Which type of book would you buy?

[CrazyGirl2]

This may seem like a cop-out, but I think you should do both! However, as you are not a celebrity, sadly not many people would be interested in simply reading your life story… why should they care about a complete stranger? You have to make it not just about the disease, but YOUR personal battle with the disease, and simple, easy to understand helpful tips for someone with a loved one battling the same disease! So even though it IS your story, you are showing them what help worked, and let them know, more importantly, what help did not work! I don’t know what you have… but the title of the book needs to convey, that while it is your personal story, if they read this book, they will better understand what their loved ones are suffering with, but they will also get critical information on how to help the person they love. They will learn what NOT to do, or say! for the sake of demonstration let’s s imagine you suffer from Fibromyalgia! A book with the title:
“Fibromyalgia: My Personal Battle With an Invisible Illness”
and the subtitle.
“Very Real Tips on How to Better Help Your Loved One Suffering With Fibromyalgia”
will help them understand that if they buy your book, they will be able to do something to help the person they love, suffering with something they do not understand!
Beginning the book with some hurtful things that people may have said to you, even though they were simply attempting to be helpful and supportive! Something along the lines of: Chapter 1: I understand you are trying to make me feel better, but stop saying these common things, that seem nice but really hurt.
”But you don’t look disabled”, “maybe if you got a job. Even people in wheelchairs can work “ stuff like that! Sadly, unless you are famous, not many people really care about what you went through! People are cruel and selfish like that, but by telling your story from the perspective of “if someone would have just said/done this or that I would have felt so much better! Allows people who don’t know you, want to read your story, because your story can help them to better understand their own loved ones. I grew up with a girl in my school, from elementary, through the first half of high school, until she moved. We assumed she was fine because she looked fine, we just had no way of understanding that not every disability is painfully obvious! Something like that would have really helped us to understand. And I think, anyway, that most people just want to be understood! Anyway, that’s just my two-cents worth of advice. I hope it helps!

[crazyish]

Do both. Separately. Release the biography for other's who need your story and then later write the guide as a follow up for those who need the help in helping them. There is merit in both. I believe people will benefit from each one. It's an amazing idea. If I had to choose though, I'd say the biography. They need your story to help heal themselves.

[_Lynx]

I think your biography is better.

Because a guide would be theoritical and theory needs an appplication for people to understand it or makes use of it eventually. So theory alone would not serve in my opinion.

Besides you are just another person and probably if you have no scientific and technical related background you may end up saying.. in my experience and in my opinion which would not be in your favor.

While when you write your biography and support it with guide as comments or conclusions it would be felt by people and they can relate to it, probably even if you wrote no guide parts at all.

A 'guide' is needed from either an experienced person or a knowledgable person.. where those who have knowledge usually know the stories and experience from ancestors or whoever.
So, in a way in you end up needing both parts. Biography sounds better anyway.

As I want to know why would you say so if it is a guide. And because you'll have to write where does the theory work if it was a guide.. so you'll come up with a story / situation / context. So better make it authenticated unless you don't want to share your personal story.. you'll just change the 1st to 3rd speaker and so on.

Hope this is helpful in any way.

[TurboKid]

I like the guide. The idea of an autobiography doesn't appeal to me at all on its own. Yet maybe you can even weave that with your guide.

There is a beloved book in my field which we call the "fish book". The author is thoroughly entertaining to read even though he's tackling such a dry subject, and one of the reasons is because he weaves his personal stories (often funny) into the book. It is like a halfway auto-biography but not advertised as such:

[The_Maphio]

Neither, to be honest. I'm a writer too and one thing I'm quite sure of is that nobody gives a rat's ass about my whereabouts. Problems wise, I'm lucky enough to have very little of them, even though I went through quite some. Another thing that nobody cares for.
If I were you I'd create actual literature rather than those kind of books. Also because the way you got out of your troubles might not be fitting for many of the book readers and could even make matters worse.
Go for romances or novels. Entertaining should be your goal instead of fixing people's problems through your personal experiences.
This is my opinion. Ultimately do as you please, I don't care.

[Guffrus]

Neither would be particularly appealing to me but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't be of interest to anyone.

I would actually suggest option C which would be to write a short fiction story perhaps where the reasons behind your experiences are sort of hidden from the reader or something? Revealed slowly? Or perhaps some sort of metaphor?

Im not sure exactly, I dont really know anything about writing.

What i do know is that the world is jammed full of people offering guides and it seems unlikely to me, that anyone would give a crap about reading about a non famous persons life.

[AndrewMG]

You ok mate? I genuinely think an autobiography would be of more interest as I believe everyone has a story to tell, whilst a self help book is massively commendable not everybody will have a relatable experience so it has less of an appeal

[alance99]

Both would be very interesting to read, biography would be very inspiring coz you have seen very hard time in life and then i could help a going the hardships i would feel very positive and happy at same time.
Have you contacted any publisher

[Still-alive]

Although i do like biographies for you i think a guide might sell better or at least get more traction. If you’re hoping to get them published that is.

so guide

[EnglishEuropean]

If anything I might buy a guide. I might be atypical but I feel like autobiographies are only interesting to the person writing them.

Of course writing a guide used to require a lot of research but we have the internet now so it's all good.

[dreamstar72]

Guide would be better a biography to me is boring and bragging/complaining rights.

[Dude_777]

What is your ultimate goal behind all these book writing?

I recommend reading a few books by top authors, over writing a book.

[Jamie05rhs]

I voted for the autobiography. But both sound interesting!

[Trillionz]

Honestly I'd like to read your biography, biographies are actually pretty much you know... intriguing, like it catches readers'interest a lot, also they can be a guide too
I don't know if you get what I'm saying

[CharlieDrag]

Neither. Lose weight. Get a job. If you can't move, learn trading. Learn skills and sell stuff. Trust me. You won't go places with books. Take it or leave it.

[COMMODOREII]

Whatever you choose i wouldn't mind reading it.

[Shihab91]

For me guide... And get well soon hopefully

[JesseJayNeak]

Biography. It's more relatable

[SandandWaves]

Guide. .

[Nik1hil]

Write an Erotica..

[humanearth]

Guide

[ayomanwya]

Guide