“What are the best books about Negotiating?” We looked at 101 of the top Negotiation books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 23 titles, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Negotiation” book lists, are ranked below by how many lists they appear on. The remaining 75+ titles, as well as the lists we used are in alphabetical order at the bottom of the page.

Happy Scrolling!

Top 23 Negotiation Books

23 .) Everyday Negotiation: Navigating the Hidden Agendas in Bargaining written by Deborah M. Kolb

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• Value Walk

Overcome obstacles to successful negotiation—including the ones you create yourself Each time people bargain over issues, a parallel negotiation unfolds beneath the surface of the formal negotiation. Everyday Negotiation provides a clear, insightful guide to the common stumbling blocks of successful negotiations and tells how to overcome them. The authors show readers how, by bargaining more strategically, they can establish the terms of the negotiation while also encouraging the open communication essential to a collaborative discussion. Originally published as The Shadow Negotiation—and named one of the Harvard Business Review’s Best Business Books of 2000—this book is now available in paperback for the first time. Author Biography: Deborah M. Kolb, PhD (Brookline, MA), is Professor of Management at Simmons Graduate School of Management and a Senior Fellow and former executive director of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. Judith Williams, PhD (Cambridge, MA), who has worked in publishing and investment banking, established in 1990 a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the study of organizational change and how women can promote it.

22 .) Getting Ready to Negotiate: The Getting to Yes Workbook

Lists It Appears On:

• Castle Negotiate
• Extension

This companion volume to the negotiation classic Getting to Yes explores the negotiation process in depth and presents case studies, charts, and worksheets for blueprinting and personalized negotiating strategy.

21 .) How to Win Friends and Influence People written by Dale Carnegie

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• The Globe And Mail

You can go after the job you want…and get it! You can take the job you have…and improve it! You can take any situation you’re in…and make it work for you! Since its release in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People has sold more than 15 million copies. Dale Carnegie’s first book is a timeless bestseller, packed with rock-solid advice that has carried thousands of now famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. As relevant as ever before, Dale Carnegie’s principles endure, and will help you achieve your maximum potential in the complex and competitive modern age. Learn the six ways to make people like you, the twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking, and the nine ways to change people without arousing resentment.

20 .) Kiss, Bow, Or Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries written by Terri Morrison

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• Inc.

Your Passport to International Business Etiquette The most authoritative and comprehensive text of its kind, Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, 2nd Edition is your must-have guide to proper international business protocol. With countries such as China and India taking on a more significant role in the global business landscape, you can’t afford not to know the practices, customs, and philosophies of other countries.

19 .) Negotiating At Work: Turn Small Wins Into Big Gains written by Deborah M. Kolb with Jessica L. Porter

Lists It Appears On:

• Fast Company
• Women Who Ask

Negotiating at Work offers practical advice for managingyour own workplace negotiations: how to get opportunities,promotions, flexibility, buy-in, support, and credit for your work.It does so within the context of organizational dynamics,recognizing that to negotiate with someone who has more power addsa level of complexity. The is true when we negotiate with oursuperiors, and also true for individuals currently underrepresented in senior leadership roles, whose managers may notrecognize certain issues as barriers or obstacles.

18 .) Negotiating Rationally written by Max H. Bazerman

Lists It Appears On:

• Castle Negotiate
• Goodreads

In Negotiating Rationally, Max Bazerman and Margaret Neale explain how to avoid the pitfalls of irrationality and gain the upper hand in negotiations. For example, managers tend to be overconfident, to recklessly escalate previous commitments, and fail to consider the tactics of the other party. Drawing on their research, the authors show how we are prisoners of our own assumptions. They identify strategies to avoid these pitfalls in negotiating by concentrating on opponents’ behavior and developing the ability to recognize individual limitations and biases. They explain how to think rationally about the choice of reaching an agreement versus reaching an impasse.

17 .) Negotiating the Impossible: How to Break Deadlocks and Resolve Ugly Conflicts written by Deepak Malhotra

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• Wall Street Mojo

Negotiating the Impossible How to Break Deadlocks and Resolve Ugly Conflicts (without Money or Muscle) Some negotiations are easy. Others are more difficult. And then there are situations that seem hopeless. Conflict is escalating, people are getting aggressive, and no one is willing to back down. And to top it off, you have little power, money, or other resources to work with. Harvard professor (and negotiation consultant advisor to organizations around the world) Deepak Malhotra shows how to defuse even the most potentially explosive situations and to find success when things seem impossible. Malhotra illustrates key lessons using behind-the-scenes stories of fascinating real-life negotiations, including drafting the US Constitution, resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis, bringing peace to Northern Ireland, ending bitter disputes in the NFL and NHL, and beating the odds in complex business situations. But he also shows how these same principles and tactics can be applied in everyday life as well, from making corporate deals, negotiating job offers, and resolving business disputes to tackling obstacles in personal relationships and even negotiating with children.

