Vermilion signs neuroscientist to unlock 'The Secret'

Vermilion has signed a neuroscientist to write a book pitched as "a groundbreaking, scientifically-backed successor to The Secret".

The Secret (S&S UK) was a 2006 bestselling self-help book by Rhonda Byrne claiming knowledge and use of "The Secret" would benefit every aspect of readers' lives, from money to health, relationships and happiness. Byrne herself published a follow-up to it with S&S a decade on - How The Secret Changed My Life - in 2016.

In The Source however, according to Vermilion, neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart will draw on recent discoveries in brain science and behavioural psychology to "unlock the underlying principles" of Byrne’s book.

As well as a neuroscientist, Dr Swart is a medical doctor, executive advisor and senior lecturer at MIT Sloan in the US, King’s College London and Oxford Saïd Business School. In 2016 she was also named neuroscientist-in-residence at the Corinthia Hotel, London.

Dr Swart said: "The Secret and its forbears promise that we can control our destinies by reshaping our minds. Despite scepticism, these systems have been used by millions of people for generations. Why? Because if we strip away the mystical mumbo-jumbo, they are fundamentally powerful – and this is backed up by the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience and behavioural psychology. Because most of the things we want from life – health, happiness, wealth, love – are governed by our ability to think, feel and act; in other words, by our brain. And the autonomy that promises each of us is exciting."

The Source: The New Science of Unlocking Your Mind will be published in spring 2019 by Vermilion (Penguin Random House UK). Ebury deputy publisher Joel Rickett acquired world rights direct from the author.