Blazing 35 Million Trails

By Bob Cox

How exactly did Dr. Wayne W. Dyer sell over 35 million copies of his first book, which was originally published 40 years ago? In the beginning, he sold them one at a time from the back of his car.

Dyer was forced to overcome many obstacles early in life. He was born on May 10, 1940 in Detroit, Michigan to Melvin Dyer and Hazel Vollick. He spent much of his childhood (until age 10) in an orphanage after his father walked out on the family, leaving his mother to raise three small boys. After graduating from Denby High School, Dyer served in the United States Navy from 1958 to 1962.

Dyer would pursue higher education and eventually earned a doctorate in educational counseling from Wayne State University. During the mid 1970’s, Dyer was working as a high school guidance counselor in Detroit and as a professor at St. John's University in New York City. His lectures on positive thinking and motivational speaking attracted large numbers of students. One day, his literary agent (Arthur Pine) persuaded Dyer to document his theories on self-destructive behaviors in his first book titled, “Your Erroneous Zones”.

Going against his publisher’s advice, Dyer paid Pine in advance to print thousands of copies of his book. At the time, this was very risky undertaking but in hindsight it turned out to be a great decision. Dyer followed his namesake and took dire actions, refusing to quit on his book. Instead, he quit his job and embarked upon a whirlwind tour across the country while selling his books out of the back of his station wagon.

Along the way, he secured several bookstore appearances and interviews with newspapers, TV stations and radio stations. It wasn’t long before “Your Erroneous Zones” became an overnight sensation. For 27 months, his book landed on the best-seller list and according to the Los Angeles Times in 2015 had sold over 35 million copies!

Dyer would go on to become an internationally renowned author and speaker in the fields of self-development and spiritual growth. Over the four decades of his career, he wrote more than 40 books, including 21 New York Times bestsellers. He created many audio and video programs, and appeared on thousands of television and radio shows, including The Tonight Show, The Phil Donahue Show and The Merv Griffin Show. Dyer was one of PBS’s biggest fundraisers with over $250 million raised for public television, according to Hay House Publishing.

Dyer worked tirelessly to make his dreams come true and spent much of his life showing others how to do the same. Before passing away last year, his main message was that every person has the potential to live an extraordinary life.

If you believe it will work out, you'll see opportunities. If you believe it won't you will see obstacles. - Wayne Dyer