Have you ever wanted to know which books to read to hone your product management skills?
The ideal books can help business owners scale from ideation to operation.
Both customer behavior and technology are always evolving. You need to adapt with a proper strategy.
In this article, we have collected the 50 best product management books where you can revamp your career as a product manager. Also, you can gain a competitive edge by creating products that customers enjoy.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
1. Inspired
Author: Marty Cagan
Marty Cagan offers a masterclass on establishing a successful product organization.
Furthermore, you will find technology products that your consumers will love.
It provides you with the problems that tech product development confronts, as well as solutions.
This book is a must-pick if you're searching for a tech-focused read.
It will inspire PM to develop remarkable products that consumers will love.
Get it here: Inspired
2. Checklist Manifesto
Author: Atul Gawande
Atul Gawande, a staff writer at The New Yorker, shared interesting stories that will teach you how to do complicated things in a simpler way.
He shared how his team took this concept, created a safe surgery checklist, and applied it all over the world.
No matter how expert you are, a checklist can improve results in product management.
Get it here: Checklist Manifesto
3. A/B Testing: The Most Powerful Way to Turn Clicks Into Customers
Author: Dan Siroker
Dan Siroker worked as a product manager for Google Chrome and AdWords.
A/B testing involves showing different parts of a website to active traffic and tracking how each version affects users.
Companies can boost the efficiency of their marketing. A/B testing can improve the user experience, which can double or triple the conversion rates.
You'll discover:
- What to test
- How to pick the ideal testing solution for your company
- How to put together the perfect A/B testing team
- How to provide each visitor with a personalized experience
Even today, a data scientist or product manager will find this information intriguing.
Get it here: A/B Testing
4. Crossing the chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers
Author: Geoffrey A. Moore
In this book, Moore gives an in-depth framework for how products progress from ideation to popularity.
The major issue product managers face is bridging the gap.
The “chasm” in the book's title refers to this gap. It's the difference between quality products and profitable products.
Key Takeaways-
- A model describing high-tech marketing at different stages of its adoption life cycle;
- real-world examples of products and how the model applies to them.
- Instructions and practical steps to take to use this model.
This is a best-selling book that shows a new method of marketing in high-tech industries. It is the Bible for expanding markets for cutting-edge products.
Get it here: Crossing the chasm
5. Dataclysm
Author: Christian Rudder
Rudder highlights the fascinating potential of using big data. Dataclysm uses information gathered from the internet to reveal what each of us looks like behind the mask of obscurity.
He described how people used to hire and fire us, spy on us, and sell us things we didn't need.
Get it here: Dataclysm
6. Decode and Conquer
Author: Lewis C. Lin
This is the first book ever written on how to prepare for a product management (PM) interview. Lin breaks it down with examples and easy-to-understand references.
He explains how to answer the most challenging PM interview questions.
This book reveals:
- Product design frameworks, such as the CIRCLES Method™, AARM Method™, and DIGS Method ™
- The errors PM candidates make during interviews and how to avoid them
- Insight on what interviewers want from candidates and how to respond, so they can't refuse to hire you
- Sample answers for the crucial PM interview questions
Get it here: Decode and Conquer
Go deeper into Top Product Management Interview Questions and Answers in India:
HelloMeets Blog
7. Designing interactions
Author: Bill Moggridge
Bill Moggridge was the inventor of the first laptop, the Grid Compass, and the co-founder of IDEO.
The author explains how industrial designers strive to make technology use simple and fun.
Moggridge instructs 40 influential designers who have shaped our interaction with technology.
Get it here: Designing interactions
8. Don't Make Me Think
Author: Steve Krug
It is a must-read for anyone who has any influence over the appearance and feel of a commercial website (designers, managers, marketers, executives, etc.). You can learn the fundamentals of information design and intuitive navigation from this book.
Steve writes clear, crisp chapters; you won't find any fluff that doesn't contribute to the chapter's theme.
He provides ample examples to explain his points and even helps to show how different web project stakeholders can contribute to the usability of the website.
Get it here: Don't make me think
9. Drive – The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Author: Daniel H. Pink
The goal of this book is to give you a new perspective on motivation. Daniel spoke about what inspires or drives people to do tasks.
The secret to good performance and satisfaction at work is the fundamental human drive to take control of our lives, learn, and create new things.
Daniel reveals the three elements of true motivation: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. He offers methods for putting them into action that will transform how we live.
Get it here: Drive – The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
10. Zero to One
Author: Peter Thiel, Blake Masters
Peter Thiel provides an example of how we can develop original strategies to produce those new discoveries.
If you want to create a better future, you must believe in secrets. This book shows that in any sector of business, growth is achievable.
