Dear Rhonda, I know you must get hundreds of letters every day from amazed people who have changed their lives because of you, but I had to add one more.

I saw The Secret DVD last January and was so intrigued by it that I bought the audio book so I could listen on my commute to work. Prior to that, I had been working towards my lifelong dream of being a writer for over ten years and had managed to publish three novels in that time, but after my third book, my editor left the publishing house and my relationship with my literary agent fell apart. I couldn’t sell my next book and I felt like my career–my DREAMS–were over.

I’m not one to give up easily, however, and I kept writing and started a new book, but when the book was finished and I started sending it out, I wasn’t getting the responses I wanted and I began to feel that perhaps I should stop dreaming and settle on being in my day job forever.

The Secret changed that. I have listened to it over and over. If my day starts out bad, I pop in the CDs and shift my focus. After listening to the part about your sister and her dream to move to California and how she realized her actions were not showing that she believed, I looked at my own dream and how I was acting. I realized I wasn’t acting like I really believed I was going to be successful with my book.

I immediately changed my thinking and started acting like the book was already sold. I began plotting out my marketing plan for how I would spread the word about my book when it was published. I booked magazine ads and started designing mailers. I created my vision board and made sure not to let a single doubt enter my mind. Within a few weeks I had requests from several agents to read the book and interest from 3 editors. Three weeks after sending it to the first editor, I had an offer – Berkley! She bought that book and my next one and three different agents offered to represent me. I was stunned–and yet I had believed that it would happen with all my heart so I wasn’t surprised.

The first book will be released in August 09–the exact month I’d booked my ads. I am staying focused on wanting this book to be successful, to bring in money so that I can quit my day job and live my dream. I remembered Jack Canfield’s story about inspired thinking and meeting the woman who freelanced with the National Enquirer.

A few days later I received the Costco Connect magazine and I thought, if Costco stocked my book, it would certainly sell a lot of copies. So I did something I never would have done before reading The Secret. I sent the book buyer a letter and I started it with the truth–“I recently read The Secret and it changed my life. It is because of what I learned in that book that I am writing you now about another… mine.”

I haven’t heard back from Costco, but I know in my heart that it won’t matter. I believe my book is already a bestseller and so how can it not be my reality?

Thank you again for sharing your incredible message. I have spread the word about your book far and wide–as I know so many others have done. As for me, I am so happy and thankful now that I have read The Secret….

Erin Quinn
Author