Reading list: the books for what you are building
Tell us your business model, industry and stage, or how you invest, and get the books worth your time, picked from 30,000 on building and backing companies. Chosen by ratings and what they are about.
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643 books written by investors and founders
Now readingAtomic HabitsJames Clear4.31★
Change your answersFounder · Media, entertainment and games · Seed
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ShortlistThe best matches for everything you told us, ranked.
The best matches for everything you told us, ranked.
- 1
Spreadable Media
Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture
Henry Jenkins · 2012
3.72524 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany buildingMarketing and growth
About the book
Spreadable Media maps fundamental changes taking place in our contemporary media environment, a space where corporations no longer tightly control media distribution and many of us are directly involved in the circulation of content. It contrasts…
- 2
Masters of Doom
How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
David Kushner · 2003
4.3020,678 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
Masters of Doom is the amazing true story of the Lennon and McCartney of video John Carmack and John Romero. Together, they ruled big business. They transformed popular culture. And they provoked a national controversy. More than anything, they lived a…
- 3
Inbound Marketing
Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs
Brian Halligan · 2009
3.873,974 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesMarketing and growthCompany building
About the book
Stop pushing your message out and start pulling your customers in Traditional "outbound" marketing methods like cold-calling, email blasts, advertising, and direct mail are increasingly less effective. People are getting better at blocking these…
- 4
Dream Team
How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever
Jack McCallum · 2012
4.2314,275 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and games
About the book
They were the Beatles of basketball, the Mercury Seven in sneakers. In Dream Team, acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team that captivated the…
- 5
Skin in the Game
The Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life
Nassim Nicholas Taleb · 2018
3.9132,979 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Black Swan, a bold new work that challenges many of our long-held beliefs about risk and reward, politics and religion, finance and personal responsibility In his most provocative and practical book yet, one…
- 6
An Empire of Their Own
How the Jews Invented Hollywood
Neal Gabler · 1988
4.02816 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Award for history, this "wonderful history of the golden age of the movie moguls" (Chicago Tribune ) is a provocative, original, and richly entertaining group biography of the Jewish immigrants who were the moving forces…
- 7
The Art of Strategy
A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life
Avinash K. Dixit · 1991
3.794,534 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
The authors who brought you the bestseller in game theory, Thinking Strategically , now provide the long-awaited sequel. Game theory means rigorous strategic thinking. It's the art of anticipating your opponent's next moves, knowing full well that your rival…
- 8
The Infinite Game
Simon Sinek · 2017
4.1630,000 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
Do you know how to play the game you're in? In finite games, like football or chess, the players are known, the rules are fixed, and the endpoint is clear. The winners and losers are easily identified. In infinite games, like business or politics or life…
Books on media, entertainment and games.
- 1
Convergence Culture
Where Old and New Media Collide
Henry Jenkins · 2006
3.863,860 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and games
About the book
Convergence Culture maps a new territory: where old and new media intersect, where grassroots and corporate media collide, where the power of the media producer and the power of the consumer interact in unpredictable ways. Henry Jenkins, one of America's…
- 2
Ripped
How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music
Greg Kot · 2009
3.75755 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
A decade ago the vast majority of mainstream music was funneled through a handful of media conglomerates. Now, more people are listening to more music from a greater variety of sources than at any time in history. And big corporations such as Viacom, Clear…
- 3
The Creator's Code The Six Essential Skills of Extraordinary Entrepreneurs
Amy Wilkinson · 2014
3.76813 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
Each of us has the capacity to spot opportunities, invent products, and build businesses, even $100 million businesses. How do some people turn ideas into enterprises that endure? Why do some people succeed when so many others fail? The Creator’s Code unlocks…
- 4
Who Is Michael Ovitz?
