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.

Fill in your cardOr browse a starter list

Atomic HabitsJames Clear · 4.31★FreakonomicsSteven D. Levitt · 4.01★The Tipping PointMalcolm Gladwell · 4.01★Rich Dad Poor DadRobert T. Kiyosaki · 4.08★BlinkMalcolm Gladwell · 3.96★Thinking, Fast and SlowDaniel Kahneman · 4.16★The Art of WarSun Tzu · 3.94★
30,000books on building and backing companies
27,964with a checked cover
3.86★average reader rating across the library
643written by 367 investors and founders on our records
Change your answersFounder · Real estate and construction · Seed
I am
Your rolePick one
Business modelUp to three
Your stagePick one
Working onUp to four
Your rolePick one
How you investUp to three
To sharpenUp to three
IndustryUp to three
More ways to narrow it: kind of book, and when it was written
Kind of bookAny
WrittenPick one

Nothing is stored. Your answers live in the page's address, so the list can be kept or shared.

Your reading list

↻ Show different picks

The best matches for everything you told us, ranked.

  • 1

    The Millionaire Real Estate Agent

    It's Not About the Money It's About Being the Best You Can Be

    Gary Keller · 2003

    4.234,062 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionCompany building

    About the book

    Take your real estate career to the highest level "Whether you are just getting started or a veteran in the business, "The Millionaire Real Estate Agent" is the step-by-step handbook for seeking excellence in your profession and in your life." --Mark Victor…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    Your First 365 Days in Real Estate

    How to build a successful real estate business

    Shelley Zavitz · 2019

    4.24362 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionCompany buildingMarketing and growth

    About the book

    Your successful career in real estate starts here!The first 365 days of working in real estate can be one of the most tumultuous times in your career - full of hard lessons, heart breaks and hard work. Just because you have a license, doesn’t mean you have a…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    The Miracle Morning for Real Estate Agents

    It's Your Time to Rise and Shine

    Hal Elrod · 2014

    4.301,119 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionCompany building

    About the book

    All real estate agents share one thing in we're all striving to get to the NEXT LEVEL of personal and professional success. We want to take our lives, our businesses, and ourselves to the next level. What if you could get there, faster than you ever thought…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    The Housing Boom and Bust

    Thomas Sowell · 2009

    4.192,145 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionCompany building

    About the book

    This is a plain-English explanation of how we got into the current economic disaster that developed out of the economics and politics of the housing boom and bust. The “creative” financing of home mortgages and the even more “creative” marketing of financial…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 5

    Long-Distance Real Estate Investing

    How to Buy, Rehab, and Manage Out-of-State Rental Properties

    David Greene · 2017

    4.211,500 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionCompany building

    About the book

    Live where you want, and invest anywhere it makes sense. Real estate investing is one of the greatest vehicles to build wealth, but it doesn’t make sense in every market. Some locations provide incredible returns, while others make it almost impossible to…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 6

    Zillow Talk

    The New Rules of Real Estate

    Spencer Rascoff · 2015

    3.521,761 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionCompany building

    About the book

    How do you spot an area poised for gentrification? Is spring or winter the best time to put your house on the market? Will a house on Swamp Road sell for less than one on Gingerbread Lane? The fact is that the rules of real estate have changed drastically…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 7

    The Book on Negotiating Real Estate

    Expert Strategies for Getting the Best Deals When Buying & Selling Investment Property

    J. Scott · 2019

    4.25319 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionCompany buildingFirst sales

    About the book

    Want to close more investment deals...and make more money in the process? When the real estate market gets hot, it’s the investors who know the ins-and-outs of negotiating with sellers (and with agents, banks, contractors, and other institutions) who will…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 8

    Real estate finance and investments

    William B. Brueggeman, Jeffrey Fisher · 1993

    55 Open Library reading lists

    Real estate and construction

    On AmazonAudibleOpen Library

Books on real estate and construction.

  • 1

    The Book of YES

    The Ultimate Real Estate Agent Conversation Guide

    Kevin Ward · 2016

    4.10253 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionCompany building

    About the book

    The Book of YES In Kevin Ward's book, you will find the most powerful scripts in the real estate industry today. If you’re tired of the same old sales scripts or if you’ve done away with them all together, I know how you feel because I’ve been there. I was…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    Confessions of a Real Estate Entrepreneur

    What It Takes to Win in High-Stakes Commercial Real Estate

    James A. Randel · 2005

    4.13277 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionCompany building

    About the book

    A front row seat into the world of high-stakes commercial real estate investing “A must-read book … one of the best real estate investment books I have ever read. On my scale of 1 to 10, this unique book rates an off-the-charts 12.” ---Robert Bruss…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    The Public Domain

    Enclosing the Commons of the Mind

    James Boyle · 2008

    4.12349 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionInnovation

    About the book

    In this enlightening book James Boyle describes what he calls the range wars of the information age, today’s heated battles over intellectual property. Boyle argues that just as every informed citizen needs to know at least something about the environment or…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    17 Cents & a Dream

