Sam Hurley's Book Recommendations (Updated for 2025)

Want to know what books Sam Hurley recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Sam Hurley's favorite book recommendations of all time.

Tools of Titans

Timothy Ferriss, Arnold Schwarzenegger | 4.38

The latest groundbreaking book from Tim Ferriss, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek.

From the author:

“For the last two years, I’ve interviewed nearly two hundred world-class performers for my podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show. The guests range from super celebs (Jamie Foxx, Arnold Schwarzenegger, etc.) and athletes (icons of powerlifting, gymnastics, surfing, etc.) to legendary Special Operations commanders and black-market biochemists. For most of my guests, it’s the...

Recommended by Tony Robbins, James Altucher, Marvin Liao, and 29 others.

Tony RobbinsTim is a brilliant thinker. The way he approaches mastery is inspiring in many ways. His latest book is no exception. What I loved about Tools of Titans is that it distills key tactics, routines and habits of the ultra-successful in actionable ways that anyone can take advantage of. Highly recommended. Every chapter is a valuable lesson. (Source)

James AltucherIt only came out recently. I had so many questions about it that I flew to California and interviewed him about it for my podcast.It’s the collection of all the knowledge and wisdom he gained from the 100s of people he interviewed.I leave it out on my floor and read a page or two whenever I pass it.It’s already filled with 100s of my notes (see below). It’s maybe the one physical book I keep... (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)

Buy on Amazon

Ego is the Enemy

Ryan Holiday | 4.38

As in the Obstacle is the way, Ryan holiday delivers practical and inspiring philosophy, this time exploring a powerful concept that runs back centuries, across borders and schools of thought: Ego. Ego is our biggest enemy. Early in our careers, it can prevent us from learning and developing our talents. When we taste success, ego can blind us to our own faults, alienate us from others and lead to our downfall. In failure, ego is devastating and makes recovery all the more difficult. It is only by identifying our ego, speaking to its desires and systematically disarming it that we can create... more

Recommended by Charlamagne Tha God, Robert Greene, Jason Fried, and 26 others.

Charlamagne Tha GodThis is one of my favorite authors on the planet @ryanholiday one of his many books is titled “Ego Is The Enemy.” So if you want more from him on the subject of ego than what’s in this 60 second clip that’s the book… https://t.co/0QDe9V69KV (Source)

Robert GreeneInspiring yet practical... teaches us how to manage and tame this beast within us so that we can focus on what really matters - producing the best work possible. (Source)

Buy on Amazon

Social Media Mastery

A Comprehensive Guide to Strategic Growth

Rebekah Radice | 3.25

Recommended by Sam Hurley, and 1 others.

Social PR Secrets 2nd Edition

How to Optimize, Socialize, and Publicize Your Brand's News

Lisa Buyer | 4.20

New, Updated Second Edition!
It's a book, it's a hashtag, it's a movement. #SocialPRSecrets.
New chapters including: How to Optimize an Event for PR, Social PR Collaboration, Facebook PR Secrets, Twitter PR Secrets plus a Social PR Glossary. Social PR Secrets Second Edition also includes expanded content in each chapter featuring the Do's and Don'ts of NewsJacking, social ways to use press releases for publicity and modern day advice for media relations.

Social media and public relations [Social PR] are a powerful marketing match and potential good karma for a brand. Social media, PR and search engines work together and redefine how we communicate, deliver news, receive news, find information, and make decisions--whether it is our next vacation, investment, computer, doctor, lawyer, or hair salon.

Public Relations Optimization Made Simple
The public relations cycle is in a new era where company news is delivered outside of the traditional journalism ecosystem. Today's company news is social, mobile, visual, and optimized to best reach target markets. Social PR Secrets by Lisa Buyer, a digital public relations evangelist with a laser sharp focus on SEO and social media, offers practical and actionable ideas to apply Social PR success in this new media world including: inspirational doses of how brands can publish news actionable tips and how-tos on getting more publicity in mobile and social news streams real-time resources, tools, platforms, and applications to distribute and amplify your brand's news timing, frequency, and recipes to avoid Social PR disasters tips on jumping into trending news.

Take the PR Blinders Off
Social PR Secrets - the Second Edition underlines the new role organizations must take as brand journalists, content marketing publishers, visual news editors, and social PR community builders. For public relations and marketing pros looking for insights on how to connect the social media dots, Social PR Secrets shares a framework designed to advance knowledge and power-up a brand's publicity.

Who Should Buy This Book?
Are you a public relations student wondering what the real world in public relations is like? Or a PR executive ready to move from stone age press releases to modern social times? If you are an agency owner wondering where to begin with staff training, hand them a copy of Social PR Secrets.

Buyer offers CEOs, senior marketing pros, business owners, marketers, and agencies packaged insights to help identify and qualify current programs and access how social media and public relations can work together for a brand.

Lisa Buyer is a speaker, journalist, and educator on the trending topic of public relations and how it is influenced by social media and search engine optimization. She is a graduate of the University of Florida College of Journalism with more than 20 years experience as an agency owner. Today she teaches the social media management class for the University of Florida and owns The Buyer Group, a consultancy offering Social PR business training and consulting. Follow her @lisabuyer. less

Recommended by Sam Hurley, and 1 others.

Design the Life You Love

A Guide to Thinking About Your Life Playfully and with Optimism

Ayse Birsel | 3.84

A joyful, inspirational guide to building the life you've always dreamed of, using the principles and creative process of an award-winning product designer.

Life, just like a design problem, is full of constraints--time, money, age, location, and circumstances. You cannot have everything, and if you want more out of it, you have to be creative about how to make what you need and what you want co-exist. This requires design thinking. Design the Life You Love uses a simple but proven creative thinking and design process to give ordinary people new tools to think... more

Recommended by Sam Hurley, and 1 others.

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Sam Hurley's Top Book Recommendations

Tools of Titans

Ego is the Enemy

Social Media Mastery

Social PR Secrets 2nd Edition

Design the Life You Love

Don't have time to read Sam Hurley's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.