Michael Ovitz · 2018
4.212,770 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
"When the history of Hollywood is written, few people will have played a larger role than Michael Ovitz.... It is impossible to read such a chronicle and not see Mr. Ovitz as the Steve Jobs of agenting, possessing a version of Jobs's fanatical drive and a…
- 5
Burn Book
A Tech Love Story
Kara Swisher · 2024
3.9416,244 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
From award-winning journalist Kara Swisher comes a witty, scathing, but fair accounting of the tech industry and its founders who wanted to change the world but broke it instead. Part memoir, part history, Burn Book is a necessary chronicle of tech’s most…
- 6
The Chaos Machine
The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World
Max Fisher · 2022
4.269,592 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and games
About the book
From a New York Times investigative reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist, “an essential book for our times” (Ezra Klein), tracking the high-stakes inside story of how Big Tech’s breakneck race to drive engagement, and profits, at all costs fractured the world…
- 7
Ask Iwata
Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO
Satoru Iwata · 2021
4.143,655 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer.", Satoru IwataSatoru Iwata was the former Global President and CEO of Nintendo and a gifted programmer who played a key role in the creation of…
- 8
The Zen of Social Media Marketing
An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue
Shama Hyder · 2010
3.741,831 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
Social media is a crucial tool for success in business today. People are already talking about your business using social media, whether you’re using it or not. By becoming part of the conversation, you can start connecting directly to your customers, as well…
What founders at seed need most: company building, finding product-market fit, raising money, first sales, marketing and growth.
- 1
The User Experience Team of One
A Research and Design Survival Guide
Leah Buley · 2013
4.191,657 ratings · Goodreads
Finding product-market fitCompany building
About the book
UX Team of Oneb Theory and Practice for Designers Responsible for Holo UX b This book presents ways to achieve greater impact than standardized UX work results with less time and resources do. Whether youre looking to turn to the UX field, or an experienced…
- 2
Get Backed
Craft Your Story, Build the Perfect Pitch Deck, and Launch the Venture of Your Dreams
Evan Baehr · 2015
4.36356 ratings · Goodreads
Raising moneyCompany building
About the book
HOW DO YOU LAUNCH THE VENTURE OF YOUR DREAMS? Get Backed isn’t just about startup fundraising. It’s a handbook for anyone who has an idea and needs to build relationships to get it off the ground. Over the last 3 years, entrepreneurs Evan Loomis and…
- 3
80/20 Sales and Marketing
The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More
Perry Marshall · 2013
4.191,904 ratings · Goodreads
First salesMarketing and growthCompany building
About the book
Stop "Just Getting By" ... Master The 80/20 Principle And Make More Money Without More Work. When you know how to walk into any situation and see the 80/20's, you can solve almost ANY marketing problem. 80/20 can demolish any sales and advertising problem.…
- 4
Hey, Hun
Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing
Emily Lynn Paulson · 2023
3.5814,654 ratings · Goodreads
Marketing and growthFirst salesCompany building
About the book
She signed up for the sisterhood, free cars, and the promise of a successful business of her own. Instead, she ended up with an addiction, broken friendships, and the rubble of a toppled pyramid . . . scheme. Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the…
- 5
Achieving Excellence in Fundraising + Website
Eugene R. Tempel · 2003
4.02249 ratings · Goodreads
Raising moneyCompany building
About the book
The third edition of this acclaimed resource, Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, explains the fundraising profession's major principles, concepts, and techniques. With contributions from noted experts in the field, and filled with illustrative examples,…
- 6
A Project Guide to UX Design
For User Experience Designers in the Field or in the Making
Russ Unger · 2009
3.871,774 ratings · Goodreads
Finding product-market fitCompany building
About the book
“If you are a young designer entering or contemplating entering the UX field this is a canonical book. If you are an organization that really needs to start grokking UX this book is also for you. " -- Chris Bernard, User Experience Evangelist, Microsoft User…
- 7
Venture Deals
Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist
Brad Feld · 2011
4.1117,486 ratings · Goodreads
Raising moneyCompany building
About the book
Praise for Venture Deals"My biggest nightmare is taking advantage of an entrepreneur without even realizing it. It happens because VCs are experts in financings and most entrepreneurs are not. Brad and Jason are out to fix that problem with Venture Deals.…
- 8
Solving Product Design Exercises
Questions & Answers
Artiom Dashinsky · 2018
4.30675 ratings · Goodreads
Finding product-market fitCompany building
About the book
Practice your product design and UX skills. Prepare for your next job interview. "Redesign the NYC metrocard system. Design a dashboard for a general practitioner. Redesign an ATM". Learn how to solve and present exercises like these, that top startups…
Leading and managing a team as the company grows.