The goal of Zero to One is to challenge and reassess conventional wisdom to shape the future.
Get it here: Zero to One
11. Good to Great
Author: Jim Collins
Jim C. Collins's “Good to Great” is one of the all-time top product management books.
It focuses on the growth of average businesses into world-class businesses.
This book is brief and packed with relevant case studies. It breaks down the insights from in-depth research into easy-to-understand ideas.
“Good to Great” is a must-read for all aspiring and existing leaders.
Get it here: Good to Great
12. High Output Management
Author: Andrew S. Grove
Andrew S. Grove, a former Intel chairman, and CEO shares his guidance on how to develop and run a company.
High Output Management is a practical guide for handling real-life business scenarios. An effective management manifesto with the potential to revolutionize the way we work.
This book is for CEOs, startup founders, product managers, accountants, consultants, and professors. This well-known management book is a Silicon Valley mainstay.
Get it here: High output management
13. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
Author: Nir Eyal
Nir Eyal shares all the secrets in his hook model about why few products capture attention.
Businesses use the four-step “Hooked” process to sway consumer behavior with their products.
Eyal provides practical advice on developing user habits that stick. It is a practical solution for creating products that people love.
A step-by-step guide is all you need to create your own habit-forming product. This book is a must-read for business owners and product specialists.
Get it here: Hooked
14. How to Lie With Statistics
Author: Darrell Huff, Irving Geis
Darrell Huff explains how to outsmart a crook by only picking up on his techniques.
Using an effective technique, Darrell Huff explains how statistics affect people's lives.
Get it here: How to Lie With Statistics
15. Intercom on Product Management
Author: Des Traynor
To help those working in the growing field of product management, the author wrote this book.
This is an effective technique for anyone looking to create products that users will want to use.
Intercom nailed the art of product management and is doing a great job of promoting it.
This book delivers an overview of common errors and best practices a PM should and shouldn't do.
Get it here: Intercom on Product Management
16. Lean Analytics
Author: Benjamin Yoskovitz, Alistair Croll
This book tells how to analyze your idea, identify the clients, choose what to build, and monetize. You can also determine whether a problem is real and identify the proper clients.
You will get insights from more than a hundred business experts and thirty case studies.
Key Takeaways
- Learn the basics of analytics, Lean Startup, and the data-driven mindset.
- See how six examples of business models relate to start-ups of all sizes.
- Find the One Metric That Matters to You
- Master the art of drawing a line in the sand to or show when it is time to proceed
- Apply the principles of Lean Analytics to established businesses and products.
Get it here: Lean Analytics
17. Little Bets
Author: Peter Sims
Do you need a big idea? Start off small. In this book, Peter Sims highlights how tremendous discoveries begin with little bets.
This book urged us to be courageous and take calculated risks while making “small bets” that we could afford. This book encourages you to act now rather than plan something significant. Stop overthinking. “Learn from your mistakes.”
Get it here: Little Bets
18. Made to Stick
Author: Dan Heath, Chip Heath
Chip and Dan Heath explain the anatomy of ideas that stick.
This book tells us to increase the stickiness of ideas using the human scale principle, the Velcro Theory of Memory, and curiosity gaps.
Made to Stick tells us the principles of great ideas. It explains how to use the guidelines to make our own thoughts memorable.
Get it here: Made to Stick
19. Making Things Happen
Author: Scott Berkun
Here, Berkun discusses what it takes to complete a web development project.
This book discusses smart planning, idea generation, management, decision-making, relationship-building, and strategy. It solves the common problems of the product management process.
This is an excellent book for those who want to understand project management on a practical level.
Get it here: Making things happen
20. Nudge
Author: Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
Nudge is about how we make these choices and how we can make better ones. The book talks about why humans engage in behaviors that have no long-term benefits for them.
The author tells how we can use logical “choice architecture”. Also, encourage people to make the best choices for themselves.
Get it here: Nudge
21. Predictably Irrational
Author: Dan Ariely
As per Dan, we underestimate the powerful influences that our emotions have on what we want. But, these mistaken actions are neither senseless nor random. We are predictably irrational as a result of the systematic and predictable nature.
Dan analyzes how we make decisions as well as the science that supports them. He tells in this book how to get over these habitual thought patterns to make better decisions.
Get it here: Predictably Irrational
22. Product Design for the Web
Author: Randy J. Hunt
Randy Hunt, Creative Director of Etsy, defines workflows for producing top-notch web products.
After reading this book, you'll know what product design actually entails. The best practices required to create your own profitable online products.
Get it here: Product Design for the Web
23. Rework
Author: Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
Rework helps you gain exposure without spending a fortune. This book will show that what you need to do is stop talking and start working.
It debunked all myths and stereotypes about startups and work cultures. This is a must-read book for everyone in the early stages of their career.
