100 Best Storytelling Books of All Time

Cristian-Dragos BaciuI highly recommend all the books written by the Heath brothers, especially Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive And Others Die. This one's a must-read for marketers. The reason I enjoyed their work so much is because they offer real-life stories and insights that makes it so much easier for the reader to imprint that information in his mind (Source)

Tudor MihailescuFirst thing first, finance people need to be decent communicators, ideally awesome communicators. There is an art in building a case or in delivering a presentation and we need to treat this step as seriously as we have treated the other steps. I do believe this is a top priority for an aspiring or practicing CFO - There are plenty of books on this topic, I would recommend the works of Chip and... (Source)

Steve LanceMade to Stick is about what makes a message memorable. Why is it that we can all say ‘Call me Ishmael’ and remember this opening line to Moby Dick, and yet none of us can say the second sentence. Made to Stick is a thoughtful, fact-based empirical study about this idea of stickiness. (Source)

Ray DalioThe book I’d give [every graduating senior in college or high school] would be [...] Joseph Campbell’s 'Hero of a Thousand Faces'. It's little bit dense but it’s so rich, so it’s a good one. (Source)

Darren Aronofsky[I'm] totally part of his cult. Because I believe in that hero’s journey. (Source)

Kyle RussellBook 28 Lesson: Embedded in human psychology (and the resulting symbolism we find compelling) is a wish for our struggles to be meaningful, for our suffering to have value, for our effort to pay off for ourselves and those we love - and to then be recognized for it. https://t.co/lWgr4k7d8Y (Source)

Bill LiaoThe human world occurs in language so best get good at it! (Source)

Mark MansonI read a bunch of books on writing before I wrote my first book and the two that stuck with me were Stephen King’s book and “On Writing Well” by Zinsser (which is a bit on the technical side). (Source)

Jennifer RockIf you are interested in writing and communication, start with reading and understanding the technical aspects of the craft: The Elements of Style. On Writing Well. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. (Source)

Benjamin Spall[Question: What five books would you recommend to youngsters interested in your professional path?] On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Stephen King, [...] (Source)

Eric Weinstein[Eric Weinstein recommended this book on Twitter.] (Source)

Bill LiaoThe human world occurs in language so best get good at it! (Source)

Neville MedhoraIt takes you through 11 different 'archetypes' of screenplays you can write, and the exact elements each needs to be a great story. (Source)

Park HowellThis is one of the books I recommend to people looking for a career in advertising. (Source)

Susan CainI love [this book]. Such a good book. (Source)

Timothy FerrissBird by Bird is one of my absolute favorite books, and I gift it to everybody, which I should probably also give to startup founders, quite frankly. A lot of the lessons are the same. But you can get to your destination, even though you can only see 20 feet in front of you. (Source)

Ryan HolidayIt was wonderful to read these two provocative books of essays by two incredibly wise and compassionate women. [...] Anne Lamott’s book is ostensibly about the art of writing, but really it too is about life and how to tackle the problems, temptations and opportunities life throws at us. Both will make you think and both made me a better person this year. (Source)

Darren AronofskyIt’s the Bible for screenwriters. I think it’s the best book on how to write a screenplay ever written. It helped me get through so many roadblocks as a writer. (Source)

Austin KleonUnsolicited, but here’s my advice for visual thinkers (and others) who want to be better writers: [...] Cartoonists, because their work demands work from two disciplines (writing/art, poetry/design, words/pictures), are highly instructive when it comes to visual people learning to write, writers learning to make art, etc. (Check out Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics for more.) (Source)

Will BrookerUnderstanding Comics is a book about how comics work, told in comic form. It’s very accessible, it’s for the general reader and is about comics in general, not just superhero comics. It explores areas like pacing and editing – how motion can be created through static panels on a page, and how arranging those panels in different ways, or drawing in different styles, or combining text and image,... (Source)