- 1
Start with Why
How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
Simon Sinek · 2009
4.09281,577 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
Why do you do what you do? Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to…
- 2
Rising Strong
The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution
Brené Brown · 2015
4.2590,292 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
Social scientist Brené Brown has ignited a global conversation on courage, vulnerability, shame, and worthiness. Her pioneering work uncovered a profound truth: Vulnerability, the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome, is the only path…
- 3
The Goal
A Process of Ongoing Improvement
Eliyahu M. Goldratt · 2004
4.0786,160 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
Written in a fast-paced thriller style, The Goal, a gripping novel, is transforming management thinking throughout the world. It is a book to recommend to your friends in industry - even to your bosses - but not to your competitors. Alex Rogo is a harried…
- 4
Launching a Leadership Revolution
Mastering the Five Levels of Influence
Chris Brady · 2005
4.372,964 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
Sooner or later, we are all called to lead in some capacity. Leadership skills are vital in corporate settings, small businesses, church or community organizations, and even within the home. Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward have recognized this need and have…
- 5
All It Takes Is a Goal
The 3-Step Plan to Ditch Regret and Tap Into Your Massive Potential | Achieve Your Resolutions and Find Success
Jon Acuff · 2023
4.552,450 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
"This is my new favorite book about goals!" -- Mel Robbins , podcaster and New York Times bestselling author of The High 5 Habit What if you could have a fulfilling career, a thriving marriage, strong friendships, and rewarding hobbies, all while being in…
- 6
Leadership
Six Studies in World Strategy
Henry Kissinger · 2022
4.242,848 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
Henry Kissinger, consummate diplomat and statesman, examines the strategies of six great twentieth-century figures and brings to life a unifying theory of leadership and diplomacy"An extraordinary book, one that braids together two through lines in the long…
- 7
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers―Straight Talk on the Challenges of Entrepreneurship
Ben Horowitz · 2014
4.19114,702 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
A lot of people talk about how great it is to start a business, but only Ben Horowitz is brutally honest about how hard it is to run one. In The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley's most…
- 8
Swing Your Sword
Leading the Charge in Football and Life
Mike Leach · 2011
4.272,286 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
Legendary head coach Mike Leach tells his captivating story, from rural Wyoming to law school to the upper echelons of the SEC. SWING YOUR SWORD is the first ever book by one of the most fascinating and successful coaches in sports today. A maverick who took…
Published in the last three years, newest first, for what you told us.
