For some decades now, the genre of what is loosely termed self-help, newage, spirituality, and empowerment books has been growing larger with each passing year. And as the passing months lead us towards the millennium, people are beginning to reassess many aspects of their lives, some of them with a degree of panic.
International sales of books which help you excavate your inner self have never been so good. The Little Book of Calm, for instance, has been surfing calmly on the top waves of the best-seller lists in most English-speaking countries since stressed-out people first started receiving it as a gift.
It has taken some time for this genre to get a foothold in Ireland. Perhaps something in our generations-long Christian faith makes us feel queasy about exploring alternative spirituality: feeling good about your faith in an unknown dimension was never meant to be so easy; think Lent, fasting, crucifixion, limbo, and hell for a start.
But times have changed. It is no secret that the rising generation does not have the same relationship with the church as their parents or grandparents had. Jean Kavanagh is the buyer for "Mind, Body, Spirit" in Waterstone's Dawson Street branch. "The section has expanded from a single bay to almost a whole room in the last few years," she reports. "My observation would be that we're in a post-Christian society and people are looking for alternative sources of spirituality."
Charlie Byrne, who runs a much-frequented second-hand bookshop in Galway, has also "dramatically" expanded the "Spirituality, New Age, Religion" section in the last couple of years. "I think it definitely has something to do with people dropping away from the church," he says. The bookshop stock is a mixture of second-hand books and remainders (new books at reduced prices). "Most of the books in that `Spirituality' section are remainders rather than second-hand," he says. "People don't seem to want to sell on that type of book." Who is buying these books? "To be honest, it's almost all women. Very few men buy from that section."
One of the more remarkable success stories in terms of sales in this genre is what is known as the "Chicken Soup" series. The titles in this series, which were first published in 1993, have sold over 40 million copies since then. Thirty million copies sold in North America alone. In December 1998, the London publishers Random House made a deal to publish the series in Europe, beginning with four titles: Chicken Soup for the Soul, A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Chicken Soup for the Pet-Lover's Soul and Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul - this last is being published to coincide with Mother's Day on March 14th. The publisher is clearly hoping to mirror something of the astonishing sales achieved by the series in North America. So what are these books about, and who are the people behind their creation?
I spent an afternoon dipping into Chicken Soup for the Soul, Chicken Soup for the Pet- Lover's Soul and Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul. The 101 stories and poems within the covers of each book are supposed to "open the heart and rekindle the spirit". The stories and poems, which are of the feel-good human interest type, reflect a world defined by simplistic morality, incessant hugs, and uniformly upbeat endings.
A selection of titles are Kids say the Darndest Things - about Dogs; The Little Dog that Nobody Wanted; Things We Can Learn From a Dog; Follow Your Dream; All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten; Every- body can do Something; I Love You, Son; What Color is a Hug?; Squeeze my Hand and I'll Tell you that I Love You. Frankly, I wanted to go out and pull wings off flies and kick dogs and belt kids around the head after I'd waded though this bowl of broth with prose so thin that the press release actually suggests that the books are "ideal material for beginner readers and adults alike".
I like chicken soup. Real chicken soup. It's indeed soul food for the flu-inflicted or in cold weather or when you're plain hungry. But heck, here's chicken soup all over the joint: acting as nourisher to the Mother's Soul, the Pet-Lover's Soul, the Woman's Soul, the Teenage Soul, the Divorced Soul, Laughing Soul, Grieving Soul, and any other soul in the series you care to mention.
American Mark Victor Hansen, together with Jack Canfield, created the series, and they continue to compile, co-write and edit the stories in these books. Hansen, who lives in southern California, made his first visit to Ireland last week, specifically to promote the series. He is described on the Chicken Soup Website as "motivational speaker, sales trainer and entrepreneur". For the last 20 years, he has been on the motivational lecturing circuit of several multinational corporations. His topics include: How to Think like an Entrepreneur; Get Rich in your Niche; The Referral Road to Riches; and The Fine Art of Closing Sales.
"Jack and I have a 2020 plan," Hansen says right away, tugging down his pinstriped blue cuffs, which have Mark monogrammed on them. "We're gonna be the first ever to sell a billion books by that date." It is instantly clear that this is an interview with a businessman, not a writer or editor. The Chicken Soup books are primarily products, tapping into the desire people feel "to tell their stories: stories which touch the soul and penetrate the heart," as Hansen says.
The 101 stories in the books "101 is a whole number spiritually" are initially selected from 700 to 1,000 stories. These are gathered in a number of ways: told at the motivational sales training talks, emailed to the Website, collected by the editors. A panel of 100 (unpaid) readers choose the stories once the number has been cut to 250. The writers of the chosen stories get a flat payment of $300, with no royalties.
This must mean Hansen, as co-editor, is a seriously wealthy man. Is he? "Yeah," is the instant, frank answer. "My future days are paid for." Why does he choose to continue to work - why not hop off to some ed tropical island and relax? "Actually, I take off one week a month. I think that's good. And I own a great place in Hawaii, so I get to do the island thing too, actually."
The phenomenal success of the Chicken Soup series invites the question: are the books primarily about the business of making money or about honing the self-help message? With practically all books on the market, the intention is to sell as many as possible, but when books come with the label of "self-help/inspiration" on the back cover, they also come with an agenda and a promise: read this book and "restore your faith in human nature," the cover declares.
"Every Sunday I go to the Hour of Power at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, southern California. It's part of the Dutch Reform Church," Hansen says, talking about his faith. The preacher, Dr Robert Schuller, is a television star: the Hour of Power goes out live. What is the ethos of the church? "He loves you into Heaven, how's that?" explains Hansen.
Hansen, riding on the back of the success of the series, has plans. Big plans. "I get to do stuff nobody else on the planet does. I have major, major goals. Jack and I are going to feed the planet. We're going to reforest the planet. I want to end illiteracy on the planet." The thing is, he believes it. This is the language of politicians in bad movies. Would Hansen be interested in running for political office?
He smiles and leans forward. "Five hundred years ago, the planet was run by religion, the church. For the last 500 years, it has been run by politicians. With the Internet and the global communication culture we have now, the next 500 years will be run by entrepreneurs. Politicians will have no role at all. Put it this way: I'm Number One in my industry. I already am a world leader.
"I have a list of 200 people who are Number One in their industry that I wanna meet," he goes on. "Bill Gates would be pretty high up that list. I haven't met him yet, but Bill and I will synchronise in time and space. I've got great ideas that he hasn't thought of yet." Another person at the top of his list is Steven Spielberg. "I wanna do a movie with Steven and George Lucas. I've gotta a movie script that's pretty much unstoppable, so I'm of the opinion it'll come to pass."
With such cartoon-like answers, boldly-drawn and larger than life, what else is there to ask the world leader on his first trip to Ireland? What would he like to do when he's here? "Oh, I'd like to see that Riverdance thing again. I saw it in the States. Exquisite. That was the Riverdance River I just drove over on the way from the airport, right?" I am baffled. "That river under that bridge," Hansen says helpfully. "That's Riverdance, right?" Then the penny drops. Hansen means the Liffey.
It will be most interesting to see how the Chicken Soup series sells here. Hansen expects it to go to Number One, as it has everywhere else. And he's also going to give us our very own customised bowl of nourishment. "We're gonna do Chicken Soup for the Celtic Soul. That's our next project." So, if you want to open your heart and rekindle your spirit, here's your chance.
Chicken Soup for the Soul is published by Vermilion, at £8.99 in the UK.
