The Initial List

This is looking like a beast of a post already so I won't add too much to it. After an initial blast of digging here's my starting longlist of 50-odd titles. 

My highly unscientific sources - besides the contents of my own head - are; a series of emails and tweets from a number of wonderful people (Michael Bhaskar, Suw Charman-Anderson, Matt Clacher, Dan Franklin, Will Hammond, Eric Huang, Rebecca Smart, Kieron Smith and George Walkley); the bibliography of Nicholas Lovell's The Curve and a very enjoyable half hour wandering around Foyles. 

This isn't intended as anything like a complete list, in fact I've added a couple of titles that came to mind in the process of drafting this post, so please keep sending suggestions. I'm particularly keen to hear some suggestions of books about successful self-publishing and any recommendations from authors.

I'll aim to get the first batch of reading done and the first proper post up by the end of next week.

The List

Velocity: The Seven New Laws for a World Gone Digital – Ajaz Ahmed and Stefan Olander

The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More– Chris Anderson

The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves  – W. Brian Arthur

Stet: An Editor’s Life – Diana Athill
A Life with Books - Julian Barnes
Contagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Age - Jonah Berger

The Content Machine: Towards a Theory of Publishing from the Printing Press to the Digital Network – Michael Bhaskar

One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com – Richard L. Brandt

Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes - William Bridges

Inside Project Redstripe: Incubating Innovation and Teamwork at the Economist - Andrew Carey

The Glass Cage: Automation and Us – Nicholas Carr
Creativity Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration – Ed Catmull

Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media by Noam Chomsky and Edward S Herman 

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – Robert Cialdini

The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail - Clayton Christensen
The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth - Clayton Christensen
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – Robert Cialdini

The World Outside Your Head – Matthew Crawford

This is Not the End of the Book: A conversation curated by Jean-Philippe de Tonnac - Umberto Eco and Jean-Claude Carriere

The Business of Enlightenment: Publishing History of the "Encyclopedie", 1775-1800       - Robert Darnton

Understanding Fandom: An Introduction to the Study of Media Fan Culture – Mark Duffett

Blockbusters: Why Big Hits - and Big Risks - are the Future of the Entertainment Business – Anita Elberse

Tribes – Seth Godin

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants - Malcolm Gladwell
Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure - Tim Harford

The Blind Giant: How to Survive in the Digital Age - Nick Harkaway

Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator – Ryan Holiday

Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing and Advertising - Ryan Holiday

Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography – Walter Isaacson

Where Good Ideas Come From: The Seven Patterns of Innovation – Steven Johnson

The Amazon Economy (FT Edits) – Barney Jopson

The Truth About Bookselling - Thomas Joy  

You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto – Jaron Lanier

Free Ride: How the Internet is Destroying the Culture Business and How it Can Fight Back - Robert Levine

Penguin Special: The Story of Allen Lane – Jeremy Lewis

The Curve: Turning Followers into Superfans – Nicholas Lovell

Unbound - Marshall McLuhan

Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption - Laura J Miller

Strategy Safari: The Complete Guide Through the Wilds of Strategic Management - Henry Mintzberg , Prof Bruce Ahlstrand, Joseph B. Lampel

The Net Delusion: How Not to Liberate The World – Evgeny Morozov

What is the Business of Literature? - Richard Nash

Politics and the English Language - George Orwell 

The Ascent of Media: From Gilgamesh To Google via Gutenburg – Roger Parry

Get up to Speed with Online Marketing: How to Use Websites, Blogs, Social Networking and More to Promote Your Business - Jon Reed

The Lean Startup: How Constant Innovation Creates Radically Successful Businesses – Eric Ries

Winning the Story Wars: Why Those Who Tell and Live the Best Stories Will Rule the Future – Jonah Sachs

The Business of Books: How International Conglomerates Took Over Publishing and Changed the Way We Read - Andre Schiffrin

The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business – Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen

Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age – Clary Shirky

The Signal and the Noise: The Art and Science of Prediction - Nate Silver

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon - Brad Stone

Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century – John B. Thompson

Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping - Paco Underhill 

The Future of the Internet: And How to Stop It - Jonathan Zittrain