As Editor-in-Chief at Beyond Words, I’m excited to share what we are hearing—from our readers, our booksellers, our authors, and our internal guides—about what people most want to learn about. One of the best things about our mission and vision is that we believe that we’re here to be your partners in transformation; we don’t just make books, we join in a conversation and provide useful, powerful tools for self-development.

Here are three important trends we are watching and responding to this spring, as well as the books soon to be released that match and create these trends.

The Spiritual and the Political Join Hands

For far too long, those of us who have pursued personal growth and spirituality as driving factors in our lives have tended to feel there was little place for our voice in the political realm. Thank Barack Obama and others in politics for shifting the conversation on a national scale here in the U.S. this year. The global climate crisis—now widely acknowledged, thanks to the work of Al Gore—has also helped people take stock of the interconnectedness of all things.

The Dalai Lama, spiritual and political leader of Tibet, has been quietly promoting these ideas for decades. We are fortunate to give his words another platform in the exquisite new book by Robert Thurman, Why the Dalai Lama Matters. Recently, Publishers Weekly reviewed Thurmans’s book by saying that Thurman “sympathetically renders his lifelong friend as a “simple Buddhist monk,” a teacher, philosopher, scientist and the political representative of the Tibetan people, who has achieved renown for holding together a large refugee community and preserving its culture.” (Read the full review here.)

We are excited to see that these world-changing ideas are gaining ground in the public discussion.

Practical Tools for Personal Growth

As people have become more aware of the power of the Law of Attraction, they ask for practical tools and specific advice on how to apply these principles to the various areas of their lives. As The Secret has so successfully reminded the world, holding the picture of what we want—for our personal lives and for the planet – can help to make it manifest. We’ve heard readers’ requests for different kinds of tools to put this idea to practice, and hope to see a number of positive, hopeful and inspirational books from our upcoming list become favorites as well:

• Dating from the Inside Out, a positive and personal look at buiding relationships using the Law of Attraction – literally attracting the partner who is right for you.
• Every Word Has Power, a guide for using the transformative power of language to manifest results in your life.
• The Science of Getting Rich and The Master Key System, two classic works, now revitalized with modern language for a new audience.
• Wishing, a step-by-step guide to making, understanding, and fulfilling your personal wishes.

Empowering Your Own Health

Another exciting trend that we’ve been supporting for decades, holistic health isn’t exactly new—but recent developments in science and research have begun to validate what we’ve seen from the start. There is a connection between the mind, body, and spirit, and health can be acheived through a strengthening of this bond.

Miraculous Health, a new book from Dr. Rick Levy, is a great example of this growing field of Science-meets-Spirituality; Dr. Levy’s research and teaching is expressed eloquently through his powerful new book, DVD, and CD with guided exercises that compliment the book.

I will continue to discuss the latest trends here and hope you will visit often to find out what’s new.
All the best,

Cynthia Black
Editor-in-Chief