Here are the key takeaways:
- Prioritize visual elements.
- Make tiny decisions.
- Do less and be easier to use
- Build an audience
Get it here: Rework
24. Sprint
Author: Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz
Sprint offers a proven method for answering questions like where to put your efforts and what the implementation of an idea would look like.
Sprint is a book for teams of any size, from small startups to Fortune 100 companies. It offers a practical guide to responding to necessary business concerns.
It is for anyone in need of solutions right now who has a tremendous opportunity, issue, or idea.
Get it here: Sprint
25. The Alliance
Author: Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha, Chris Yeh
The Alliance shows how to create a relationship between managers and employees in the emerging job market.
The win-win situation will only happen if you have enough faith to commit to mutual benefit.
It provides the tools to manage the employees that will grow their business.
Get it here: The Alliance
26. The Design of Everyday Things
Author: Don Norman
It provides the fundamental elements of design. Also, the steps for creating something from scratch.
A must-read book to create any tangible products, computer programs, or conceptual tools.
Get it here: The Design of Everyday Things
27. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Author: Patrick Lencioni
In his best-selling book, Patrick tells a leadership parable that is fascinating.
This book provides an easy yet challenging concept for implementation. Any leader can use the data to build a team that is productive, cohesive, and effective.
It offers a teamwork model that provides concrete measures to get rid of corruption.
Get it here: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
28. The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Author: Ben Horowitz
This provides a thorough understanding of how people interact inside a firm. Ben put a strong emphasis on the qualities of a CEO. He shared his own experiences, describing his difficulties and how he overcame them.
It is a resource for veteran business owners as well as those who are launching their own new ventures.
Any budding product manager or entrepreneur who wants to launch their business in a way that ensures success in the long and short term must read The Hard Thing About Hard Things.
Get it here: The hard thing about hard things
29. The Innovator's Toolkit
Author: David Silverstein, Philip Samuel, Neil DeCarlo
The Innovator's Toolkit is a valuable guide if you're a business executive, a developer of new products, or an inventor.
This book's 50+ tools and techniques provide a framework for identifying innovation opportunities, coming up with original ideas, selecting the best ones for further development, and implementing new solutions that more effectively meet customer needs.
Get it here: The Innovator's Toolkit
30. The Innovators Dilemma
Author: Clayton M. Christensen
Clayton provides an example of how extraordinary businesses can complete all the tasks and still lose their market leadership.
It uses frameworks to explore new technologies that are developing in this Information Age.
Get it here: The Innovators Dilemma
31. The Lean Startup
Author: Eric Ries
The Lean Startup encourages businesses that are effective at utilizing human creativity.
Ries provides a step-by-step method for building and running successful startups.
The Lean Startup is about learning what your customers want.
Get it here: The Lean Startup
32. The Mythical Man Month
Author: Frederick Brooks Jr.
The Mythical Man-Month is one of the best books on software project management.
Fred Brooks guided us with facts about software engineering. Additionally, he shares a thought-provoking perspective on managing complex projects.
Get it here: The Mythical Man-Month
33. The Personal MBA
Author: Josh Kaufman
Josh Kaufman created a successful career out of simplifying the fundamentals of business.
Josh covers topics including the fundamentals of sales, marketing, negotiation, and strategy.
You can learn the principles in this book that most people take a lifetime to master in one week of reading it.
Get it here: The Personal MBA
34. The Principles of Product Development Flow
Author: Donald G Reinertsen
Reinertsen analyzes product development strategies. And he discusses how invisible queues are the reason product development efforts are not performing as they should.
He provides examples of these gaps and how they impact the effectiveness, speed, and efficiency of product development.
Get it here: The Principles of Product Development Flow
35. Thinking Fast and Slow
Author: Daniel Kahneman
Kahneman discusses the two systems that control our way of thinking. System 1 is quick, intuitive, and emotive, while System 2 is slow.
He explains when and how we should trust our intuitions, as well as how to take advantage of slow thinking.
He guided us to make decisions in both our personal and professional lives. How we can use strategies to prevent the mental blunders that result in difficulty.
Get it here: Thinking Fast and Slow
36. Thinking in Bets
Author: Annie Duke
In “Thinking in Bets,” Annie Duke's core premise is that every decision is a bet. We bet on things like the jobs we pick, the places we live, and the people we choose to be our life partners.
A fantastic book for understanding, identifying, and correcting biases in decision-making. While separating the quality of the decision-making process from its outcomes.
Get it here: Thinking in Bets
37. Universal Principles of Design
Author: William Lidwell
Author Lidwell discusses 125 of the most well-known design theory ideas in this book.
