Trump: The Art of the Deal also contains an 11-step formula for business success, inspired by Norman Vincent Peale's "The Power of Positive Thinking". Trump was persuaded to produce the book by Condé Nast owner Si Newhouse after the May 1984 issue of Newhouse's magazine "GQ" – with Trump appearing on the cover – sold well. Schwartz was hired to work on the book, and began working with Trump in late 1985. He interviewed Trump and – with permission from him – listened in on his phone calls. According to Schwartz in July 2016, Trump wrote none of the book, choosing only to remove a few
The Power of Positive Thinking Peale's teachings “lead to failure and disillusionment, and not only boomerang back against people, but often prejudice them against effective therapy." Another criticism is that Peale's philosophy is not accomplished through his techniques presented. R. C. Murphy writes that Peale's teachings “endorse the cruelties which men commit against each other” which encourages readers to “give up [their] strivings and feel free to hate as much as [they] like”. Murphy argues that by teaching others to destroy all negativity, Peale is, in fact, fostering negativity and aggression. Harvard scholar Donald Meyer presents a similar criticism in his article "Confidence Man" written