When writing a health book for the popular press or a book designed to motivate and inspire readers, what tone should you take?
Upbeat and positive is best.
Readers of self-help books want to know what works. They want to know what you prefer. They want to know what they should do. As much as possible, emphasize the positive, in word, phrase and general tone.
For example, “Every diet that has hit the market since diets were invented is a fraud, except mine,” is negative. Put the reader in a positive, more receptive frame of mind by saying: “My diet is clinically proven to melt the pounds away.”
Don’t waste time telling the reader how rotten, worthless and crooked everyone else is. Tell them how good you are. Say, “My approach gets results by emphasizing the behavioral aspects,” instead of “Everyone else fails because they don’t know what I know about the behavioral aspects.”
Say, “This was the only study approved by peer review,” instead of “Every other researcher faked the results and ought to be thrown in jail.”
Say, “Scientists now agree that meditation is as effective as, and less expensive then, psychiatry,” instead of “Psychiatry is a bunch of bull. It never helped anyone but the greedy doctors who refuse to admit that meditation is better and cheaper.”
Say, “This book goes beyond stress management to…” instead of “This book goes beyond stress management, ‘the very hip buzz phrase’ of the century.”
Readers don’t like sourpusses. Yes, sometimes you have to point out what’s wrong with the other ideas, programs, diets, etc. But in general, be positive. Inspire your readers.