16 .) Start with NO..The Negotiating Tools that the Pros Don’t Want You to Know written by Jim Camp

Lists It Appears On:

• Castle Negotiate
• Goodreads

Start with No offers a contrarian, counterintuitive system for negotiating any kind of deal in any kind of situation–the purchase of a new house, a multimillion-dollar business deal, or where to take the kids for dinner. Think a win-win solution is the best way to make the deal? Think again. For years now, win-win has been the paradigm for business negotiation. But today, win-win is just the seductive mantra used by the toughest negotiators to get the other side to compromise unnecessarily, early, and often. Win-win negotiations play to your emotions and take advantage of your instinct and desire to make the deal. Start with No introduces a system of decision-based negotiation that teaches you how to understand and control these emotions. It teaches you how to ignore the siren call of the final result, which you can’t really control, and how to focus instead on the activities and behavior that you can and must control in order to successfully negotiate with the pros. The best negotiators: * aren’t interested in “yes”–they prefer “no” * never, ever rush to close, but always let the other side feel comfortable and secure * are never needy; they take advantage of the other party’s neediness * create a “blank slate” to ensure they ask questions and listen to the answers, to make sure they have no assumptions and expectations * always have a mission and purpose that guides their decisions * don’t send so much as an e-mail without an agenda for what they want to accomplish * know the four “budgets” for themselves and for the other side: time, energy, money, and emotion * never waste time with people who don’t really make the decision Start with No is full of dozens of business as well as personal stories illustrating each point of the system. It will change your life as a negotiator.

15 .) 3-D Negotiation: Powerful Tools to Change the Game in Your Most Important Deals written by David A. Lax

Lists It Appears On:

• Castle Negotiate
• Dig Books
• Goodreads

When discussing being stuck in a “win-win vs. win-lose” debate, most negotiation books focus on face-to-face tactics. Yet, table tactics are only the “first dimension” of David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius’ pathbreaking 3-D Negotiation (TM) approach, developed from their decades of doing deals and analyzing great dealmakers. Moves in their “second dimension”—deal design—systematically unlock economic and noneconomic value by creatively structuring agreements. But what sets the 3-D approach apart is its “third dimension”: setup. Before showing up at a bargaining session, 3-D Negotiators ensure that the right parties have been approached, in the right sequence, to address the right interests, under the right expectations, and facing the right consequences of walking away if there is no deal. This new arsenal of moves away from the table often has the greatest impact on the negotiated outcome. Packed with practical steps and cases, 3-D Negotiation demonstrates how superior setup moves plus insightful deal designs can enable you to reach remarkable agreements at the table, unattainable by standard tactics.

14 .) Beyond Winning: Negotiating to Create Value in Deals and Disputes written by Robert Mnookin

Lists It Appears On:

• Castle Negotiate
• Goodreads
• London

Conflict is inevitable, in both deals and disputes. Yet when clients call in the lawyers to haggle over who gets how much of the pie, traditional hard-bargaining tactics can lead to ruin. Too often, deals blow up, cases don’t settle, relationships fall apart, justice is delayed. Beyond Winning charts a way out of our current crisis of confidence in the legal system. It offers a fresh look at negotiation, aimed at helping lawyers turn disputes into deals, and deals into better deals, through practical, tough-minded problem-solving techniques. In this step-by-step guide to conflict resolution, the authors describe the many obstacles that can derail a legal negotiation, both behind the bargaining table with one’s own client and across the table with the other side. They offer clear, candid advice about ways lawyers can search for beneficial trades, enlarge the scope of interests, improve communication, minimize transaction costs, and leave both sides better off than before. But lawyers cannot do the job alone. People who hire lawyers must help change the game from conflict to collaboration. The entrepreneur structuring a joint venture, the plaintiff embroiled in a civil suit, the CEO negotiating an employment contract, the real estate developer concerned with environmental hazards, the parent considering a custody battle–clients who understand the pressures and incentives a lawyer faces can work more effectively within the legal system to promote their own best interests. Attorneys exhausted by the trench warfare of cases that drag on for years will find here a positive, proven approach to revitalizing their profession.

