The best books on negotiation and deal-making

I heard Tim Ferriss speak about the essential business skills young entrepreneurs (or perhaps anyone who’s keen) should pick up to get an edge*. One of which was “negotiation and deal-making.” I took a note of it and began to put together a list of the best books out there to master the art of negotiation and deal-making.

This isn’t an exhaustive list by any measure but these are the best books out there. The links in orange are the ones I have read, studied and personally recommend. Be sure to build up your wishlist on Amazon:

1. Getting More: How You Can Negotiate to Succeed in Work and Life, by Stuart Diamond
2. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
3. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert B. Cialdini
4. Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People, by G. Richard Shell
5. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, by Roger Fisher, William L. Ury, and Bruce Patton
6. Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz
7. Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries by Terri Morrison and Wayne A. Conaway
8. Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond by Deepak Malhotra
9. Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate by Roger Fisher and Daniel Shapiro
10. Getting Ready to Negotiate: The Getting to Yes Workbook by Roger Fisher and Danny Ertel
11. The Confidence Code: The Science And Art Of Self-Assurance—What Women Should Know By Katty Kay And Claire Shipman
12. Perfecting Your Pitch: How To Succeed In Business And In Life By Finding Words That Work By Ronald M. Shapiro
13. The Global Negotiator: Making, Managing And Mending Deals Around The World In The Twenty-First Century By Jeswald W. Salacuse
14. Getting To Yes With Yourself: And Other Worthy Opponents By William Ury
15. Persuasion Equation: The Subtle Science Of Getting Your Way By Mark Rodgers
16. The Thirty-Six Strategems (companion to The Art of War) by Sun Tzu
17. Beyond the Chicken Dance by Charles Newman
18. Power Up; Speak Up; Be Heard by Kay White
19. Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff
20. Beyond Winning: Negotiating to Create Value in Deals and Disputes by Robert Mnookin
21. Getting Past No: Negotiating With Difficult People by Roger Fisher and William Ury
22. Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator by Gary Noesner
23. How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
24. The Essentials of Job Negotiations: Proven Strategies for Getting What You Want by Terri R. Kurtzberg and Charles E. Naquin
25. Great Negotiations: Agreements that Changed the Modern World by Fredrik Stanton
26. Negotiate to Win: The 21 Rules for Successful Negotiating by Jim Thomas
27. Negotiation Boot Camp: How to Resolve Conflict, Satisfy Customers, and Make Better Deals by Ed Browdow 
28. 3D Negotiation: Powerful Tools to Change the Game in Your Most Important Deals by David Lax and James Sebinius 
29. Negotiation: Strategies for Mutual Gain by Lavinia Hall
30. The Only Negotiating Guide You’ll Ever Need: 101 Ways to Win Every Time in Any Situation by Peter Stark and Jane Flaherty
31. Start with NO… The Negotiating Tools that the Pros Don’t Want You to Know by Jim Camp
32. Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen and Roger Fisher
33. Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain by Antonio Domasio
34. Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain by Antonio Domasio
35. Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Richard E. Boyatzis, and Annie McKee
36. The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life by Joseph Ledoux
37. Negotiating Rationally by Max Bazerman

I hope you enjoy reading these on your path to becoming a master negotiator and deal-maker. Hit me up if I’ve missed out a book that you should think ought to be part of this list.

Disclaimer: the links above are NOT affiliate links and don’t get (or want) any revenue from Amazon.com. And I default to Kindle editions because I love to read on Kindle (besides, I don’t have enough space to store physical books!).

*Sorry! I don’t have the episode details. I was driving when I heard him talk about this. I’ll be on a lookout for details of that episode. Will find it and link it above.