- 1
Who Knew
Barry Diller · 2025
4.222,332 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
Barry Diller, one of America’s most successful businessmen, reveals himself here, his successes, failures, and struggles, with surprising candor and intimacy in a memoir rich in Hollywood lore and filled with business acumen. Writing in his singular voice,…
- 2
Mood Machine
The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist
Liz Pelly · 2025
3.834,803 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
With unprecedented access and unsparing analysis, this is the definitive investigation into Spotify, weaving interviews with incisive cultural criticism, and illuminating how streaming has reshaped music for listeners and artists alike.Flush with testimony…
- 3
Play Nice
The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment
Jason Schreier · 2024
4.167,684 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
New York Times bestselling author and the gaming industry's preeminent investigative journalist Jason Schreier examines three decades of ups and downs at Blizzard Entertainment leading up to a hostile corporate takeover and a sexual misconduct scandal that…
- 4
Simple Marketing For Smart People
The One Question You Need to Win Customers without Gimmicks, Hype, or Hard Selling
Billy Broas · 2024
4.35305 ratings · Goodreads
Marketing and growthFirst salesCompany building
About the book
Why do so many smart people struggle with marketing? The answer is smart people love complexity, and complexity brews problems. Does your marketing feel like it has way too many moving parts? If so, Simple Marketing for Smart People is the solution you’ve…
- 5
Character Limit
How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter
Kate Conger · 2024
4.243,256 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
Rising star New York Times technology reporters Kate Conger and Ryan Mac tell for the first time the full and shocking inside story of Elon Musk’s unprecedented hostile takeover of Twitter and the forty-four-billion-dollar deal’s seismic political, social,…
- 6
Muskism
A Guide for the Perplexed
Quinn Slobodian · 2026
3.79855 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and games
About the book
Who on earth is Elon Musk and what is he doing? Is he a hero, a villain, or does he swing constantly between those two poles? According to the constant media gush driven by his every act and pronouncement, Musk is best understood in personal terms. This…
- 7
Collision of Power
Trump, Bezos, and THE WASHINGTON POST
Martin Baron · 2023
4.161,370 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
“A closely observed, gripping chronicle of politics and journalism during a decade of turmoil.”, The New York Times Book Review Politics. Money. Media. Tech. …It’s all here in Collision of Power. “ All the President's Men for a new generation.”, Town…
- 8
Battle for the Bird
Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, and the $44 Billion Fight for Twitter's Soul
Kurt Wagner · 2024
4.08483 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
An expertly reported investigation into Twitter’s messy corporate history, including Elon Musk’s takeover in 2022, its outsized cultural impact, and its significant role in shaping how the world gets its news. Bloomberg journalist Kurt Wagner takes you…
How companies like yours were actually built, from the people who built them.
- 1
Fifty Years of 60 Minutes
The Inside Story of Television's Most Influential News Broadcast
Jeff Fager · 2017
4.09249 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesFounder stories
About the book
The ultimate inside story of 60 Minutes , the program that has tracked and shaped the biggest moments in post-war American history. From its almost accidental birth in 1968, 60 Minutes has set the standard for broadcast journalism, joining us in our living…
- 2
To Pixar and Beyond
My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs to Make Entertainment History
Lawrence Levy · 2016
4.248,116 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesFounder storiesCompany building
About the book
The never-before-told story of Pixar's improbable success? “Hi, Lawrence?” the caller asked. “This is Steve Jobs. I saw your picture in a magazine a few years ago and thought we’d work together someday.” After Steve Jobs was unceremoniously dismissed…
- 3
The Chief
The Life of William Randolph Hearst
David Nasaw · 2000
4.031,280 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesFounder storiesCompany building
About the book
The definitive and “utterly absorbing” biography of America’s first news media baron based on newly released private and business documents ( Vanity Fair ). In The Chief , David Nasaw presents an intimate portrait of William Randolph Hearst, famously…
- 4
So That Happened
A Memoir
Jon Cryer · 2015
3.773,562 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesFounder stories
About the book
If it can happen in show business, it’s happened to Jon Cryer. Now he’s opening up for the first time and sharing his behind-the-scenes stories in a warmly endearing, sharply observed, and frankly funny look at life in Hollywood. In 1986, Jon Cryer won over…
- 5
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson · 2011
4.161,391,990 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesFounder storiesCompany building
About the book
Walter Isaacson's worldwide bestselling biography of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs. Based on more than forty interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over two years--as well as interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and…
- 6
Disney War
James B. Stewart · 2005
4.128,885 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesFounder storiesCompany building
About the book
The dramatic inside story of the downfall of Michael Eisner, Disney Chairman and CEO, and the scandals that drove America’s best-known entertainment company to civil war. “When You Wish Upon a Star,” “Whistle While You Work,” “The Happiest Place on…
- 7
I, Justine
An Analog Memoir
Justine Ezarik · 2015
4.131,549 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesFounder stories
About the book
A one-woman media phenomenon and a leading YouTube influencer takes readers behind the camera, and deep inside her world.Justine Ezarik has been tech-obsessed since unboxing her family’s first Apple computer. By sixth grade she had built her first website. A…
- 8
Console Wars
Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation
Blake J. Harris · 2014
3.9712,297 ratings · Goodreads
Media, entertainment and gamesCompany building
About the book
Following the success of The Accidental Billionaires and Moneyball comes Console Wars, a mesmerizing, behind-the-scenes business thriller that chronicles how Sega, a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary and a team of rebels, took on the…
What founders at seed keep coming back to, if you have not read them yet.
