Shelf improvement

The Beeb looks at self help books. Self-help – also known as mind body spirit – has become a multi-million pound market. Figures show that Britons spent £20m on personal development titles in 2004, a figure which rises to £90m when health and spirituality are included in this amorphous genre.
Whereas 10 years ago all but a fraction of sales were to women, today men buy about one-third of the self-help books sold. And there is a whole sub-genre of books aimed at them, particularly guides to picking up women.