Robert Collier (April 19, 1885 in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, Missouri – January 9, 1950) was an American author of

self-help Self-help or self-improvement is "a focus on self-guided, in contrast to professionally guided, efforts to cope with life problems" —economically, physically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. When ...

and

New Thought The New Thought movement (also Higher Thought) is a new religious movement that coalesced in the United States in the early 19th century. New Thought was seen by its adherents as succeeding "ancient thought", accumulated wisdom and philosophy ...

metaphysical books in the 20th century. He was the nephew of

Peter Fenelon Collier Peter Fenelon Collier (December 12, 1849 – April 23, 1909) was an Irish-American publisher, the founder of the publishing company P. F. Collier & Son. He founded ''Collier's'' in 1888. Early life Collier was born in Myshall, County Carlow, I ...

, founder of ''

Collier's Weekly } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...

'', and cousin of Robert J. Collier, its editor. He was involved in writing, editing, and research for most of his life. His book ''The Secret of the Ages'' (1926) sold over 300,000 copies during his life. Collier wrote about the practical psychology of abundance, desire, faith, visualization, confident action, and personal development. Robert Collier Publications, Inc. still exists through the efforts of his widow, and now his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Collier's books, which have been popular with self-help and New Thought groups, have been brought back to prominence from being referenced in the popular metaphysical movie '' The Secret''. In the book '' The Secret'',

Rhonda Byrne Rhonda Byrne ( ; née Izon; born 1951, Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian television writer and producer. Her book '' The Secret'' is based on the pseudoscientific belief of the law of attraction, which claims that thoughts can change a p ...

writes: "The glimpse came in a hundred-year-old book, given to me by my daughter Hayley".

Mind, Inc.

Starting in May 1929, Collier's organization published a monthly magazine called ''Mind, Inc.'' The magazine was initially about half fiction, with much of the material religious in nature. By 1932 almost all the fiction had disappeared. The title changed to ''Mind Magazine'' with the May 1932. It continued to appear until at least 1939.

The Robert Collier Letter Book

The Robert Collier Letter Book is a collection of

letters Letter, letters, or literature may refer to: Characters typeface * Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech or none in the case of a silent letter; any of the symbols of an alphabet * Letterform, the g ...

and

copywriting Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. Copywriting is aimed at selling products or services. The product, called Copy (publishing), copy or sales copy, is written content t ...

techniques written by self-help author and publisher Robert Collier in the early 20th century. The book is considered a classic in the field of

direct-response marketing Direct marketing is a form of communicating an offer, where organizations communicate directly to a pre-selected customer and supply a method for a direct response. Among practitioners, it is also known as ''direct response marketing''. I ...

and copywriting, and is still used as a reference by many modern marketers and copywriters. Robert Collier began his career in advertising, working as a copywriter for several companies before eventually starting his own advertising agency. He became known for his successful direct-response advertising campaigns, which often used persuasive letter-writing techniques. The Robert Collier Letter Book, first published in 1931 by the

McGraw-Hill Book Company McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

, is a compilation of some of Collier's most effective letters and copywriting techniques. The book includes letters for a variety of purposes, such as sales letters, fundraising letters, and letters to build relationships with customers. Collier's writing style is conversational and persuasive, and he emphasizes the importance of understanding the reader's needs and desires to effectively communicate with them.

Influence

Collier was a major influence on further

and esoteric writers such as

who wrote '' The Secret'', and

Father Divine Father Divine (September 10, 1965), also known as Reverend M. J. Divine, was an American spiritual leader from about 1907 until his death in 1965. His full self-given name was Reverend Major Jealous Divine, and he was also known as "the Messen ...

of the International Peace Mission movement.

Selected books written by Collier

* ''Copywriting & Direct Marketing'' * ''The Robert Collier Letter Book'' (1931) * ''How To Make Money at Home in Spare Time By Mail'' * ''The God in You'' * ''The Magic Word'' * ''The Secret of the Ages'' (1926) * ''The Secret Power'' * ''Riches Within Your Reach: The Law of the Higher Potential'' * ''Be Rich! The Science of Getting What You Want'' * ''The Book of Life (Volumes 1–7) 1925''

References

Sources

External links

Robert Collier Publications
– with list o
books by Collier
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Collier, Robert 1885 births 1950 deaths American spiritual teachers American spiritual writers New Thought writers