50 Top Books Product Managers should read in 2024

We've collected the definitive best books written for product management, product leadership, product design, product strategy, and product development, along with various others. Enjoy!

Product Development

1. "Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love" by Marty Cagan
   1. A cornerstone in product management literature, this book delves into the methodologies and practices for creating successful tech products.
2. "Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days" by Jake Knapp
   1. Recommended by Marty Cagan, this book introduces the concept of design sprints, offering a unique process for rapid problem solving and innovation.
3. "The Lean Product Playbook" by Dan Olsen
   1. A practical guide to applying Lean Startup principles and achieving product-market fit, essential for anyone involved in product development.
4. "Ship It: Silicon Valley Product Managers Reveal All"
   • This book provides insights into the best practices and secrets from Silicon Valley, focusing on data-driven decision making and effective communication within teams.
5. "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" by Nir Eyal
   • Eyal provides a framework for building products that captivate users and create engagement through habit-forming techniques.

Product Strategy

6. "Crossing the Chasm" by Geoffrey Moore
   1. A classic read on marketing technology products and navigating the complexities of market adoption across different stages of a product lifecycle.
7. "Product Strategy: Mastering the Basics and Dominating the Competition" by Gary Metcalfe
   1. This book covers the foundational elements of crafting a compelling product strategy and staying ahead of the competition.
8. "Tilt: Shifting Your Strategy from Products to Customers" by Niraj Dawar
   1. Dawar emphasizes a customer-centric approach to product strategy, illustrating how to pivot focus towards delivering value to customers.
9. "The Influential Product Manager: How to Lead and Launch Successful Technology Products" by Ken Sandy
   1. Sandy offers insights into influencing stakeholders and driving product success, a must-read for strategic product managers.
10. "Strategize: Product Strategy and Product Roadmap Practices for the Digital Age" by Roman Pichler
    1. A comprehensive guide on developing effective strategies and roadmaps tailored for digital products.

Design

11. "The Design of Everyday Things" by Don Norman
    1. A classic book that delves into the principles of good design and usability.
12. "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug
    1. Focuses on web usability and the principles of creating intuitive user interfaces.
13. "Well Designed" by Jon Kolko
    1. Explains how to determine product-market fit and identify behavioral insights to inform product strategy.

Marketing and Positioning

14. "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind" by Al Ries and Jack Trout
    1. A seminal book on creating a position in a prospective customer's mind.
15. "This is Marketing" by Seth Godin
    1. Godin unpacks how marketing is integral to every part of a business, including product management.
16. "The Launch: A Product Marketer's Guide" by Yasmeen Turayhi
    1. Offers key questions and lessons for a successful product launch.

Business and Economics

17. "Competitive Strategy" by Michael E. Porter
    1. Provides deep insights into competitive advantage and market positioning.
18. "Economics of Code" by Alex Cowan
    1. Blends business acumen with tech insights, aimed at MBAs and digital product managers.
19. "Blue Ocean Strategy" by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
    1. Introduces a new way of thinking about strategy and competition, focusing on innovation.

Product Analytics and Data-Driven Decision Making

20. "Lean Analytics" by Alistair Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz
    1. Use data to build a better startup faster, with a focus on finding the one metric that matters most.
21. "Product Analytics Economy"
    1. Discusses driving revenue growth through data and delivering exceptional digital experiences.

Leadership and Team Management

22. "Radical Candor" by Kim Scott
    1. Offers guidance on management and leadership, especially for those managing bosses or teams.
23. "The Manager’s Path" by Camille Fournier
    1. Provides practical advice for managing technical teams and developing effective leadership skills.

Customer-Centric Product Development

24. "Product Mindset: How to Get Inside Your Customer’s Mind"
    1. Emphasizes understanding the conditions of customers' lives and the intricacies of their state of mind.
25. "The Lean Product Playbook" by Dan Olsen
    1. A practical guide to applying Lean Startup principles and achieving product-market fit.

