Persuasion Reading List – Updated 1/18

January 24, 2018

Readers of this blog have been asking me to update my persuasion reading list. If you wonder why people are asking a cartoonist about persuasion, it is because I am a trained hypnotist, and mention that skill often in the context of blogging and Periscoping. I have also studied the various tools of persuasion for years because they are helpful in my job as a writer. In my New York Times best selling book Win Bigly I teach you President Trump’s world-class persuasion techniques that you can use for your work or personal life.

I recommend reading these books in the order listed. If you decide to skip a few, I strongly recommend reading the first book on the list, Influence, as a grounding for the rest.

Influence – by Robert B. Cialdini PhD

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life – by Scott Adams

Win Bigly – By Scott adams (Persuasion Tips based on the 2016 election)

Impossible to Ignore – Dr. Carmen Simon

Trump: The Art of the Deal – Donald J. Trump

What Every BODY is Saying – by Joe Navarro

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business – by Charles Duhigg

Thinking, Fast and Slow – by Daniel Kahneman

Salt Sugar Fat – by Michael Moss

Pre-Suasion – By Robert B. Cialdini PhD

Win Your Case: How to Present, Persuade, and Prevail–Every Place, Every Time  – by Gerry Spence

How to Win Friends & Influence People – by Dale Carnegie

The Design of Everyday Things – by Don Norman

How to Write a Good Advertisement – by Victor O. Schwab

The Secret to Selling Anything – by Harry Browne

The One Sentence Persuasion Course – 27 Words to Make the World Do Your Bidding – by Blair Warren

Note: I removed several books from earlier versions of the list to give it some focus. I also removed the books about hypnosis because you can’t effectively learn that sort of skill from books.

—

I started a Patreon account to fund — via micro-donations as low as one dollar — the expansion of my Periscope content on the topic of persuasion, usually about politics. Step One involves converting my Periscope videos into audio-only podcast form for greater reach. That work is in progress. I’ll work on topic indexes next, and perhaps topic summaries in text form. YouTube is a lower priority because fans already post my Periscopes there. At some point I might do that myself.

Patreon funding will motivate me to express my opinions as often as practical without worrying about the sensibilities of sponsors, advertisers, or corporate bosses. I appreciate all of you who are making this happen.