Recently, I’ve been organizing some materials that can help improve negotiation skills, and I found that some books are truly worth reading. If you’re also struggling with all kinds of negotiation scenarios in work or life, this list may be helpful to you.

First, I want to mention *Never Split the Difference* by Christopher Voss. This guy is an FBI negotiation officer who has handled life-and-death hostage rescue situations, so his understanding of negotiation really is different. The book emphasizes empathy and active listening—two skills that sound simple, but can genuinely change the situation. This book has sold especially well, with sales exceeding 5 million copies. If you like self-help books that are high-stakes and full of stories, this one is definitely worth reading.

There’s also *Getting to Yes*, co-authored by Roger Fisher and several others. The logic of this book is very straightforward—don’t get stuck on the parties’ positions; instead, focus on each side’s true interests. By taking this perspective, you can often find creative solutions and ultimately reach agreements that are mutually beneficial. *Bloomberg Businessweek* has highly praised this book, saying its methodology is very practical.

If you’re a woman, *Ask For It* by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever may be especially helpful. The book’s core viewpoint is that many women aren’t actually bad at negotiating—they just lack a clear action plan. The book provides plenty of hands-on advice, such as how to maximize your bargaining leverage, manage the other side’s reactions, and use a cooperative mindset so both sides can get the things they want most.

There’s also a relatively newer book—*Be Who You Are to Get What You Want* by Damali Peterman. The book was originally titled *Negotiating While Black* in 2024, and later changed its name and was republished. Peterman is a lawyer and negotiation expert. Drawing from her own firsthand experience, she discusses the role bias plays in negotiations and how to overcome it. It’s especially suitable for people who feel that their viewpoints are always being overlooked.

G. Richard Shell’s *Bargaining for Advantage* was updated in 2019 and focuses particularly on business negotiation scenarios. He emphasizes the importance of being yourself, and also shares a bunch of real cases involving companies and celebrities. The updated edition also adds a negotiation IQ test that helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses.

Alexandra Carter is a professor at Columbia Law School, and her *Ask for More* has made it onto *The Wall Street Journal* bestseller list. The core idea is especially simple: if you want the answers you want, you have to ask the right questions. In the book, she systematically lists those key questions and shows how to use them in work and life. Interestingly, she also points out that the person who speaks loudest in the room isn’t necessarily the most effective.

Michael Wheeler teaches negotiation at Harvard Law School, and his *The Art of Negotiation* advocates giving up fixed, unchanging routines and viewing negotiation as an exploratory process. The book was published in 2013, but now it seems even more meaningful, because the world really has become more complex.

Jim Camp’s *Start with No* is a bit special. His theory is that win-win is fundamentally unrealistic—you should make the other side feel safe, and then use their needs to move the negotiation forward. The book only has an 8-hour audio version. If you like audiobooks, this length is very friendly.

Stuart Diamond is a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and is also a Pulitzer Prize winner. His *Getting More* has appeared on *The New York Times* bestseller list. The book promotes replacing traditional power struggles with cooperation, emotional intelligence, cognition, and cultural diversity. Even Google uses this model to train employees’ negotiation skills.

Finally, there’s Sarah Federman’s *Transformative Negotiation*. This one is relatively new, published in 2023, and it also won the Porchlight best business book award. Federman teaches conflict resolution at the University of San Diego. She uses real cases raised by her students in the classroom to explain how identity influences how others respond to us.

Honestly, most of the best books on negotiation are really communication books. They cover psychological principles, solution-oriented approaches, the art of listening, cooperation, and personal empowerment. No matter whether you work in healthcare, law enforcement, or education, or you simply want to handle all kinds of conflicts in everyday life, you can find useful things in these books. The key is to find the one that fits your learning style and your needs.