Secret Musings on the Secret Set

As an enthusiastic reader—especially of books that relate to my particular passions (e.g. open source, leadership, emotional intelligence, etc.)—I spend my share of time perusing bookstore shelves. Spend enough time in bookstores, though, and you can't help but take some titles at face-value—which can lead to some funny musings…

Browse the financial section of any Borders or Barnes & Noble, and here's what you find: Shelf after shelf laden with titles like 20 Wealth-Creating Secrets for Business Owners; 5 Easy Steps for Creating Wealth; Secrets of Six-Figure Women; Secrets of Great Rainmakers; Secrets to Creating Wealth; The 12 Wealth Secrets. A person could be forgiven for wondering how—if the methods for "creating" wealth are so hush-hush—dozens of writers and business people managed to stumble upon these secrets.

Of course, slipping the word "secret" into a book title is an easy way to make your potential best-selling finance book seem exciting. A title like Wealth Starts at Home: And 15 Other Financial Secrets That Could Make You a Fortune says to the potential reader, "Yeah, it's that easy, and if you buy this book, you'll be privy to this confidential formula for success!" Knowing that you're one of a select number of people who have the key to fortune is surely a thrilling sensation—if only you could get those secrets to work for you… ("Of course they can work for you!" these books promise. "And for only $35.95, I'll show you how…")

An Amazon.com search for "wealth secrets" turns up 1863 results, which begs the question: Just how many secrets are there? Depending on which book you look to, there are anywhere from five to fifty (or more) secrets to creating wealth, becoming a millionaire, or running a fortune-creating business. Joe John Duran promises to illuminate 20 Wealth-Creating Secrets while Joe Vitale guarantees 5 Easy Steps for Creating Wealth, and T. Harv Eker (who, according to Amazon, is himself "still amazed he's a millionaire") can't quantify his information, but swears he can reveal the Secrets of the Millionaire Mind to any willing reader. How do these businessmen and writers decide on the number of secrets they have to share?

Common sense would dictate that the more secrets you have, the longer the book—and, presumably, the greater the hardcover sale price. But how much money do these folks need? If their secrets truly work, then the men and women who author these books must already be rich. Perhaps, though, it is a sense of charity that drives them to share their wealth-producing recipes. Out of the goodness of their hearts—and the thrill it must have given them when they first discovered that they possessed the answers for creating millions—they choose to impart their knowledge to the masses.

Of course, if that's the case—if these individuals are already rich and are writing their books for philanthropic reasons—then why not give the book away for free? Makes one wonder.