BUZZ BOOK: How to unleash your inner ‘Badass’

Jen Sincero wants to help her readers to be badasses. So what exactly does that word mean to the bestselling author and motivational speaker, whose self-help franchise includes such titles as “You Are a Badass,” “You Are a Badass at Making Money” and the newly released “You Are a Badass Every Day” (Viking), out Tuesday?

“[A badass is] someone who creates the life they desire,” says Sincero. “They do what it takes. Most people aren’t willing to do what it takes to make the life they want.”

It’s an idea that came to Sincero at a time in her early 40s when she was broke, living in a garage and having constant struggles with money. “I started reading a zillion self-help books and hiring coaches,” she says. “I was struck by how much incredible info is out there, but much of it was pretty dry. And I thought, I could write the crap out of this and reach so many more people!”

Hence: Badass. A concept that was soundly rejected by dozens of publishers who said the book wouldn’t sell. Finally, a publisher said yes — the book came out in 2013 and snowballed. “It was all word-ofmouth,” says Sincero. “It didn’t hit the bestseller list for three years.”

And her readers aren’t shy about their enthusiasm. “My fans are the cutest f--king people on earth. They’re doing it and making it happen,” says Sincero. “I had a woman come and tell me that her son did not commit suicide after reading my book. I have readers tell- ing me they found their soulmates and tripled their incomes. I’ve also gotten some hilarious hate mail — one guy ripped a blank page out of the book, mailed it to me and said, ‘This was your best page.’ ”

The gist of her books, she says, is simple: “That you really are in control of your life and if you’re willing to do what it takes to make the changes that you want, you can.”

Jen Sincero will appear at The Strand at 7 p.m. Wednesday, 828 Broadway. Tickets are available at strandbooks.com/events