13 .) Bargaining with the Devil: When to Negotiate, When to Fight written by Robert Mnookin

Lists It Appears On:

• Dig Books
• Five Books 2
• Goodreads
• Value Walk

In an age of terror, our national leaders face such critical decisions every day. Should we negotiate with the Taliban? Iran? North Korea? In private disputes you too may face such adversaries: a business partner who has cheated you, a sibling grabbing part of your inheritance, a greedy divorcing spouse. Across a wide range of difficult conflicts, Mnookin explains how to make wise decisions. He identifies the traps to avoid—emotional, strategic, and political—and the elements that are critical for success. Mnookin’s real life case studies cover a remarkable range. Some involve political leaders: Churchill’s refusal in 1940 to negotiate with Hitler; Nelson Mandela’s choice to initiate negotiations with the government of South Africa. Others involve individuals facing evil regimes: the Soviet KGB or Hitler’s SS. Half the cases involve business or family disputes where Mnookin played an active role. In all of them, emotions ran high and demonization ran rampant: two giant computer companies fighting over software rights, the San Francisco Symphony torn by strike, a CEO who feels betrayed by a joint venture partner, and some family disputes that reached crisis points. In this lively, informative, practical book, Robert Mnookin provides the reader with the tools we need to bargain with the devils in everyday life as well as evaluate the decisions of our national leaders.

12 .) Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most written by Douglas Stone

Lists It Appears On:

• Castle Negotiate
• Dig Books
• Goodreads
• Secure Docs

Whether you’re dealing with an under performing employee, disagreeing with your spouse about money or child-rearing, negotiating with a difficult client, or simply saying “no,” or “I’m sorry,” or “I love you,” we attempt or avoid difficult conversation every day. Based on fifteen years of research at the Harvard Negotiation Project, Difficult Conversations walks you through a step-by-step proven approach to having your toughest conversations with less stress and more success. You will learn: — how to start the conversation without defensiveness — why what is not said is as important as what is — ways of keeping and regaining your balance in the face of attacks and accusations — how to decipher the underlying structure of every difficult conversation Filled with examples from everyday life, Difficult Conversations will help you on your job, at home, or out of the world. It is a book you will turn to again and again for advice, practical skills, and reassurance.

11 .) Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In written by Roger Fisher

Lists It Appears On:

• Castle Negotiate
• Goodreads
• Wall Street Mojo
• Women Who Ask

Describes a method of negotiation that isolates problems, focuses on interests, creates new options, and uses objective criteria to help two parties reach an agreement Amazon.com description: Product Description: Since its original publication nearly thirty years ago, Getting to Yes has helped millions of people learn a better way to negotiate. One of the primary business texts of the modern era, it is based on the work of the Harvard Negotiation Project, a group that deals with all levels of negotiation and conflict resolution. Getting to Yes offers a proven, step-by-step strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict. Thoroughly updated and revised, it offers readers a straight- forward, universally applicable method for negotiating personal and professional disputes without getting angry-or getting taken.

10 .) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion written by Robert B. Cialdini

Lists It Appears On:

• Five Books 1
• Goodreads
• Inc.
• The Globe And Mail

Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say “yes”—and how to apply these understandings. Dr. Robert Cialdini is the seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion. His thirty-five years of rigorous, evidence-based research along with a three-year program of study on what moves people to change behavior has resulted in this highly acclaimed book. You’ll learn the six universal principles, how to use them to become a skilled persuader—and how to defend yourself against them. Perfect for people in all walks of life, the principles of Influence will move you toward profound personal change and act as a driving force for your success.

9 .) Women Don’t Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide written by Linda Babcock

Lists It Appears On:

• Castle Negotiate
• Dig Books
• Goodreads
• Women Who Ask

When Linda Babcock asked why so many male graduate students were teaching their own courses and most female students were assigned as assistants, her dean said: “More men ask. The women just don’t ask.” It turns out that whether they want higher salaries or more help at home, women often find it hard to ask. Sometimes they don’t know that change is possible–they don’t know that they can ask. Sometimes they fear that asking may damage a relationship. And sometimes they don’t ask because they’ve learned that society can react badly to women asserting their own needs and desires. By looking at the barriers holding women back and the social forces constraining them, Women Don’t Ask shows women how to reframe their interactions and more accurately evaluate their opportunities. It teaches them how to ask for what they want in ways that feel comfortable and possible, taking into account the impact of asking on their relationships. And it teaches all of us how to recognize the ways in which our institutions, child-rearing practices, and unspoken assumptions perpetuate inequalities–inequalities that are not only fundamentally unfair but also inefficient and economically unsound. With women’s progress toward full economic and social equality stalled, women’s lives becoming increasingly complex, and the structures of businesses changing, the ability to negotiate is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

