Wayne W. Dyer

Dyer was a counselling psychologist with a doctorate and a university post when he wrote Your Erroneous Zones in 1976, then drove around America selling copies out of his car until it caught. His later work moved from practical self-help toward spirituality, and a large share of his income came from public television pledge drives, where he became one of the most reliable draws. In 2013 he said his leukaemia had gone into remission after a session with a Brazilian faith healer, a claim with no medical support behind it. He died in 2015.