HarperCollins buys Byrne's Greatest Secret

HarperCollins imprint Thorsons has scooped a new book from Rhonda Byrne, author of global phenomenon The Secret.

The Greatest Secret will be released on 24th November in the UK, alongside HarperOne in the US, where Judith Curr acquired world rights direct from the author. The book will be published simultaneously in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and subsequently across all HarperCollins locations worldwide.

According to the publisher: “The Greatest Secret, the long-awaited major work by Rhonda Byrne, lays out the next quantum leap in a journey that will take the reader beyond the material world and into the spiritual realm, where all possibilities exist. The book reflects Rhonda’s own journey, shares the most direct way out for those experiencing hardship and the path to end pain and suffering endured by so many, and shines a light on a future without anxiety or fear. Filled with accessible practices that can be immediately put to use and profound revelations that take the reader on an incomparable journey, Rhonda’s discovery is reinforced throughout by the revelatory words of sages from around the world, past and present.”

Byrne’s first book, The Secret (Simon & Schuster), published in 2006, has sold more than 35 million copies around the world and been published in 58 countries, HarperCollins said. In the UK, it has sold 1.02 million copies in hardback for £10.6m through Nielsen BookScan's TCM.

She said: “I’m excited and honoured to share the discoveries of my new book with readers around the world. With every step you take through this book, you will become happier and your life will become more effortless. Fears and uncertainty of the future will no longer plague you, anxiety and stress about your daily struggles or world events will dissolve, and you can and will be free of every form of suffering.”

Katya Shipster, publishing director of Thorsons, said: “In an unfathomably challenging year for many, this book will enable people to take back control of their lives in the face of uncertainty. We may not be able to change the events that confront and surround us, but Rhonda teaches us to change the way that we feel about them. The Greatest Secret will be a publication of global and historical significance.”