Negotiation Literature

Here are three books that help their readers navigate the process of negotiating.

Getting to Yes, by Roger Fisher & William Ury. This book advocates finding win-win outcomes among participants. Description from Amazon:

Getting to Yes offers a proven, step-by-step strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict. Thoroughly updated and revised, it offers readers a straight-forward, universally applicable method for negotiating personal and professional disputes without getting angry-or getting taken.

Bargaining for Advantage, by Richard Shell. An Amazon review by David Landis had an interesting comment:

This is the best work on the topic of the information parties exchange as part of the negotiation process.

The Power of Nice, by Ronald Shapiro. In this book, Shapiro warns readers that winner-take-all negotiation may be effective at a given time, but the winner can subsequently miss out on opportunities for future business. Shapiro summarizes his process for negotiating:

Preparing better than the other side; probing so you know what they want and why; and proposing, ideally without going first and revealing too much.