Product Operations

26. "Product Operations: How Successful Companies Build Better Products at Scale" by Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles
    1. This book is a comprehensive guide on implementing and improving product ops in any organization, providing practical frameworks and real-world examples.
27. "The Product Operations eBook"
    1. Offered by the Product-Led Alliance, this comprehensive guide covers the fundamentals of product ops, the responsibilities of a product ops manager, and more.
28. "The Rise of Product Ops" by Pendo.io
    1. This e-book discusses the basics of the product ops function, why it's on the rise, and where it fits within the larger product environment.
29. "The Ultimate Guide to Product Operations"
    1. A video featuring Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles, where they discuss the nuances of product operations.

Additional Must-Reads

30. "Measure What Matters" by John Doerr
    1. Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) for goal setting and success.
31. "The Mom Test" by Rob Fitzpatrick
    1. Effective customer conversations to validate business ideas.
32. "The Product Book" by Josh Anon and Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
    1. Comprehensive guide for product management.
33. "Outcomes Over Output" by Joshua Sieden
    1. Focus on delivering outcomes rather than just outputs.
34. "Escaping the Build Trap" by Melissa Perri
    1. Balancing between building features and delivering value.
35. "Product Mindset" by David DeWolf
    1. Emphasizing customer-centric product development.
36. "The Making of Manager" by Julie Zhuo
    1. Transitioning from individual contributor to manager.
37. "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries
    1. Lean methodology for startups and established companies.
38. "Continuous Discovery Habits" by Teresa Torres
    1. Ongoing customer discovery practices.
39. "The AI Product Manager's Handbook" by Irene Bratsis
    1. Managing AI products effectively.
40. "Build" by Tony Fadell
    1. Lessons from the creator of the iPod and iPhone.
41. "Strong Product People" by Petra Wille
    1. Developing skills and mindsets for strong product management.
42. "The Product Momentum Gap" by Andrea Saez and Dave Martin
    1. Bridging the gap between product vision and execution.
43. "Empowered" by Marty Cagan and Chris Jones
    1. Empowering teams to deliver extraordinary results.
44. "Product Roadmaps Relaunched" by Bruce McCarthy, C. Todd, Evan Ryan, and Michael Connors
    1. Creating effective and flexible product roadmaps.
45. "Reimagined" by Shyvee Shi, Caitlin Cai, and Yiwen Rong
    1. Innovative approaches to product management.

Customer Success and Service

I personally think these books are essential reads for any product leadership and management, so I wanted

1. "Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service" by The Disney Institute and Theodore Kinni
   1. Insights into Disney's renowned customer service and how to apply these principles to any business.
2. "The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company" by Joseph A. Michelli
   1. Explores the Ritz-Carlton's customer service philosophy and practices.
3. "Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose" by Tony Hsieh
   1. The story of Zappos and its unique approach to customer service and company culture.
4. "The Effortless Experience: Conquering the New Battleground for Customer Loyalty" by Matthew Dixon, Nick Toman, and Rick DeLisi
   1. Focuses on reducing customer effort to improve loyalty.
5. "Customer Success: How Innovative Companies Are Reducing Churn and Growing Recurring Revenue" by Nick Mehta, Dan Steinman, and Lincoln Murphy
   1. Strategies for ensuring customer success and building long-term relationships.
6. "The Customer Service Survival Kit: What to Say to Defuse Even the Worst Customer Situations" by Richard S. Gallagher
   1. Practical advice for handling difficult customer service scenarios.
7. "The Nordstrom Way to Customer Experience Excellence: Creating a Values-Driven Service Culture" by Robert Spector and breAnne O. Reeves
   1. Nordstrom's approach to delivering exceptional customer service.
8. "Outside In: The Power of Putting Customers at the Center of Your Business" by Harley Manning and Kerry Bodine
   1. Emphasizes the importance of customer-centric business strategies.