8 .) Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate written by Roger Fisher

Lists It Appears On:

• Dig Books
• Extension
• Goodreads
• Strategy Business
• The Balance Careers

Building on his work as director of the Harvard Negotiation Project, Fisher now teams with Harvard psychologist Daniel Shapiro, an expert on the emotional dimension of negotiation and author of Negotiating the Nonnegotiable: How to Resolve Your Most Emotionally Charged Conflicts. In Beyond Reason, Fisher and Shapiro show readers how to use emotions to turn a disagreement-big or small, professional or personal-into an opportunity for mutual gain.

7 .) Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High written by Kerry Patterson

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• Goodreads
• Inc.
• The Balance Careers
• The Globe And Mail

Learn how to keep your cool and get the results you want when emotions flare. When stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong, you have three choices: Avoid a crucial conversation and suffer the consequences; handle the conversation badly and suffer the consequences; or read Crucial Conversations and discover how to communicate best when it matters most. Crucial Conversations gives you the tools you need to step up to life’s most difficult and important conversations, say what’s on your mind, and achieve the positive resolutions you want. You’ll learn how to: Prepare for high-impact situations with a six-minute mastery technique Make it safe to talk about almost anything Be persuasive, not abrasive Keep listening when others blow up or clam up Turn crucial conversations into the action and results you want

6 .) Getting More: How to Negotiate to Achieve Your Goals in the Real World written by Stuart Diamond

Lists It Appears On:

• Dig Books
• Goodreads
• Inc.
• Value Walk
• Wall Street Mojo

Based on more than 20 years of research and practice among 30,000 people in 45 countries, Getting More concludes that finding and valuing the other party s emotions and perceptions creates far more value than the conventional wisdom of power and logic. It is intended to provide better agreements for everyone no matter what they negotiate from jobs to kids to billion dollar deals to shopping. The book, a “New York Times “bestseller and #1 “Wall Street Journal “business best seller, is based on Professor Stuart Diamond s award-winning course at the Wharton Business School, where the course has been the most popular over 13 years. It challenges the conventional wisdom on every page, from win-win to BATNA to rationality to the use of power. Companies have made billions of dollars so far using his new model and parents have gotten their 4-year-olds to willingly brush their teeth and go to bed. Prof. Diamond draws from his experience as a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist at The New York Times, Harvard-trained attorney, Wharton MBA, U.N. Consultant in many countries and manager and executive in many sectors, including technology, agriculture, medical services, finance, energy and aviation. The ROI from reading “Getting “More will make it the best investment you make this year, says Rhys Dekle, the business development head of the Microsoft Games division, which produces X-Box. He added that the book was his team s best investment of the year too. The model was also used to quickly solve the 2008 Hollywood Writer s Strike. The advice is addressed through the insightful stories of more than 400 people who have used Prof. Diamond s tools with great success: A 20% savings on an item already on sale. An extra $300 million profit in a business. A woman from India getting out of her own arranged marriage. Better relationships with the family, including teenagers. Raises at work.

5 .) Getting Past No: Negotiating in Difficult Situations written by William Ury

Lists It Appears On:

• Dig Books
• Goodreads
• London
• The Balance Careers
• Wall Street Mojo

We all want to get to yes, but what happens when the other person keeps saying no? How can you negotiate successfully with a stubborn boss, an irate customer, or a deceitful coworker? In Getting Past No, William Ury of Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation offers a proven breakthrough strategy for turning adversaries into negotiating partners. You’ll learn how to: • Stay in control under pressure • Defuse anger and hostility • Find out what the other side really wants • Counter dirty tricks • Use power to bring the other side back to the table • Reach agreements that satisfies both sides’ needs Getting Past No is the state-of-the-art book on negotiation for the twenty-first century. It will help you deal with tough times, tough people, and tough negotiations. You don’t have to get mad or get even. Instead, you can get what you want!

