I'm my books, "The STAR Framework" and "The STAR Operating System", I've added a TL;DR section specifically for people who struggle with time or attention. It's an approach that allows people to read what each chapter is about and maybe dive in at a later time.
I love a marketing book. Haven't read it in years but really enjoyed Oversubscribed when I did read it (might be woefully outdated now, but was good at the time.) The Seth Godin one sounds interesting (they all do, but that one stands out to me!)
I’m surprised you did not add “How Brands Grow” which is probably the most important book for marketing in CPG at the moment and has influenced how the Unilevers, P&G, Mars and all the big players operate.
Tom, this is a great list. I can only imagine how tough it was to narrow everything down to 10 books. And I'm a little sad that Made to Stick, by the Heath brothers, didn't make the top 10!
Solid take on the broadcast vs viral distinction in Hit Makers. Most people still think spreading happens organically through networks when really its just one giant distribution node sharing first. The bullseye framework from Traction is underatted too, stops people from wasting budget on every channel at once. Love how these picks actually skip the fluff and get striaght to frameworks you can run tomorrow.
Your post is like a secret hack. Thanks for sharing!
I am really struggling with my attention span, which currently allows me only to read your newsletters. My goal is to reread books. So help me ;)
I would love to have some of these on my reading list for 2026!
I'm my books, "The STAR Framework" and "The STAR Operating System", I've added a TL;DR section specifically for people who struggle with time or attention. It's an approach that allows people to read what each chapter is about and maybe dive in at a later time.
Thanks for the shoutout on the Cash Copy book recco, Tom. FYI the profile link was to the wrong profile - https://substack.com/@macbeast
Sorry! Fixing.
Great post Tom. Very usefull. If I don’t win I think I’ll buy anyway a couple of the titles you list 😉
I love a marketing book. Haven't read it in years but really enjoyed Oversubscribed when I did read it (might be woefully outdated now, but was good at the time.) The Seth Godin one sounds interesting (they all do, but that one stands out to me!)
I’m surprised you did not add “How Brands Grow” which is probably the most important book for marketing in CPG at the moment and has influenced how the Unilevers, P&G, Mars and all the big players operate.
Hi Tom, sorry if I missed it, but did you announce the winners ?
Best regards
Great list, Tom! There are a few there I hand’t heard of. Thank you!
What about classics - Ogilvy?
I wondered about Seth Godin's book but with your rec I'll read it!
Have you read Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins?
Some faves, and some new names for my TBR list. Thanks for sharing!
Tom, this is a great list. I can only imagine how tough it was to narrow everything down to 10 books. And I'm a little sad that Made to Stick, by the Heath brothers, didn't make the top 10!
Seth Godin is probably like the famous ”1,000 fans”.
Solid take on the broadcast vs viral distinction in Hit Makers. Most people still think spreading happens organically through networks when really its just one giant distribution node sharing first. The bullseye framework from Traction is underatted too, stops people from wasting budget on every channel at once. Love how these picks actually skip the fluff and get striaght to frameworks you can run tomorrow.
Can I send you a copy of my marketing book?
In fact, I'll send two, one to give away!!