James AltucherWhen a writer or an entrepreneur, or a manager, or an employee, or a…whatever…sits down to get to work, he or she is often met by “the resistance”. The excuses that come up: I can’t do this. I am too old. I don’t have enough money. I’m scared. “The War of Art” is the guide to getting through that block. The comfort zone is papered up and cemented shut by our excuses. Learn to blast through that... (Source)

Seth GodinAlso hard to find on audio. I find Steve's voice to be fascinating, and even before I knew him, I was fascinated by listening to him speak his own work. The War of Art is one of those books, at least for me when I finally was exposed to it, I said, 'Why wasn't I informed? Why did it take this long for this book to land on my desk?'... You need to be clear with yourself about what you are afraid... (Source)

Brian KoppelmanTalks about resistance. (Source)

Brian BurkhartBut the book which really hit home was “Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences,” by Nancy Duarte. It’s interesting, I didn’t agree with her methodology or like much of what I read. It was too complex and not realistic for people to use in everyday life. That said, it did help confirm to me that I was onto something. It was a different kind of validation than Godin—that the... (Source)

Naval RavikantI’m rereading The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. Sometimes I think it’s better to just to reread the greats than it is to read something that’s not as great. (Source)

Bryan CallenJoseph Campbell was the first person to really open my eyes to [the] compassionate side of life, or of thought... Campbell was the guy who really kind of put it all together for me, and not in a way I could put my finger on... It made you just glad to be alive, [realizing] how vast this world is, and how similar and how different we are. (Source)

Park HowellThis is one of the books I recommend to people looking for a career in advertising. (Source)

Lydia RufflesThe (Source)

Roger D. PengIt’s important to think in terms of what your audience needs, and what would be best for them among the many choices you could make when analysing data. (Source)

Dave Ramsey[Dave Ramsey recommended this book on his website.] (Source)

Scott HarrisonSuch a fan of this book. Such great actionable insights for startups and social entrepreneurs. https://t.co/Vfdq3ZJe1f (Source)

Nick LoperI just finished Building a StoryBrand, and need to fill in the worksheets and re-think my homepage as a result. That's the mark of a good business book — homework! (Source)

Ee Ling Limeval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'theceolibrary_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_5',164,'0','1'])); Contagious by Jonah Berger is another interesting one for those trying to figure out how to market their business. In Contagious, Jonah identifies what makes some things go viral, and narrowed it down to 6 principles STEPPS: Social currency (content that makes people look good when they... (Source)

Vincenzo RuggieroQuestion: What books would you recommend to young people interested in your career path? Answer: Rework, Getting real and Remote - The combo from Fried and DHH. Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso From Impossible To Inevitable by Aaron Ross & Jason Lemkin How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross Content Machine by Dan Norris Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and... (Source)

Gilles BernhardIf you are building a business or a brand and want to know how to make it go “viral”, if you want your idea to be talked about, or if you simply want to know some of the science behind it, this book is a must have. It gave me a lot of ideas for my business, and I didn’t even scratch the surface of what can be done thanks to it! The next time I read it, I will write down everything that comes to... (Source)

Chris Albon@WaltHickey I don’t really read fiction and randomly found that book, amazing. (Source)

Matt Schlicht@teej_m Read it. Love it. So amazing. Waiting for the last book and fear it may never come. (Source)

Marvin LiaoMy list would be (besides the ones I mentioned in answer to the previous question) both business & Fiction/Sci-Fi and ones I personally found helpful to myself. The business books explain just exactly how business, work & investing are in reality & how to think properly & differentiate yourself. On the non-business side, a mix of History & classic fiction to understand people, philosophy to make... (Source)

Bill WidmerIn general, I recommend Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki to learn more about assets and liability and how to view money. (Source)

Sa ElThis book started everything for me and put me on a path to a rich mindset, it helped me understand that dreaming wasn't enough, you had to actually place that dream into reality if you ever want to achieve it. (Source)

Joe GebbiaI remember something that [the author] says in there which I never forgot, which is to make something people want to talk about. (Source)

Alan WebberIf Seth Godin didn't exist we'd need to invent him. (Source)

Seth RogenVery referential to certain plays. (Source)

