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The first in a new monthly column on trends explores readers’ hunger for relentless self-betterment.
There’s nothing new under the sun – and it’s also hardly new that in times of crises, readers turn to escapist works that transport their minds to places lesser known, brought to them by novelists. But what about the world of non-fiction?
For the past few years, the charts have been witnessing a rising number of non-fiction publications in the categories of smart thinking and self-development, starting with the now classic Atomic Habits by James Clear, all the way to The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett and The Algebra of Wealth by Scott Galloway, both of which have recently been featuring on the American Amazon Top 100 book chart. The goal is seemingly clear – to optimise ourselves, to do more, whether it’s rest or work, and finally, to master our lives and reclaim the control over how we spend every waking minute.
The argument of such publications is both profitable and logical, as many of their authors engage with their audiences through online platforms, podcasts and newsletters. Think Peter Attia, Shane Parrish, doctor Julie Smith, or the aforementioned face of a mega-platform, Steven Bartlett. It’s hard to tell precisely which parts of their versatile activities fuel the book sales, all of them blending into, and forming part of, dynamic brands. Although no numbers can ever guarantee the success of the book until every part of the campaign has fallen into place and hit fertile grounds, it’s no coincidence that those categories are getting traction. They are designed to, and it’s natural that in an increasingly overwhelming environment they are the ones that more often than not break through the noise.
We remain somewhat stuck in the peculiar era of optimisation, where the reader has become a demanding customer seeking almost instant results. The curse of immediate gratification has now trickled down onto the bookshelves and warehouses, on one hand convincing non-readers to try something new, on the other, transforming the way we consume the written word. Shortening attention spans and an increased need for multitasking leads not only to a higher demand for smart thinking formulas, but also impacts the form.
On an editorial level, this is reflected in shorter chapters interrupted by elements imitating the effects of scrolling through a variety of online content. The rise of audio can also be seen as indicative of time and attention becoming a scarce resource, all of the above leading us into a more efficient and motivated readership than ever; one that not only demands that the advice given has to beat its virtual equivalent accessed within a matter of few clicks, but that will also promise to transform, or drastically improve, their lives by the time they have run out of pages.
We remain somewhat stuck in the peculiar era of optimisation, where the reader has become a demanding customer seeking almost instant results
To say it’s all dire out there would not be true. On the contrary – now, more than ever, both the author and the publisher have an abundance of channels and paths through which to connect with the reader. It also goes without saying that plenty of outstanding voices, including experts in their fields, get a chance of maximising the positive impact their words can bring about.
Equally, no power comes without responsibility and competition. While we figure out novel and engaging ways in which to communicate with audiences in an increasingly polarised market – which often brutally draws a line between mega-bestsellers and lower print runs, as if leaving the middle to itself – it might be a good excuse to reflect whether it’s the market that’s the limit, or if it’s the formula that’s the problem, too. Trends are just what the lid says; they come and go, and few of them grow into evergreen classics, especially in the book industry. One swallow doesn’t make a summer, just as one habit hit does not transform the entire self-development genre into a gold mine.
Should one argue that, as a matter of fact, most evolved societies seek to self-actualise so badly that the resources we can pour into improving ourselves are vaster than ever, AI might give us pause. Will we be left with any area of life that can’t be enhanced within minutes? As things stand, many needs which in the past would have had to be answered by written advice can now be handled through a quick google, an app download, or else – and that shift is only going to advance at an accelerated pace. What interests me most, though, is whether and at what point the need to polish and perfect will give way to the need to belong, to seek something bigger. After all, it’s the "why" that drives us, not the "how".
The primary theory could be that creativity serves as the level-up from optimisation, bringing us into a full-blown modern creative renaissance after a period of mastering our minds and bodies. Recent essays on creation – Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act, and an older book revived by social media mentions, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, originally published in 2002 – could potentially be an early indication of this, on top of global predictions on the doubling of the worth of creator economy in the next few years to come. It would certainly make sense, wouldn’t it – if our habits fall into place as commanded by smarter than ever software, the remaining point of difference will be our imagination and the unexpected; and we may also be more freed up than ever to put it into use. Or we will witness the full revival of the classic mind-body-spirit section, whether more classic in their approach, or moulded to meet new demand and higher needs.
Amid it all, what remains a constant in our publishing universe is perhaps the fact that whichever route the market takes, the bestseller lists won’t cease to surprise us; in this case, by continuing to deliver on the one riddle so existential we wouldn’t dare to put it through an algorithm, even if we could.