New Age Books -- The Top Ten

by Gregory Allen Butler

The marketplace for New Age books is hot. The demand in the mass market for New Age titles gained momentum several years ago with the publication of The Power of Now, which sold over two million copies, due in some part to Oprah Winnfrey's 2002 televised endorsement, stating she read it eight times and keeps it on her bedside table.

But this increase in New Age book sales is due to more than Oprah. It stems from word of mouth, from people experiencing a spiritual depth they did not even suspect existed, and wanting to share this new inner experience with friends and family. The impact is monumental. A new revolutionary way of living is taking root in the consciousness of humanity. And as the world spins faster and faster people are turning within to slow down, to prevent their minds from spinning out of control.

More recently, the publication of Rhonda Byrne's book, The Secret, (currently number 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list under Hardcover Advice) confirms that people are eager to turn within for solutions to our challenging times. People are seeing that the hurdles to success in life are "not out there" but "in here." People in ever increasing numbers are gaining solace not just from traditional religion, but from what resonates in the heart, what might be called mystical, or transcendental. How else can you explain the popularity of the Sufi poets Hafiz and Rumi in America via renderings of Daniel Ladinsky and Coleman Barks?

But don't take my word for it. Consider what Hay House publicity director Jacqui says:"New Age titles are still the cash cow. The main difference these days is that New Age has moved into the mainstream market with sales to Target, Wal-Mart and Costco as the norm, along with appearances on national TV shows. We promote the titles like regular books now." That includes big-name endorsements such as Larry King's foreword to John Edwards's After Life: Answers From the Other Side (Princess Books, September, 2003), which has 200,000 copies in print following a second printing.

Here are the top selling New Age books, with author, publisher, publication date, along with how they rank in Amazon.com book sales amongst all titles (fiction and non-fiction). I compiled this from my research on TitleZ, an online research tool now in beta testing.

The Secret
by Rhonda Byrne, Atria Books, Nov 28, 2006, current rank 9

Zero Limits: The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health, Peace, and More By Joe Vitale, Wiley, June 29, 2007, current rank 110

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment By Eckhart Tolle, New World Library, September 2004, current rank 194

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz, Amber-Allen Publishing, Nov 1997, current rank 217

Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires By Esther Hicks, Hay House October 2004, current rank 262

Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives By Dan Millman, HJ Kramer, April 2006, current rank 285

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose By Eckhart Tolle, Plume, August 2006, current rank 528

The Divine Matrix: Bridging Time, Space, Miracles, and Belief By Gregg Bradden, Hay House, Dec 1, 2006, current rank 561

The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World by Lynne McTaggart, Free Press, January 9, 2007, current rank 630

The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe By Lynne McTaggart, Harper Paperbacks, August 1, 2003, current rank 722

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