Top 10 Books Every Product Manager Should Read in 2025

1. Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

By Marty Cagan

Marty Cagan’s Inspired is widely regarded as the definitive guide for modern product managers. With decades of experience at companies like eBay, AOL, and Netscape, Cagan distills the best practices of Silicon Valley’s most successful product teams. The book is packed with real-world stories, actionable frameworks, and hard-earned wisdom.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of strong product teams and empowered engineers.
• How to discover products that are valuable, usable, and feasible.
• Why vision, strategy, and execution must be tightly aligned.

Inspired is not just theory—it’s a practical playbook. Cagan’s advice on establishing a strong product culture, prioritizing user needs, and iterating quickly is invaluable for PMs at any stage.

2. The Lean Startup

By Eric Ries

Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup revolutionized how entrepreneurs and PMs approach product development. The central concept—the “build-measure-learn” feedback loop—emphasizes rapid experimentation, validated learning, and customer-centric innovation.

Key Takeaways:

• How to identify assumptions and test them quickly with MVPs (Minimum Viable Products).
• The importance of measuring what matters, not vanity metrics.
• Pivoting versus persevering: knowing when to change course.

In 2025, with technology cycles accelerating, the Lean Startup methodology is more relevant than ever. PMs who master these principles can reduce waste, speed up innovation, and build products that truly solve customer problems.

3. Continuous Discovery Habits

By Teresa Torres

Teresa Torres is a leading voice in modern product discovery. In Continuous Discovery Habits, she provides a step-by-step guide to making customer discovery a regular, sustainable habit for product teams. Torres introduces practical tools like the Opportunity Solution Tree and the concept of the Product Trio (PM, designer, engineer) working together on discovery.

Key Takeaways:

• How to conduct effective customer interviews and synthesize insights.
• The value of continuous, small-batch experiments over sporadic big launches.
• Building a culture where discovery is as important as delivery.

Torres’ approach is especially important in 2025, as customer needs change rapidly and competition intensifies. Continuous discovery helps PMs stay close to users and deliver products that truly resonate.

4. The Lean Product Playbook

By Dan Olsen

Dan Olsen’s The Lean Product Playbook is a practical, hands-on guide for achieving product-market fit. Olsen breaks down the process into clear, actionable steps, from identifying target customers to building and testing MVPs.

Key Takeaways:

• How to use the Product-Market Fit Pyramid to align your team.
• Techniques for effective customer segmentation and problem validation.
• Iterative prototyping and testing to refine your value proposition.

This book is ideal for PMs who want a structured approach to building successful products, especially in fast-moving markets where agility is key.

5. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

By Nir Eyal

Why do some products become daily habits while others fade away? Nir Eyal’s Hooked explores the psychology behind habit-forming technology. The “Hook Model” outlines four key steps—Trigger, Action, Variable Reward, and Investment—that drive user engagement and retention.

Key Takeaways:

• How to design triggers that prompt user action.
• The role of variable rewards in creating addictive experiences.
• Encouraging user investment to increase long-term engagement.

In an age of digital distractions, building products that users return to again and again is a competitive advantage. Hooked offers ethical frameworks and practical techniques for creating products that become part of users’ routines.

6. Escaping the Build Trap

By Melissa Perri

Melissa Perri’s Escaping the Build Trap is a wake-up call for PMs stuck in a cycle of shipping features without delivering real value. Perri argues that true product success comes from focusing on outcomes, not just outputs.

Key Takeaways:

• Why organizations fall into the “build trap” and how to escape it.
• The importance of aligning product strategy with business goals.
• Tools for measuring impact and driving meaningful change.

This book is essential for PMs and leaders who want to create a culture of experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement.

7. Well-Designed: How to Use Empathy to Create Products People Love

By Jon Kolko

Well-Designed is a must-read for PMs who want to create products that truly connect with users. Jon Kolko, a renowned design thinker, emphasizes the role of empathy in product development. He demonstrates how understanding the emotional and psychological needs of users leads to more meaningful and successful products.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of empathy and storytelling in product design.
• How to integrate design thinking into your product development process.
• Practical frameworks for uncovering user needs and translating them into actionable insights.

