American Authors are Brazil’s New Heroes: Self-Help and Spirituality Reign as Bookstore Cash Registers Ring

IN THE LAND OF CACHACA AND CAIPIRINHAS, WOMEN ARE FIGHTING BACK AGAINST OLD MACHISMO WAYS USING PSYCHOLOGY AND SELF-HELP FROM AMERICA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL AUTHORS. “WHAT SMART WOMEN KNOW”, THE RELATIONSHIP CLASSIC BY STEVEN CARTER, IS A BEACON OF HOPE -- IT HAS BEEN A TOP TEN BESTSELLER IN BRAZIL FOR TWO FULL YEARS, EARNING MILLIONS ALONG THE WAY.


Brazil is changing fast. Thanks to a brilliant gamble on Ethanol and the recent discovery of more than 800 billion dollars worth of oil reserves, the country is uniquely positioned to become the most powerful voice in Latin America. Brazil’s women are flocking to the big cities where extraordinary opportunities await. These women are experiencing a level of economic freedom, equality, and power they could not have dreamed of twenty years ago. Their mantra is ’change’.

The women of Brazil are already using their income wisely to invest in the future. They are pumping money into the economy, and one of their smartest investments is books – self-help books that are helping them negotiate this brave new world. Women are learning to “just say no” to Brazil’s Machismo ways. They are changing the balance of power, following the road maps established by classic American self-help books of the 1980’s and 1990’s. And that’s where author Steven Carter enters the picture.

Two of Steven Carter’s self-help classics, “What Smart Women Know” and “Men Like Women Who Like Themselves” seem to have the answers that the women of Brazil are looking for. Carter’s titles have now celebrated 103 weeks on Brazil’s top-ten bestseller lists – that’s 103 weeks of being top ten in the country, regularly outselling authors like J.K.Rowling and Barack Obama. “Eat,Pray,Love” and “The Secret” have been making Brazil’s lists for the past few months, but their numbers don’t come close to Carter’s.

Steven Carter’s success was recently the subject of a Los Angeles Times feature story. To read this story, go to: http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-et-self26-2008jul26,0,2920383.story

Marcos Pereira, co-founder of GMT Sextante, is not entirely surprised by the success of Carter’s work. Pereira is watching women move into the marketplace in a new and different way. “The role of women in the Brazilian culture and economy has evolved” explained Pereira, “If you think of the U.S. twenty years ago, I think this is happening now in Brazil. Women are rethinking their roles, enjoying their independence, embracing their success. And these books are providing an immensely valuable support system.”

Steven Carter has already visited Brazil three times this year. He is currently studying Portuguese, hoping to make future media tours thru Brazil a bit more seamless. Still, the language gap does not seem to throw him. “I was worried at first” admits Carter, “but I now see clearly that the messages in these books are not lost in translation. Brazilian women are embracing growth, and my books clearly support that choice”

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