Rhonda Byrne

Matt Steinmetz is the publisher and brand director of Publishing Executive.

From multimillion-dollar acquisitions to multimillion-dollar best-sellers, powerful women stand at every pivotal, decision-making point in the book publishing process. Book Business’ first annual “50 Top Women in Book Publishing” feature recognizes and honors some of these industry leaders who affect and transform how publishing companies do business, and what—and how—consumers read.

Barnes & Noble Inc. recently reported that sales for the first quarter of 2007 increased by 3 percent to $1.1 billion compared to the prior year’s first quarter. Store sales reportedly increased 3.3 percent to $1 billion and BarnesandNoble.com sales were up 8 percent to $93.8 million, also compared to Q1 of 2006. The increase in sales was attributed to some successful titles including: Rhonda Byrne’s “The Secret,” Chris Bohjalian’s “The Double Bind,” Mohsin Hamids “The Reluctant Fundamentalist,” and others. For the second quarter, the company anticipates comparable store sales at Barnes & Noble stores to increase in the low to mid single digits,

The secret to publishing a runaway best seller is out, and you won’t need to read a book or watch a DVD to get in on it. “The Secret,” a self-help book by Rhonda Byrne, is perhaps the most controversial chart-topper since Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code.” By now you’ve probably heard its premise—that your own thoughts hold the key to a happy, healthy and successful life. Positive thinking attracts positive results, preaches Byrne and a team of “teachers” featured throughout the book. They call it the law of attraction. Your business didn’t fail because you missed a quota or hired the

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