Kolko’s book is especially relevant in 2025, as products increasingly compete on experience and emotional resonance, not just features. PMs who master empathy-driven design will stand out in any industry.

8. Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making

By Tony Fadell

Tony Fadell, the creator of the iPod and Nest, shares candid lessons from his storied career in Build. This book is part memoir, part manual, and packed with unconventional wisdom on product development, leadership, and innovation.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of curiosity, resilience, and vision in product management.
• How to navigate setbacks, office politics, and rapid change.
• Real-world stories of building iconic products from scratch.

Fadell’s advice is refreshingly honest and deeply practical, making Build a source of inspiration for PMs facing tough challenges or seeking to make a lasting impact.

9. Crossing the Chasm

By Geoffrey A. Moore

Crossing the Chasm is a classic that remains highly relevant in 2025, especially for PMs working with disruptive or innovative products. Moore explains the technology adoption lifecycle and the critical challenge of moving from early adopters to the mainstream market.

Key Takeaways:

• The “chasm” between early adopters and the early majority—and how to bridge it.
• Strategies for positioning, targeting, and scaling new products.
• The importance of focusing on a specific niche before expanding.

For PMs in tech, SaaS, or any field where innovation is key, understanding how to cross the chasm is essential for achieving mass-market success.

10. The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity

By Alan Cooper

Alan Cooper’s The Inmates Are Running the Asylum is a foundational text in the field of user experience and interaction design. Cooper, often called the “Father of Visual Basic,” makes a compelling case for why technology products often frustrate users—and how to fix them.

Key Takeaways:

• The dangers of letting engineers and technologists alone dictate product design.
• The critical role of personas in understanding user needs and behaviors.
• How to advocate for usability and user-centered design in product development.

This book is a must-read for PMs who want to champion the voice of the user and create intuitive, delightful products. As technology becomes more complex, Cooper’s call for sanity in product design is more relevant than ever.

Honorable Mentions

While the top 10 books above are essential, there are a few more worth mentioning for those who want to dive even deeper:

• Product Management’s Sacred Seven by Parth Detroja, Neel Mehta, and Aditya Agashe: Interviews and insights from top PMs worldwide, covering the seven core skills every PM needs.
• The Official Scrum Guide by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland: The foundational text for Agile and Scrum practitioners, critical for PMs working in iterative environments.
• The Product Manager’s Survival Guide by Steven Haines: A practical blueprint for PMs at all levels, especially those new to the role.

How to Get the Most from These Books

Reading these books is just the first step. To truly benefit, consider the following strategies:

1. Apply What You Learn: After finishing each book, identify one or two key takeaways and experiment with them in your daily work. For example, try running a customer interview using Teresa Torres’ techniques, or map out your product’s adoption curve with Moore’s framework.
2. Discuss with Peers: Join a local or online product management book club. Discussing insights with peers can deepen your understanding and expose you to new perspectives.
3. Teach Others: One of the best ways to internalize new knowledge is to teach it. Share summaries, host lunch-and-learns, or mentor junior PMs using the frameworks and lessons you’ve picked up.
4. Revisit Regularly: The world of product management evolves quickly. Revisit these books periodically to refresh your knowledge and see how your understanding has grown.

Why Reading Matters for Product Managers in 2025

The role of the Product Manager is more challenging—and more exciting—than ever. PMs are expected to be strategic thinkers, empathetic leaders, technical collaborators, and customer advocates. The books on this list will help you:

• Stay ahead of industry trends: Understand the latest methodologies, frameworks, and technologies shaping the future of product management.
• Solve real-world problems: Learn from the successes and failures of leading companies and practitioners.
• Inspire your teams: Bring fresh ideas and proven strategies to your organization.
• Advance your career: Build a foundation of knowledge that sets you apart in a competitive field.

Conclusion

Product management is a journey of continuous learning and growth. The best PMs are those who never stop seeking new ideas, challenging their assumptions, and striving to build products that make a difference. The ten books highlighted here are more than just reading material—they’re roadmaps for becoming a more effective, innovative, and impactful Product Manager in 2025 and beyond.

So, pick up a book, dive in, and start transforming the way you build products. Your customers—and your career—will thank you. Happy reading!