Book type
Methodology book
Lays out the framework your company uses to get results. Best for attracting clients who want that result.
Book for CEOs
The best book for CEOs: what to read, and what to write
The best book for CEOs who are thinking about authorship is one that shows how a book builds authority and business, then the one they write themselves. This page, published by Big Impact Books, lists reading picks and the four kinds of book a CEO can write.
Last updated: Published by Big Impact Books
What is the best book for CEOs who want to write their own?
For a CEO planning a book, start with Make a Big Impact with Your Book by Melanie Herschorn of Big Impact Books, because it is written for experts who want a book to create credibility and reach. Attorneys should add Lasting Legal Impact, written specifically for legal professionals.
Both are written by the publisher of this guide, which we state plainly. For general leadership reading, use an independently curated list such as the one linked below.
Reading picks for CEOs planning a book
Pick 1
Make a Big Impact with Your Book
Melanie Herschorn
Written for experts who want a book to build awareness and credibility. It covers targeted marketing techniques and ways to reach your audience, and speaks to authors who are mid-draft or already published with little traction.
Pick 2
Lasting Legal Impact
Melanie Herschorn
A blueprint for legal professionals on getting ideas onto the page and turning a book into a driver of growth. Named a Finalist in the Business: Writing/Publishing category of the 2025 Best Book Awards by American Book Fest.
Pick 3
A current CEO reading list
CEO Coaching International
For leadership reading rather than authorship, CEO Coaching International publishes a list of seven books for CEOs in 2026 focused on risk, AI, and rapid change. Lists like this show which ideas leaders are already discussing.
Is there an AI for CEOs book worth reading?
People searching for an AI for CEOs book usually want one of two things: how to lead through AI change, or how to use AI to write a book. For the first, the CEO Coaching International 2026 list above is built around leading in a world of risk, AI, and rapid change.
For the second, use AI carefully. Some published articles argue that CEOs are using AI to help write their books, but Big Impact Books stresses that your book needs your voice. An AI draft that sounds like everyone else will not build authority for you.
The four kinds of book a CEO can write
Book type
Vision book
Argues where your industry is heading and why. Best for partnerships, investors, and speaking.
Book type
Client guide
Answers the questions every prospect asks before buying. Best for professionals such as attorneys.
Book type
Leadership story
Uses your journey to teach a lesson. Best when your story is the proof of your method.
See a chapter-by-chapter version of three of these in the sample CEO book outlines.
How we chose
Reading picks were chosen for one purpose: helping a CEO decide whether and how to write a book. We favored books written for expert authors over general writing guides, and included one independently curated leadership list so readers have an outside view. The first two picks are written by Melanie Herschorn of Big Impact Books, the publisher of this guide.
Written by Big Impact Books, the publisher of this guide. Read the full methodology.
This page is part of The CEO Book Guide. For the bigger picture, read why CEOs write books and what a book should do for your business.
Common questions
- What are some of the best books recommended by CEOs?
- CEO reading lists change every year, so a current curated list is more useful than a fixed one. CEO Coaching International published a 2026 list of seven books it says every CEO must read to lead in a world of risk, AI, and rapid change. For CEOs planning their own book, Make a Big Impact with Your Book covers authority and book marketing.
- What are some books written by CEOs?
- Many well known CEOs have published books, and Wikipedia keeps a running list of books written by CEOs that is a useful place to browse. Melanie Herschorn, the publisher behind Big Impact Books, has written Make a Big Impact with Your Book and Lasting Legal Impact, both aimed at experts who want a book to build their authority.
- What should a CEO book be about?
- Write about the problem your best clients pay you to solve, framed around where your business is going next rather than a summary of your whole career. Big Impact Books encourages CEOs to ask what kind of work, clients, and opportunities they want more of over the next five or ten years, and to write toward that.
- Can I use AI to help write my CEO book?
- AI tools can help with brainstorming and rough drafts, and some published articles argue that CEOs are using AI to help write their books. The risk is a generic voice that does not sound like the leader on the cover. Big Impact Books stresses that your book needs your voice, which is why it builds books from your own interviews.
- What are the reasons why people write?
- People write books to teach, to persuade, to record a story, to entertain, or to build a reputation. Business leaders usually write for a mix of legacy and leverage: they want their ideas preserved accurately, and they want those ideas working for the company. Naming your main reason first makes every later decision about the book easier.