The 12 Best Product Management Books

In many industries, books are not something you take lightly. They are a reliable source of knowledge and inspiration, providing invaluable guidance on how to become an expert in the field. Product management is no different. We’ve prepared a special list of 12 of the best product management books that can help you become successful in decision-making and navigating the ever-changing world of consumer products.

#1 The Making of a Manager

The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo is an invaluable resource for those looking to hone their leadership skills. With over 11 years of experience as a VP of Product Design at Facebook, Zhuo is widely hailed as one of the product design leaders in the world. The book explores her take on management, offering insight into how to best drive results and foster creative collaboration. As she puts it, “I learned then one of my first lessons of management—the best outcomes come from inspiring people to action, not telling them what to do.” Whether you’re an experienced manager or totally new to the idea, The Making of a Manager offers priceless advice that will help you take your team to greater heights.

#2 Ship It: Silicon Valley Product Managers Reveal All

Ship It, penned by Silicon Valley Product Managers, reveals all the juicy little secrets about how to be an awesome Product Manager. This book opens eyes to new methods of research and evaluation, provides tips for setting up effective communication channels and helps readers develop the intuitiveness which leads to successful product launches. As a Product Manager, you need solid tactics backed with real-world experience from Designers and Developers inside the top Tech hubs—and that’s exactly what Ship It delivers. Go ahead—grab your copy today!

#3 The Lean Product Playbook

Dan Olsen’s Lean Product Playbook is the modern PM’s indispensable companion. With step-by-step guidance on how to apply Lean Startup principles, this book has it all! Its simple 6-step model gives you the tools to quickly iterate your product according to customer feedback and transform it into a success. Plus, with real-world examples given throughout, you’re sure that you’ll be able to test out your ideas with relative ease. Don’t procrastinate any longer—get The Lean Product Playbook today and take your product from zero to hero!

#4 My Product Management Toolkit

Have you ever been caught in the product management trenches without a tool to dig you out? Look no further than Marc Abraham’s “My Product Management Toolkit”. With an arsenal of methods and applications tailored to the particular needs of each PM’s job, finding the right problem-solver has been made easy. From customer knowledge to stakeholder management and product development, discover how every challenge can be matched with its go-to solution. Don’t just take our word for it—bookmark this book as your survival guide and keep up with the ever-changing landscape of Product Management. And if you’re wondering which tools are must-haves, make sure to check out our latest blog post for a list of this year’s must-have software.

#5: Inspired: How To Create Products Customers Love

Inspired: How To Create Products Customers Love is the ultimate book for Product Managers looking to take their skills to the next level. Written by Industry expert and Silicon Valley Product Group founder Marty Cagan, this book continues to be an invaluable resource for PMs everywhere. Packed full of inspiring lessons on creative products customers love, as well as comprehensive tools and techniques, Inspired is full of practical advice that can help any PM create genuinely groundbreaking products. With its unique tone of professional yet witty storytelling, it’s no wonder why Inspired remains so popular among current and aspiring product managers today.

#6 Product Mindset: How to Get Inside Your Customer’s Mind

In Product Mindset: How to Get Inside Your Customer’s Mind, readers learn the essential tactics and strategies needed to be the ultimate successful PM. From the insights of some of the industry’s most successful PMs from Intercom, Pandora, Jet.com, and other companies, users can take away actionable advice that they can use to transform their product into a customer-oriented marvel. With engaging stories and witty humor, Product Mindset will provide helpful tips that can help create better products that customers love – ultimately making sure that every PM is customer-obsessed.

#7 Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

In his book, Hooked, Nir Eyal presents a practical and implementable guide to product building, aiming to provide readers with an accessible and deeply researched resource. He has created the Hook Model which enables companies to keep customers engaged without investing in costly marketing tactics. This book helps readers to strategically design products that are habit-forming and bring customers back time after time – all done through the use of rich storytelling and humor. With the help of this book, it will become easier than ever for those who understand its wisdom to ultimately create products that delight their customers over time.

#8 Launch: The Roadmap to Product Management Success

With the number of advancements in technology constantly rising, Product Managers need to be able to effectively stay ahead of the curve. Thankfully, Launch: The Roadmap to Product Management Success is here! With this book, experienced PMs can share their secrets on how they’ve managed the transition into new trends, like Blockchain and Machine Learning, while having a laugh (or two) along the way. In a world where tech changes so quickly, these experienced professionals are invaluable resources for all budding Product Managers.

#9 Well Designed

Well Designed: Up your Product Design knowledge and become a better Product Manager! Here’s the perfect way to jump-start your creative juices without having to go back to art school. Jon Kolko offers an in-depth understanding of the product design process, including how to understand customer needs and develop products that improve their daily lives. He reveals proven techniques for getting to product-market fit quickly and sharing insights on sketching a strategy (how about driving more traffic to your website by link building?), maximising user experience and refining details. With his witty storytelling style, coupled with practical guidance, this book is the ultimate guide for anyone wanting to be a better product manager!

#10 Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days

Written by three partners at Google Ventures, Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days is the guidebook to unlocking five days of intensive problem-solving in the office. If you want to get from idea to development in record time, this book can help you achieve that with its useful strategies. It’s designed for startup founders and entrepreneurs who want an edge when it comes to innovating quickly and efficiently. This read isn’t just helpful—it’s surprisingly fun and engaging too, as readers grapple with the challenge of finding solutions while having a few laughs along the way. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed by big problems (perhaps you need to fix corrupted WIndows files, for example) and need fast results that are also feasible, then don’t wait any longer; pick up Sprint today and put its five-day process into action!

#11 Hired: How to Get a Product Management Job

If you’re looking to take your product career to the next level, Hired: How to Get a Product Management Job is your go-to book. Written by the Product School, an organization founded by ex-Google and Amazon managers, this comprehensive guide offers a wealth of helpful advice presented in a style that’s informative but still approachable—and even downright funny at times. They offer insight into mastering the job search process, from understanding how different tech companies work to sharpening up for interviews. In other words, it gives you access to the combined wisdom of experienced PMs who’ve worked for the likes of Google, Apple and Amazon. With Hired as your companion on your journey, you’ll be sure to land that next great opportunity.

#12 Cracking the PM Interview

Working in the tech industry requires you to step up your interviewing game, and Gayle McDowell has done just that with her book, Cracking the PM Interview. The Founder and CEO of CareerCup is no stranger to interview success: she’s a former Software Engineer for companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple and brings a wealth of interviewing experience—both on the candidate side and the interviewer side. With her tried-and-true job interview tips and tricks in Cracking the PM hiring process, Gayle makes interview success within reach for aspiring product managers who are looking for their next role!