The problem with self-help books -- and I don't think this applies to "How to Win Friends", which is a classic -- is that their authors make money by selling bo

The problem with self-help books -- and I don't think this applies to "How to Win Friends", which is a classic -- is that their authors make money by selling books, not by taking their own advice. The average self-help book does not contain good advice, nor is there any particular reason that it should.