servan-Schreiber, David, M.D. Anticancer: A New Way of Life. 7 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 9 hrs. BBC Audiobooks America. 2008. ISBN 978-0-7927-5635-4. $79.95; Playaway digital; digital download.
Psychiatrist Servan-Schreiber describes his own cancer treatment, identifies environmental and lifestyle factors contributing to cancer growth, and details alternative and conventional treatments. An excellent performance by Audie Award nominee Robert Fass (Buying In). (LJ 7/08)
Wechsler, Amy. The Mind-Beauty Connection: 9 Days To Reverse Stress Aging and Reveal More Youthful, Beautiful Skin. 8 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 9½ hrs. Tantor Media. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4001-3880-7. $59.99; 8 CDs. retail ed.; 1 MP3-CD. retail ed.; digital download.
Stress aging is reversible, says Wechsler, whose background is in dermatology and psychiatry. Her nine-day renewal plan can be tailored to listeners’ needs (and budgets). Renée Raudman’s narration is engaging and encouraging; an uncomplicated guide to healthy skin for women of all ages.
*Weil, Andrew, M.D. & Rubin Naiman. Healthy Sleep: Wake Up Refreshed and Energized with Proven Practices for Optimum Sleep. 2 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 2¼ hrs. Sounds True. 2007. ISBN 978-1-59179-583-4. $19.99.
Two integrative medical specialists relate how sleep affects all aspects of health, sharing practical tips and guided relaxation exercises designed to improve quantity and depth of sleep. Weil is always engaging, while Naiman’s voice is ideal for the guided exercises.

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BETTERMENT OF THE SOUL
*Chödrön, Pema. This Moment Is the Perfect Teacher: 10 Buddhist Teachings on Cultivating Inner Strength & Compassion. 4 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 4 hrs. Shambhala Audio. 2008. ISBN 978-1-59030-493-8-4. $29.99; Playaway digital (in 2010).
Chödrön, a delightful speaker, details ten teachings to cultivate inner strength and compassion, relating Buddhist doctrine to modern American life. Listeners of all faiths will appreciate these timely teachings. A Books for a Better Life Award nominee.
Foreman, Mark. Wholly Jesus: His Surprising Approach to Wholeness and Why It Matters Today. 6 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 7¼ hrs. Hovel: Christianaudio. 2008. ISBN 978-1-59644-673-1. $24.98; digital download.
California-based Foreman, a pastor, surfer, and father, encourages followers to apply Christ’s messages of love out in the world. Johnny Heller’s narration suits the conversational feel of this work, which should appeal to most Christians.
Hendricks, Gay. Five Wishes: How Answering One Simple Question Can Make Your Dreams Come True. 2 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 2 hrs. New World Library. 2008. ISBN 978-1-57731-639-8. $17.95; Playaway digital; digital download.
The popular author/motivational speaker (www.hendricks.com) shows how to use wishes and affirmations to envision and create a fulfilled life for oneself. Fans of The Secret will enjoy this simple, powerful work, also a free streaming 18-minute film: www.5wishesbook.com/video.php.
Ireland, Kathy. Real Solutions for Busy Moms: Your Guide to Success and Sanity. 5 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 2 hrs. Oasis Audio. 2009. ISBN 978-1-59859-534-5. $22.98; Playaway digital.
In this audio best suited for Christian moms, Ireland, a former supermodel who’s now a married mother of three and a successful CEO, warmly shares practical tips on achieving work-life balance and tells how her faith keeps her grounded. (LJ 3/1/09)
Nichols, Lisa. No Matter What! 9 Steps to Living the Life You Love. 8 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 9 hrs. Hachette Audio. 2009. ISBN 978-1-60024-292-2. $34.98; digital download.
Motivational speaker/life coach Nichols (www.lisa-nichols.com) encourages listeners to keep working toward personal goals and dreams despite life’s inevitable setbacks. The enthusiasm she conveys through her reading is infectious. (LJ 2/15/09)
Whyte, David. The Three Marriages: Reimagining Work, Self and Relationship. 8 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 10 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4233-7653-8. $92.97; 8 CDs. retail ed.; 1 MP3-CD. library/retail eds.; digital download.
Yorkshire-born poet/business consultant Whyte’s rich, rumbling voice could turn the reading of an auto repair manual into poetry; his erudite, unique take on balancing work, self, and relationships is utterly compelling. Self-help for the literary set. (Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/08)
*Williamson, Marianne. The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Middle Age. 4 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 4¼ hrs. Hay House. 2007. ISBN 978-1-4019-1721-0. $23.95; Playaway digital; digital download.
With clarity and earnestness, author, lecturer, and spiritual activist Williamson (www.marianne.com) urges fellow baby boomers to overcome the false belief that things would be better if only they were younger. Inspiring words for listeners of any faith. (LJ 2/1/08)

Web Exclusive

Betterment of the Body

Brainstorm: Using Science To Spark Maximum Creativity. 1 CD. retail ed. unabridged. 1 hr. Macmillan Audio. 2008. ed. by Mariette DiChristina. ISBN 978-1-4272-0441-7. $14.95; digital download.

This Audie Award–nominated audio contains four Scientific American articles on problem solving and creativity as well as a round table discussion with several leading scientists. William Dufris and Helen Litchfield’s clear, well-paced reading help to make the articles accessible to lay listeners. (Audio, LJ 9/1/08)

De Bono, Edward. How To Have a Beautiful Mind. 5 CD. retail ed. unabridged. 5½ hrs. Bolinda Audio. 2009. ISBN 978-1-7421-4006-3. $64; digital download.

Humphrey Bower smoothly narrates consultant/author De Bono’s practical guide, which will appeal to anyone interested in improving listening and thinking skills as well as developing creativity and empathy.

Gurgevich, Steven. Relax Rx: A Self-Hypnosis Program for Health and Well-Being. 2 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 2 hrs. Sounds True. 2008. ISBN 978-1-59179-962-7. $19.95; digital download.

Gurgevich’s (director, Mind-Body Clinic, Andrew Weil’s Ctr. for Integrative Medicine) reassuring voice is featured on 11 guided relaxation sessions in this audio original excellent for beginners or for those who regularly use guided trance-work.

Roth, Geneen. Bite by Bite: Seven Guidelines To Break Free from Emotional Eating. 2 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 2¼ hrs. Sound True. 2006. ISBN 978-1-59179-463-9. $19.95; digital download.

In this audio original, speaker and best-selling author Roth (www.geneenroth.com) offers principles and practices for breaking free from emotional eating as well as guided meditations and visualizations.

Betterment of the Soul

This I Believe II: More Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women. 5 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 6 hrs. Macmillan Audio from BBC Audiobooks America. 2008. ed. by Jay Allison & Dan Gediman in assoc. with NPR®. ISBN 978-0-7927-5660-6. $59.95; 5 CDs. retail ed. Macmillan Audio; digital download.

Based on a 1950s radio program of the same name and currently an NPR® show, this audio following the first, 2007 Audie Award–winning title was a 2009 Audie finalist. Listening to these heartfelt statements of belief read by the contributors is an exhilarating experience. (Audio, LJ 11/15/08)

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Author Information

Beth Farrell is Collection Development Manager, Portage County District Library (PCDL), Garrettsville, OH. An LJ audio reviewer, Farrell purchases audiobooks for PCDL and recently developed a downloadable audio self-help collection for her library