The Secret Door to Success was Florence Scovel Shinn’s third book.
Her metaphysical works began with her self-published The Game of Life and How to Play it in 1925. A typical Scovel Shinn piece of advice would be "It is safe to say that all sickness and unhappiness come from the violation of the law of love. A new commandment I give unto you, 'Love one another,' and in the Game of Life, love or good-will takes every trick." Her advice is usually accompanied by real life anecdotes.
Shinn is considered part of the New Thought movement, as her writings follow in the tradition of Phineas Quimby (1802 - 1866), Emma Curtis Hopkins (1849-1925), and both Charles Fillmore (1854 - 1948) and Myrtle Fillmore (1845 - 1931), co-founders of the Unity Church.
Motivational author Louise Hay acknowledges her as an early influence.