4 .) Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond written by Deepak Malhotra

Lists It Appears On:

• Extension
• Goodreads
• London
• The Balance Careers
• The Globe And Mail
• Wall Street Mojo

From two leaders in executive education at Harvard Business School, here are the mental habits and proven strategies you need to achieve outstanding results in any negotiation. Whether you’ve “seen it all” or are just starting out, Negotiation Genius will dramatically improve your negotiating skills and confidence. Drawing on decades of behavioral research plus the experience of thousands of business clients, the authors take the mystery out of preparing for and executing negotiations—whether they involve multimillion-dollar deals or improving your next salary offer. What sets negotiation geniuses apart? They are the men and women who know how to: •Identify negotiation opportunities where others see no room for discussion •Discover the truth even when the other side wants to conceal it •Negotiate successfully from a position of weakness •Defuse threats, ultimatums, lies, and other hardball tactics •Overcome resistance and “sell” proposals using proven influence tactics •Negotiate ethically and create trusting relationships—along with great deals •Recognize when the best move is to walk away •And much, much more This book gets “down and dirty.” It gives you detailed strategies—including talking points—that work in the real world even when the other side is hostile, unethical, or more powerful. When you finish it, you will already have an action plan for your next negotiation. You will know what to do and why.

3 .) Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It written by Chris Voss

Lists It Appears On:

• Castle Negotiate
• Dig Books
• Goodreads
• Inc.
• The Balance Careers
• Wall Street Mojo

A former international hostage negotiator for the FBI offers a new, field-tested approach to high-stakes negotiations—whether in the boardroom or at home. After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a hostage negotiator brought him face-to-face with a range of criminals, including bank robbers and terrorists. Reaching the pinnacle of his profession, he became the FBI’s lead international kidnapping negotiator. Never Split the Difference takes you inside the world of high-stakes negotiations and into Voss’s head, revealing the skills that helped him and his colleagues to succeed where it mattered most: saving lives. In this practical guide, he shares the nine effective principles—counter-intuitive tactics and strategies—you too can use to become more persuasive in both your professional and personal life. Life is a series of negotiations you should be prepared for: buying a car; negotiating a salary; buying a home; renegotiating rent; deliberating with your partner. Taking emotional intelligence and intuition to the next level, Never Split the Difference gives you the competitive edge in any discussion.

2 .) Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People written by G. Richard Shell

Lists It Appears On:

• Castle Negotiate
• Dig Books
• Goodreads
• Inc.
• Secure Docs
• Strategy Business
• Value Walk
• Wall Street Mojo

As director of the renowned Wharton Executive Negotiation Workshop, Professor G. Richard Shell has taught thousands of business leaders, administrators, and other professionals how to survive and thrive in the sometimes rough-and-tumble world of negotiation. His systematic, step-by-step approach comes to life in this book, which is available in over ten foreign editions and combines lively storytelling, proven tactics, and reliable insights gleaned from the latest negotiation research.This updated edition includes: A brand-new “Negotiation I.Q.” test designed by Shell and used by executives at the Wharton workshop that reveals each reader’s unique strengths and weaknesses as a negotiator A concise manual on how to avoid the perils and pitfalls of online negotiations involving e-mail and instant messaging A detailed look at how gender and cultural differences can derail negotiations, and advice for putting talks back on track

1 .) Getting To Yes With Yourself: And Other Worthy Opponents written by William Ury

Lists It Appears On:

• Dig Books
• Fast Company
• Goodreads
• Inc.
• Secure Docs
• The Balance Careers
• The Globe And Mail
• Value Walk
• Wall Street Mojo

In his highly anticipated follow up to the bestselling “Getting to Yes: Negotiation Agreement Without Giving”, Harvard University’s world renowned negotiation expert William Ury provides the definitive guide to attaining success at work and at home.Drawing upon decades of experience in some of the world’s most challenging conflict areas – from million-dollar corporate mergers to high profile Middle Eastern struggles – Ury highlights a previously unexamined issue which affects us all, personally and professionally: the biggest obstacle to achieving what we want comes from our own self-destructive actions.In his brilliant new book, Ury outlines practical strategies for dealing with the inner conflicts that hinder our successes. From tactics for dealing with an untrustworthy work colleague, to methods for handling a divorce conversation, and coming out on top, “Getting to Yes with Yourself” outlines universal techniques for success in seven compelling chapters.Fresh and insightful, “Getting to Yes with Yourself” will transform the way you approach your life.

The 75+ Additional Best Books To Help Learn Negotiation

18 Best Negotiating Book Sources/Lists