Tobi Lütke[My] most frequently gifted book is [this book] because I like good writing. (Source)

Bill NyeThis is my guide. I accept that I’ll never write anything as good as the introductory essay by [the author]. It’s brilliant. (Source)

Jennifer RockIf you are interested in writing and communication, start with reading and understanding the technical aspects of the craft: The Elements of Style. On Writing Well. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. (Source)

Irina BotnariI’m reading more books at the same time. Guilty. Some of them are Tools of Titans - Tim Ferriss, My Berlin Child – Anne Wiazemsky, Women who Run with the Wolves - Clarissa Pinkola Estés. Tim is full of lessons to learn, remember & implement, I’ll see what the rest of the books will unfold. (Source)

Deepak ChopraGreat leaders transform the world through stories that inspire hope, stability, trust, compassion, and authenticity. This important and thought-provoking book shows that leadership in marketing will require the living and telling of such stories as well. (Source)

Bill BradleyWe know about who we are both individually and as a society through stories. In this brilliant book, Jonah Sachs tells us how we lost our storytelling capacity and how we must regain it, constructing our own myths and living the truth of the stories we tell. (Source)

Cat Williams-TreloarJonah Sachs "Winning the Story Wars" - without a great story you've got nothing. We are rediscovering this as Marketers that stories win a noisy, digital world. Jonah does an excellent job of laying out all the steps you need to tell a compelling story. (Source)

Mark MansonI read a bunch of books on writing before I wrote my first book and the two that stuck with me were Stephen King’s book and “On Writing Well” by Zinsser (which is a bit on the technical side). (Source)

Tim O'ReillyOn Writing Well, by William Zinsser. I wouldn't say this book influenced me, since my principles of writing were established long before I read it. However, it does capture many things that I believe about effective writing. (Source)

Derek SiversGreat blunt advice about writing better non-fiction. So inspiring. (Source)

Mark ZuckerbergThis book is written by the founder of Pixar and is about his experience building a culture that fosters creativity. His theory is that people are fundamentally creative, but many forces stand in the way of people being able to do their best work. I love reading first-hand accounts about how people build great companies like Pixar and nurture innovation and creativity. This should be inspiring to... (Source)

Timothy FerrissNo matter your circumstances, storytelling and creativity are two 'meta-skills' that can take your business and life to the next level. Ed is a master. (Source)

Ezra KleinAn amazing, amazing book. (Source)

Julia EnthovenSince Kapwing is still a very young company, The Storyteller’s Secret helps me think about how I can communicate the origin story of Kapwing to our users and other people. I’m enjoying both! (Source)

Jennifer Gunter@SuetheLibrarian I suppose if you only have one great book in you Watership Down is knocking it out of the park! (Source)

Philip ReeveWatership Down is one of the most famous animal adventures ever written. It is a far stranger book than many people expect. (Source)

Philip ReeveWatership Down is one of the most famous animal adventures ever written. It is a far stranger book than many people expect. (Source)

Jacqui PrettyWhen it comes to fiction, there are so many to choose from! Some books I've loved in the past year include Circe by Madeline Miller. (Source)

Jason KottkeAnother contemporary reinterpretation of Greek mythology from the perspective of a woman. I’m 3/4s of the way through Circe right now and I might like it even more than The Odyssey. (Source)

Chris AndersonIn Apollo week, a great book recommendation: this more than a story of a computer--it's about the first shot in the man vs machine battles (should astronauts be pilots or "spam in a can"?) that foreshadowed today's debates about drones & self driving cars https://t.co/CidYughKHz (Source)

Chris AndersonIn Apollo week, a great book recommendation: this more than a story of a computer--it's about the first shot in the man vs machine battles (should astronauts be pilots or "spam in a can"?) that foreshadowed today's debates about drones & self driving cars https://t.co/CidYughKHz (Source)

Chris AndersonIn Apollo week, a great book recommendation: this more than a story of a computer--it's about the first shot in the man vs machine battles (should astronauts be pilots or "spam in a can"?) that foreshadowed today's debates about drones & self driving cars https://t.co/CidYughKHz (Source)