- 1
Crossing the Chasm
Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers
Geoffrey A. Moore · 2002
4.0332,109 ratings · Goodreads
Marketing and growthCompany buildingFirst sales
About the book
Here is the bestselling guide that created a new game plan for marketing in high-tech industries. Crossing the Chasm has become the bible for bringing cutting-edge products to progressively larger markets. This edition provides new insights into the realities…
- 2
Inspired
How to Create Tech Products Customers Love
Marty Cagan · 2008
4.2226,350 ratings · Goodreads
Company buildingFinding product-market fit
About the book
Learn to design, build, and scale products consumers can't get enough of How do today's most successful tech companies–Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla–design, develop, and deploy the products that have earned the love of literally billions of…
- 3
Building A Story Brand
Donald Miller · 2017
4.2726,500 ratings · Goodreads
Marketing and growthCompany building
About the book
New York Times bestselling author Donald Miller uses the seven universal elements of powerful stories to teach readers how to dramatically improve how they connect with customers and grow their businesses. Donald Miller’s StoryBrand process is a proven…
- 4
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
Violate Them at Your Own Risk
Al Ries · 1993
4.0522,738 ratings · Goodreads
Marketing and growthCompany building
About the book
There are laws of nature, so why shouldn't there be laws of marketing? As Al Ries and Jack Trout, the world-renowned marketing consultants and bestselling authors of Positioning, note, you can build an impressive airplane, but it will never leave the ground if…
- 5
Outliers
The Story of Success
Malcolm Gladwell · 2008
4.19890,252 ratings · Goodreads
Company building
About the book
In this stunning book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers", the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that…
- 6
The Long Tail
Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More
Chris Anderson · 2006
3.8330,263 ratings · Goodreads
Company buildingFirst sales
About the book
The New York Times bestseller that introduced the business world to a future that s already here -- now in paperback with a new chapter about Long Tail Marketing and a new epilogue. Winner of the Gerald Loeb Award for Best Business Book of the Year. In…
- 7
Lok Vyavhar
Diamond Books · 1936
4.221,157,905 ratings · Goodreads
Company building
About the book
This is the translation of famous - HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE - a classic book that gave birth to the self-help industry. Through this book, Dale Carnegie offers practical and proven advice on how to deal with people and understand them in order…
- 8
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
Stephen R. Covey · 1989
4.16843,480 ratings · Goodreads
Company building
About the book
In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step…
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From the record
Written by the people who write the cheques
Books by investors and founders we hold records for. The author links to what they have done, not just what they wrote.
The Lean Startupby Eric Ries, Eric Ries2011 · 4.11★L
Lean Inby Sheryl Sandberg, Meta2013 · 3.94★TThe Hard Thing About Hard Thingsby Ben Horowitz, Andreessen Horowitz2014 · 4.19★D
Delivering Happinessby Tony Hsieh, Tony Hsieh2000 · 4.04★#
#Girlbossby Sophia Amoruso2014 · 3.64★T
The One Thingby Gary Keller, Pocketchange Investments2012 · 4.12★P
Principlesby Ray Dalio2017 · 4.09★Read what the people you are pitching read.
Every investor and founder on our records links to their books and the podcasts they are on.