Selp-Helf

Not to be confused with Self-help.
Selp-Helf
AuthorColleen Ballinger and Christopher Ballinger
GenreHumor
PublishedJuly 21, 2015
PublisherGallery Books
Publication placeUnited States
Pages240
ISBN9781501117947

Selp-Helf is a book by Colleen Ballinger and her brother Christopher Ballinger,[1] released July 21, 2015 by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. It is a parody of the self-help book genre. Simon & Schuster calls it a "decidedly unhelpful, candid, hilarious 'how-to' guide".[2] The book is written in the voice of Colleen Ballinger's YouTube character Miranda Sings and presented in mock-scrapbook format, with silly advice, photos and comically bad artwork.[3]

The book debuted at No. 1 on the Publishers Weekly Hardcover Non-Fiction best sellers list[4] and The New York Times Best Seller list for Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous,[5] and at No. 6 on USA Today's Best-Selling Books list.[6] It remained on the Times' Best Seller list for Advice & Misc. for 11 weeks[7] and was on their monthly Best Seller list for "Humor" for eleven months.[8]

Andrea Beach of Common Sense Media gave the book a rating of three out of five stars, stating, in part, "Fans of her Miranda Sings YouTube channel will love this colorfully absurd satire of the self-help industry. ...Older teens can be encouraged to think about how Colleen Ballinger ... uses satire, irony, and exaggeration and how those techniques affect the real message conveyed." The site goes on to state, "The book may seem ridiculous at first glance, but mature, media-savvy teens can absorb positive messages about the absurdity of how self-help and self-esteem videos make things look so easy ... and find a sense of community in realizing they're not the only ones who recognize social media's often-unrealistic expectations."[9]

  1. ^ Seabaugh, Julie. "The Woman Behind Miranda, One of the Strangest and Most Beloved Characters on YouTube", LA Weekly, July 23, 2015, accessed April 8, 2018
  2. ^ Sings, Miranda (21 July 2015). Selp Helf – Book by Miranda Sings. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781501117947. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  3. ^ "Stage Tube: Miranda Sings Quits Youtube; Announces Book Plans!", BroadwayWorld.com, February 25, 2015; Kawecki, Jenny. "What You Need to Know Before You Read Selp-Helf, the Debut Book from YouTube Star Miranda Sings", Barnes & Noble, July 20, 2015
  4. ^ "Publishers Weekly Best-Sellers", Associated Press, July 30, 2015
  5. ^ "Best Sellers: Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous", The New York Times, August 9, 2015 (sales for the week ending July 25, 2015)
  6. ^ McClurg, Jocelyn. "Miranda Sings hits USA Today's top 10", USA Today, July 29, 2015
  7. ^ "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous", The New York Times, October 18, 2015 (sales for the week ending October 3, 2015)
  8. ^ "Best Sellers: Humor", The New York Times, May 2016
  9. ^ Beach, Andrea (10 May 2016). "Selp-Helf". Common Sense Media. Retrieved April 8, 2018.