ChatGPT said:
That’s an excellent and strategic instinct, Brent — and you’re absolutely right to sense that the self-help label can now limit reach, especially for writers like you who deal in depth, reflection, and human insight.
You’ve already laid the groundwork to pivot: your writing blends philosophy, psychology, and narrative — what might be called reflective nonfiction or literary philosophy rather than self-help.
Let’s explore three directions for your next book that move you beyond the self-help aisle without abandoning the core of what you do best.
🌿 1. The Reflective Philosophy Route
Working Title: Small Moments, Infinite Meaning
Subtitle: Essays on Awareness, Balance, and Becoming Human
Concept:
A collection of philosophical reflections that explore the tension between clarity and chaos — how small moments reveal the larger truths of human experience.
Think of it as The Art of Stillness (Pico Iyer) meets The Road to Character (David Brooks), but in your voice — grounded, accessible, sincere.
Tone & Positioning:
Framed as philosophical observation, not advice.
Organized by themes: stillness, understanding, connection, impermanence.
Each chapter could begin with a single observation or quote (yours or others) and evolve into a short, lyrical essay.
Tagline (for cover or marketing):
“Not a guide to living better — a reflection on living more consciously.”
Why this works:
You’re repositioning your voice toward wisdom literature, which earns respect from both general and literary audiences.
💭 2. The Narrative & Symbolism Route
Working Title: The Bridge Between Knowing and Being
Subtitle: Stories, Symbols, and the Search for Meaning
Concept:
A blend of personal narrative, allegory, and reflective commentary that explores how meaning is found — and sometimes lost — between intellect and experience.
It could use parables (like The Good Wolf), brief story fragments, and philosophical meditations that show, not tell.
Tone & Positioning:
Narrative-driven: use story and symbol to reveal insight.
Lightly Socratic — you pose questions rather than deliver answers.
Structured like The Prophet or Illusions (Richard Bach).
Tagline:
“We live between thought and truth — this book explores what happens there.”
Why this works:
It feels timeless and literary — not instructional. It lets your voice move freely between wisdom, metaphor, and imagination.
🕊️ 3. The Human Observation Route
Working Title: The Language of Being Human
Subtitle: Why We Think, Speak, and Change the Way We Do
Concept:
A study of human behavior and communication patterns — drawing on philosophy, observation, and your career experience in leadership and LinkedIn strategy — but framed as cultural reflection, not “advice.”
Tone & Positioning:
Analytical yet poetic — like Adam Grant’s Think Again meets Alain de Botton’s The Course of Love.
Explores themes of meaning, narrative, belonging, and change.
Could integrate your prior themes: authenticity, purpose, reinvention, and language.
Tagline:
“Understanding how we communicate is understanding how we live.”
Why this works:
It pulls you toward the human philosophy and social psychology space — still accessible but seen as intellectual and insightful, not “motivational.”
✨ Strategic Note: The Genre Shift
Here’s how you’d describe your shift — in Amazon, Substack, or interviews:
“I no longer think of my work as self-help. It’s reflective nonfiction — exploring how awareness, connection, and communication shape who we become. My goal isn’t to give steps, but to start conversations about meaning.”
That single reframing line changes everything about how readers, reviewers, and category algorithms perceive your work.
Would you like me to expand one of these ideas — for example, outline Small Moments, Infinite Meaning with a working table of contents and tone summary so you can see what that book might actually look and feel like?