Emma Wedekind@yannln I love that book! (Source)

Shaen YeoIn the book Talk like TED, there were a few suggestions on how to make my speech better. I tweaked the way I speak using the advice, and produced a speech like never before. I had many people coming up to shake my hands and offer me name cards! (Source)

Radu MarcusuA book that most recently made a difference for me was Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds. My IMWorld speech this year benefited tremendously from Carmine Gallo's framing of the nine secrets of all time successful TED presentations. I believe Gallo's step-by-step method makes it possible for anyone to sell their ideas persuasively when delivering a presentation.... (Source)

Uta FrithI think of this as a story about our genetic endowment at birth. We are all dealt out gifts of good genes and also some not so good ones. (Source)

Richard BransonToday is World Book Day, a wonderful opportunity to address this #ChallengeRichard sent in by Mike Gonzalez of New Jersey: Make a list of your top 65 books to read in a lifetime. (Source)

Barack ObamaDuring a trip to a public library in Washington’s Anacostia neighborhood in 2015, Obama shared some of his childhood favorites with a group of young students. He also read (and acted out) Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak to kids at the White House in 2014. (Source)

Martha StewartIn this photo, Jimmy Fallon and I enjoy slurping Eggs of Newt together for Season-5 of “The Martha Stewart Show." I am dressed as "Queen of the Wild Things" inspired by the beloved Maurice Sendak children's book, "Where the Wild Things Are." https://t.co/1ZBqXEW7dC (Source)

Hannah FryThis is the intro to The Science of Storytelling by @wstorr. Easily the best book I've read this year. https://t.co/WzpSWlzVGi https://t.co/RX9kdQANeB (Source)

Adam RutherfordTomorrow night at @WaterstonesTCR I’ll be in conversation with @wstorr about his brilliant book The Science of Storytelling - a book that has made me change how I write. Come. https://t.co/mbQpHfwysV (Source)

Mark MansonI read a bunch of books on writing before I wrote my first book and the two that stuck with me were Stephen King’s book and “On Writing Well” by Zinsser (which is a bit on the technical side). I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Big Magic.” (Source)

Chelsea FrankI read everything with an open mind, often challenging myself by choosing books with an odd perspective or religious/spiritual views. These books do not reflect my personal feelings but are books that helped shape my perspective on life, love, and happiness. (Source)

Kate RaworthI became aware of all the metaphors embedded in the way I speak and, therefore, the way I think about what is and what isn’t possible. (Source)

Marion TurnerEach individual tale can be interpreted in so many ways—Chaucer really opens up possibilities of multiple interpretations. Even when he seems to give you a clear moral, that moral is never effective or convincing. He’s always saying: ‘Find your own moral; find your own meaning.’ (Source)

Scott Turowit’s just a superb novel, full of really beautiful characterizations – the reporter who’s covering this trial, and his elderly lawyer who’s defending the case is quite a remarkable character. (Source)

Bryan CallenSo here are my three must read books. I've been reading a lot of great books like: Outsmart Your Instincts, The Culture Code, and Antonio Damasio’s The Strange Order, and sometimes when you read a lot of nonfiction it’s very enriching, sometimes you need a novel. I really believe you should take a minute and read something beautiful. Listen, listen to Lolita by Nabokov. But also listen to Blood... (Source)

Chelsea FrankI read everything with an open mind, often challenging myself by choosing books with an odd perspective or religious/spiritual views. These books do not reflect my personal feelings but are books that helped shape my perspective on life, love, and happiness. (Source)

AnneMarie SchindlerI just started Rising Strong by Brene Brown. I'm turning 35 this year, and emotional intelligence isn't something that comes naturally to me. Brown's previous books have always pushed me into a space that's uncomfortable and rewarding. As a wife, parent, and entrepreneur, I'm expecting the book to help uncover some blind spots in each of those roles. (Source)

Shaen YeoNon-business - Rising Strong, because it is so real, vulnerable AND full of wise nuggets which inspire me to be resilient in my life. (Source)