The Science of Getting Rich

by Wallace D. Wattles

The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles, first published in 1910, is a classic of the New Thought and self-help movements. The book is frequently credited with introducing the world to the power of positive thinking, asserting that all of us have the ability to attract wealth by channeling the abundance of the universe with our thoughts.

In 2002 Jochen Schlenker hired Wheatmark to republish the book. He wanted to publish an edition of the book that was completely true to the original 1910 text. Schlenker was able publish the book through Wheatmark, even though he was not the author, because The Science of Getting Rich is in the public domain. Public domain works can be used without permission or charge because their intellectual property rights have expired, been forfeited, or are unclaimed. Mr. Schlenker’s not being the author notwithstanding, Wheatmark pays Mr. Schlenker royalties as if he were the author—after all, he financed the republishing of the book.

In early 2007 something interesting happened—Rhonda Byrne came out with her bestselling book, The Secret, crediting The Science of Getting Rich as its inspiration. And then a miracle happened: Rhonda Byrne and The Secret were featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Sales of Wheatmark’s edition of Wattles’ book surged. This had an unfortunate downside, however, as many other publishers soon came out with their own editions of The Science of Getting Rich, and sales of the Wheatmark edition dipped. Undeterred, we were determined to take advantage the “Oprah effect.” So, Wheatmark published an additional edition of The Science of Getting Rich with:

•A banner across the top of the cover proclaiming “As Featured in The Secret”
•The subtitle: “The Book that Inspired The Secret”
•A new description for Amazon.com and the other online bookstores that starts with the line “The 100-year-old book that inspired Rhonda Byrne’s bestselling The Secret”
•A higher price (Why not make more money, while we’re at it?)

Wheatmark’s two editions of The Science of Getting Rich combined have sold over 10,000 copies. (And, because it was his idea to republish the book in the first place, Wheatmark pays Mr. Schlenker royalties on both Wheatmark editions of the book.)