The book covers The Red Effect, the Rule of Thirds, colors, highlighting, the figure-ground relationship, and the aesthetic-usability effect.
This book is an excellent source. The universal principles are simple to understand and easy to grasp.
Get it here: Universal Principles of Design
38. The Pyramid Principle
Author: Barbara Minto
According to Barbara, you can convey your ideas in an effective and concise manner.
It helps you structure your writing so that it has the greatest impact with the least amount of effort. Bring your ideas to life.
Get it here: The Pyramid Principle
39. Explosive Growth
Author: Cliff Lerner
Want to know how to expand your startup to 100 million users? Then you must read this book.
Explosive Growth combines engrossing and humorous storytelling, revealing brilliant growth strategies. Many case studies, and its step-by-step playbook to aid in the quick growth of your startup.
Cliff's experience gives you valuable business advice from both his successes and failures.
Get it here: Explosive Growth
40. PMO Governance
Author: Eugen Spivak
The book offers best practices for managing portfolios, programs, and projects.
Eugen focuses on achieving business objectives at the highest level. This is a must-read to help you improve the execution of your corporate strategy!
Get it here: PMO Governance
41. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers
Author: Gabriel Weinberg, Justin Mares
Traction provides you with the structure that successful businesses adapt to gain traction. It helps you select the marketing avenue that will be your key to growth.
This book teaches you how to develop at a time when getting traction is more important than ever.
Get it here: Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers
42. Cracking the PM Interview
Author: Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Jackie Bavaro
This book is a guide to landing a product management position at an established tech company.
An excellent book to read:
- To brush up on one's management paradigms
- To prepare for PM interviews,
- To focus on one's career
- Understand why one is applying for a PM position.
Get it here: Cracking the PM Interview
43. Testing with Humans
Author: Giff Constable, Frank Rimalovski
This book is a resource that product teams use to run successful experiments.
Testing with humans is educational and brimming with practical solutions to significant issues:
- Why run experiments?
- When should you compare the business and the product?
- What characteristics define a successful experiment?
- How can experiments lead to choices and actions?
- How can we include experimentation in corporate culture?
Get it here: Testing with Humans
44. 80/20 Brand
Author: Aaron Hackett
Aaron simplified his experience into 20% of the theory that generates 80% of the results.
It is a fantastic book to read. It gives a lot of ideas and practical knowledge about branding and marketing. The author's concepts and ideas are simple and easy to understand.
Get it here: 80/20 Brand: Brand Building with a P&G Edge
45. Product Management's Sacred Seven
Author: Parth Detroja, Neel Mehta, Aditya Agashe
If you are searching for a PM book, examples, and interesting case studies, then your search ends here.
This book will show you the fundamental ideas and skills you need to grow into a top-notch PM professional.
You'll find authentic examples of more than 40 companies, interview tips, and free online access to a library of bonus video content.
Get it here: Product Management's Sacred Seven
46. Deliver Great Products That Customers Love
Author: Valerio Zanini
If you are struggling to develop new products and provide value to your customers, then this book is for you.
This book is for product managers and entrepreneurs who need a guide to product management and want to learn the techniques to create products.
Every product manager needs to have this book on their shelves.
Get it here: Deliver Great Products That Customers Love
47. Talking to Humans
Author: Giff Constable
Talking to Humans is a hands-on book for the qualitative side of customer development, a key ability for enhancing any new startup.
It will show you to arrange and conduct efficient customer interviews, as well as put what you've learned into practice.
Get it here: Talking to Humans
48. The Four Steps to the Epiphany
Author: Steve Blank
This book helps in developing a business strategy, a marketing plan, a sales plan, or bringing a product to market.
It will provide you with ways to structure sales, marketing, and your business for success.
Get it here: The Four Steps to the Epiphany
49. Business Model Generation
Author: Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur
Business Model Generation is an excellent book for anyone looking to develop a new business model or enhance an existing one.
The book is informative and has magnificent illustrations. The visuals in the book make it easy to understand.
Get it here: Business Model Generation
50. User Story Mapping
Author: Jeff Patton, Peter Economy
Jeff illustrates how story maps help your team have more productive discussions about the project.
- Learn the fundamentals of story mapping with an exercise that will help you.
- Discover how stories actually work and how Agile and Lean projects bring them to life.
- Examine the development of a tale from chances to deeper discovery.
- Prepare your stories, pay attention, and take notes.
Get it here: User Story Mapping
Conclusion
This list of the top 50 product management books will help you become a better product manager if you can learn from these insights.
We hope that these resources will fill your mind with valuable information and unique ideas that you can use.
Your ability to learn from these books will allow you to stand on the shoulders of giants. Also, become a magnet for product management opportunities.
So read what fascinates you and follow your curiosity.
Happy reading!
