The Secret - Collection Of Inspirational Quotes ( Part 8 )
The Secret is a 1999 self-help book by Rhonda Byrne. The book is about "the law of attraction", the idea that thoughts can affect one's physical reality.
The book has been translated into 50 languages and has sold 30 million copies in total to date. It was followed by The Power of Now.
In 2006, Time magazine listed The Secret as one of "10 New Age Bestsellers." In 2007, the BBC stated that it was the best-selling DVD in history and described it as having an effect similar to a Christian evangelical movement (although without overt preaching). The book has been promoted as a New Thought religious text, and its popularity has been attributed to the "feel-good factor" of the 2006 film.
The book's central premise is that thoughts can change our life circumstances, and this premise has been repeated in several self-help books and videos. The book also puts forward the idea that negative thoughts lead to negative results while positive thoughts will attract positive results, though scientific skepticism rejects this possibility. Author of the book Rhonda Byrne claims that her daughter was cured from leukemia by watching The Secret. Several studies have found that positive thinking does not help cure illnesses in humans; further evidence is needed for any hypotheses about magnets and cancer treatment or changing DNA.
Among the more prominent uses of the book was in a 2006 bestseller, "The Secret", by Rhonda Byrne. In 2011, it became one of the bestselling books in the United States, according to Publishers Weekly; it also reached No. 1 on Amazon's "Sellers Best-Sellers in Religion & Spirituality" list. The book has been promoted as a New Thought religious text, though scientific skepticism rejects this possibility.
In 2007, the film "The Secret" released starring Katie Holmes and Hugh Jackman was released worldwide and became a major success at the box office grossing $417 million worldwide against a $68 million production budget and received positive reviews from critics who have praised its positive message.
In 2008, the book was listed on the "New York Times" bestseller list at #1 for one week. By December 2008, it had sold over 36 million copies worldwide. According to Publishers Weekly, its total sales in the United States alone stood at 37 million by January 2009.
More than 50 translations of The Secret have been published in at least 20 languages, with over 30 million copies sold. In addition to English, it has been translated into French, German and Spanish; more than 5 million copies have been published in Spanish alone. Versions of the book have also been translated into Croatian, Czech and Romanian; more than 4 million copies have been sold in Romanian alone.
The Secret was a No. 1 bestseller on "The New York Times" Non-Fiction Hardcover Bestseller list and stayed in the top 10 for over two years. The book also reached #2 on "USA Today"s Covers and Covers & Covers: Movies/Music list for June 2007, #3 on Amazon's Book of the Year in Religion category (and #1 in the Gifts & Decoration: Christian category), and as of September 2007, remained in Amazon's Top 20 Bestselling Books for over six months. In October 2007, the book was listed as a "New York Times" Editors' Choice.
"The Secret" has been described as a bestseller, with more than 40 million copies sold. These sales figures include international sales of The Secret: The Original Teachings, which was the first English language version of the book. The New York Times' "Book Review" estimates that the book has sold more than 54 million copies worldwide in various editions.
In January 2007, Amazon Books (USA) claimed it was the world's #1 bestselling book in religion and spirituality, having sold over 5.5 million copies in its first six months on sale. By March 2008, Amazon Books (USA) had sold over 10 million copies of The Secret in various editions. By December 2008, Amazon Books (USA) claimed it had sold more than 36 million copies in various editions. The book continues to sell, being listed on Amazon USA as an "Editor's Choice" on January 11, 2009.
The book achieved the status of a bestseller in Germany within less than six months of its release and was the country's 10th bestseller by mid-2008 with over four million copies sold. As of September 2009, it had been translated into 20 languages and has sold in excess of 40 million copies worldwide and is still going strong after four editions. Publisher Random House has also announced plans to release a 20th Anniversary Edition of The Secret on November 5, 2009.
In the United Kingdom, the book is currently being distributed by Hodder & Stoughton in hardback, trade paperback, and audio CD.
On January 8, 2010, it became a "Times" bestseller. By June 2011, "The Secret" had sold 30 million copies. By March 2012, it had sold 14 million copies in the UK alone. As of 2016 the book has sold more than 20 million copies around the world.
In addition to translations that have been created for other languages within various countries; the English version has been translated into various languages (including Bulgarian and Czech), which have not yet been controlled for translation by Random House UK.
The original book was co-written by Shelle H. Kerzner and Suzanne Stabile. The authors were given full editorial control of the English language version and distribution of the book, while all other translations were limited to one per market by Random House UK. In October 2009, some complaints from readers within various countries reached the publisher and it was announced that a 20th anniversary edition would be released in November 2009, although no mention was made of an alternate translation for those countries without their own translational rights to choose from.
The latest edition (20th Anniversary Edition) was released on November 5, 2009. It included an introduction by Rhonda Byrne, an afterword by Stephen R. Covey, and a new preface written by the authors to reflect their accumulated experience gained since writing the original book.
The Secret was initially released on August 28, 2006 in hardcover format with a list price of US$26.95 (and a UK list price of £16.99). It was updated and re-released in paperback format October 23, 2007 with a reduced list price of US$15.95 (and a UK list price of £10). The book has been published in hard cover, trade paperback, and audio CD formats for North America; as well as 18 other regional markets.
The Secret has been translated into various languages, including:
The Secret is also available in Czech and Romanian.
In 2012, the book was included on Oprah's Book Club. A discussion between Oprah and Rhonda Byrne took place on December 19. In the book, Oprah examines how The Secret came about and how it has affected people across the world.
Since 2005, CBS has aired "The Big Giveaway", a reality television show in which contestants visit local stores where they are given books to take home to win money prizes as part of a charity event hosted by Rhonda Byrne.
Conclusion produces audio recordings, as does Barna Books.
"The Secret", along with "The Power", were adapted for film by DreamWorks SKG in 2003. Directed by Joel Schumacher, the film stars Jim Carrey and features Oprah Winfrey, David Duchovny, and Drew Barrymore. An unrated version of the film was released in DVD format on March 17, 2004. The unrated version is restricted to those over 18 years of age. The theatrical release received negative reviews from critics (including a Rotten Tomatoes score of 15% based on 164 reviews), but was commercially successful (grossing more than $312 million worldwide).