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Learn Product Management By Books and Videos

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The Best Product Management Books To Read With Free Alternatives

Product management books are a great way to learn from industry experts. They offer a way for those interested in the field to learn more about it and those already in the area to learn from others’ mistakes. Learn Product Management by yourself through these books and videos.

With so many different product management books on the market, it’s easy to find one that matches your exact needs. Whether you’re looking for a book focusing on specific industries or skill sets or want to learn more about overarching strategies applicable across all types of businesses – there are plenty of great options!

What If You Don’t Like To Read? (Free Videos)

But wait, you don’t like to read. Don’t worry, we gotchu. We included free youtube book summaries and author interviews listed below. If you write a book, you must go to the market and tell people about it right? That’s free content for us. These videos are an awesome and free way to distill information. We at gettopm.com got through school on cliff notes. Like they say, “C’s get degrees”! Effective time management and keeping an eye on the ROI are key PM skills by the way. Also, who doesn’t like free sh**?

Here are a bunch of books that will give you invaluable insight into how to master product management.This list includes books on various topics, from entry-level to expert.


Best Product Management Interview Books And Videos

When landing a product management job, interviews are the ticket. Securing that product management job is largely determined by one factor: how you handle yourself in an interview. So, don’t be surprised if the quality of chances comes down to a few moments spent with strangers!! For newbies to the field, both of these books offer vital advice on making sure you truly shine in those all-important interviews that are part of landing a job in the product management field.

Cracking the PM Interview – Gayle McDowell

This book is your secret weapon if you’re gunning for a product management role and want to come out on top. This book covers everything from resume writing, application to the interview itself. The book has a lot of real-world examples from applicants and was written by an interviewer at Google. 

Decode and Conquer – Lewis C. Lin 

This book introduces product management principles and interview techniques. Even a non-computer professional can understand it. The book gives dialogue-style replies to example questions, which helps the reader understand how the interview might go. The frameworks are light and digestible and offer a great avenue to get started.


Books For Newbies To Learn About Product Management

Product Management in Practice – Matt LeMay

If you’re looking for a Product Management Handbook with real-world advice and strategies that you can actually use, I’ve got the perfect book to recommend. This clever guide is packed full of knowledge from field experts – guaranteed to make your life as a PM much easier!

This book covers the core cognitive skills—communication, research, structure, and execution—needed to build a successful product management practice across industries, companies, teams, and tools.

The Lean Product Playbook – Dan Olsen

Dan Olsen, a senior IT consultant, wrote The Lean Product Playbook to help design customer-friendly products. The book explores why some products can’t reach product-market fit. It then explains how to produce a popular product with good market and product-market fit.

The Lean Startup – Eric Ries

Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup is a current guide for entrepreneurs and product managers at tech giant companies. It tackles building goods for an existing company or finding a new company. This book explores testing customers’ views, listening to them, and giving real value to adapt to a changing ecosystem before it’s too late.


Product Management Books And Videos To Get Better At A Product Management Job

Measure What Matters – John Doerr

This book discusses an innovative technique for defining goals: Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). Intel, Google, Amazon, and Uber have used this goal-setting system. John thinks about how important a system like OKR is to the growth of the company. This New York Times bestseller is a must-read for all PMs.

Outcomes Over Output – Josh Seiden

This book shows why it’s important to focus on results instead of outputs when trying to make changes and get customer feedback. Seiden distinguishes between leading by output and leading by results. Product managers must encourage consumer habits to improve results. This would streamline production, reduce repeat work, and put the client first.

User Story Mapping – Jeff Patton

When used correctly, user stories can help get everyone on the same page, especially when they are laid out on a user story map, be it developers, designers, or businesspeople. They may have different perspectives, but they can all relate to using examples.

Epic Alignment – Nils Janse

Feature documents (also known as product requirements documents) are the best method to keep the team and stakeholders on the same page if they are done appropriately. Matt LeMay says that Epic Alignment looks at a key but often overlooked part of product management.

Product Roadmaps Relaunched – C. Todd Lombardo

This book helps project managers create a reliable product roadmap. It covers leadership, prioritization, development, and communication. The interviews and case studies show successful real-world roadmaps and assist PMs in managing goals with changes and obstacles.


Product Management Books And Videos To Understand Customer Behavior

Hooked – Nir Eyal

This book shows how to make superior products. The book discusses the ‘Hook’ paradigm that organizations must use to induce client behavior without aggressive marketing. This idea helps product managers, marketers, and designers make products that get customers into the habit of coming back. The book has five chapters that cover different stages of hooking clients. A must-read for SaaS PMs.

Continuous Discovery Habits – Teresa Torres

This book covers all phases of product creation using discovery approaches. It is a great follow-up to Pagan’s Inspired for Product Managers since it explains how to design solutions that meet business and customer needs.

Badass: Making Users Awesome – Kathy Sierra

Sierra wants you to help your users get better and turn them into “badasses.” This can be done by knowing their present processes, both within your product and between uses, and improving them, e.g., by removing barriers. By supporting people, they’ll like your product and return.


Books For The MBA Types And Theoretical PM Discussions

Escaping the Build Trap – Melissa Perri

This book emphasizes customer-centric marketing, a product management pillar. It illustrates how companies can fall into the “build trap” by building items for the company’s timetable rather than the customer’s demands. Perri addresses how a good product manager may create a balance by shifting the focus from production to functionality, as well as what makes a creative, effective product manager and what their career path looks like.

Crossing the Chasm – Geoffrey Moore

This business book is popular among product marketing professionals. The best part is that it’s still relevant and has much to teach after 30 years. The book explains why some products are blockbusters. Geoffrey talks about crossing the barrier between innovators and early adopters and the consumer adoption lifecycle. 

Empowered – Marty Cagan and Chris Jones

Inspired focuses on the product; Empowered focuses on the organization and its people. The book talks about how the most innovative companies in the world succeed by giving their teams the power to see the strategic goal of a project. You’ll learn how to be a successful leader by studying Amazon, Netflix, and Tesla.

Inspired – Marty Cagan

This book’s fundamental purpose is to teach you how to develop products that customers will love. Cagan shows real-world examples from companies like Google, Adobe, Apple, Microsoft, the BBC, and Netflix. He also draws on his personal experiences as the founder of the Silicon Valley Product Group. If you’re seeking a voice of authority on product management, this is a pretty great one to start with!


Conclusion

Struggling to find time to read? Check out our list of the best product management books and their free alternatives!

These books, together with online resources, will help you become a better product manager.

This set of books covers everything from real-world examples of product management to how to break down case studies and what a product manager’s job is.

We hope that our favorite resources provide you with practical guidance and fresh ideas that you can implement.

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