    My Incredible Journey from the USSR to Living the American Dream

    Daniel Milstein · 2012

    3.87374 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and construction

    About the book

    “Through pure determination, fortitude and attitude, Daniel pulled out of impossibly difficult situations. His story is true, his story is a personal inspiration to me and I hope it will inspire you too to maximize your potential and go for the greatest of…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 5

    Brand It Like Serhant

    Stand Out From the Crowd, Build Your Following, and Earn More Money

    Ryan Serhant · 2024

    3.95275 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionCompany building

    About the book

    Bestselling author and real estate, television, and media icon Ryan Serhant shares his proven, three-step strategy to build your brand from scratch Brand is everything. Whether you’re a real estate broker, a hair stylist, or a freelance contractor, your end…

    On AmazonAudible

Published in the last three years, newest first, for what you told us.

  • 1

    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…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    Personal Branding for Introverts

    Goldie Chan · 2025

    4.41211 ratings · Goodreads

    Marketing and growthCompany building

    About the book

    A top expert in personal branding shows introverts how to leverage their unique strengths to get ahead    To build a career, you need a personal brand to showcase your distinct skills, experience, and expertise. Building that brand can feel…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    Lean Marketing

    More Leads. More Profit. Less Marketing.

    Allan Dib · 2024

    4.31452 ratings · Goodreads

    Marketing and growthCompany building

    About the book

    Bigger Results with Less Marketing You keep being told to do more marketing―more complex, more aggressive, and more expensive marketing. Chasing the latest bright, shiny object is exhausting. Increased efforts keep leading to disappointment. The overwhelm…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    The Infinity Machine

    Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence

    Sebastian Mallaby · 2026

    4.423,320 ratings · Goodreads

    Company building

    About the book

    From one of our leading chroniclers of the intersection of innovation and capitalism, a landmark  reckoning, based on unprecedented access, with one of the world’s most brilliant and driven tech visionaries and his game-changing company.Even by the standard…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 5

    Apple in China

    The Capture of the World's Greatest Company

    Patrick McGee · 2025

    4.4810,559 ratings · Goodreads

    Company building

    About the book

    For readers of Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs and Chris Miller’s Chip War, a riveting look at how Apple helped build China’s dominance in electronics assembly and manufacturing only to find itself trapped in a relationship with an authoritarian state making…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 6

    Careless People

    A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism

    Sarah Wynn-Williams · 2025

    4.12150,174 ratings · Goodreads

    Company building

    About the book

    Sarah Wynn-Williams joined Facebook believing the company could change things for the better. Instead, what she encountered over seven years was so shocking that Meta obtained a legal order to silence her. Now you can read her award-winning story. Candid…

    On AmazonAudible

How companies like yours were actually built, from the people who built them.

  • 1

    Zeckendorf

    The autobiography of the man who played a real-life game of Monopoly and won the largest real estate empire in history.

    William Zeckendorf · 1970

    4.16609 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionFounder storiesCompany building

    About the book

    Not since the days of the Louisiana Purchase has America seen any bigger real estate transactions than those executed by William Zeckendorf, the derring-do head of Webb & Knapp. Figuring with supersonic speed and an uncanny flair for making money, the…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    Powerhouse Principles

    The Billionaire Blueprint For Real Estate Success

    Jorge Pérez · 2008

    4.24189 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionCompany building

    About the book

    The #1 private developer in the U.S. Jorge Pérez shares his billionaire secrets to empower both small and seasoned investors. Known as the King of Condominiums and the Steven Spielberg of Real Estate, Jorge Pérez reveals his principles for achieving success…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    Other People's Money

    Inside the Housing Crisis and the Demise of the Greatest Real Estate Deal Ever Made

    Charles V. Bagli · 2013

    3.92664 ratings · Goodreads

    Real estate and constructionCompany building

    About the book

    In just over three years, real estate giant Tishman Speyer and its partner, BlackRock, lost billions of investors’ dollars on a single deal. The New York Times reporter who first broke the story of the sale of Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village takes…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    The Ride of a Lifetime

    Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

    Robert Iger · 2019

    4.4099,495 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder storiesCompany building

    About the book

    A grand vision defined: The CEO of The Walt Disney Company shares the ideas and values he has used to reinvent one of the most beloved companies in the world, and inspire the people who bring the magic to life. In 2005, Robert Iger became CEO of The Walt…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 5

    Jim Henson

    The Biography

    Brian Jay Jones · 2013

    4.0415,877 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder stories

    About the book

    For the first time ever-a comprehensive biography of one of the twentieth-century's most innovative creative artists: the incomparable, irreplaceable Jim Henson. He was a gentle dreamer whose genial bearded visage was recognized around the world, but most…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 6

    Steve Jobs

    Walter Isaacson · 2011

    4.161,391,990 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder 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…

    On AmazonAudible

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…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    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…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 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…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    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…

    On AmazonAudible

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Which books we recommend never depends on it: they are chosen from their ratings and what they are about.

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.

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.