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Most designers struggle with pricing
not because they lack skill,
but because they lack clarity, confidence, and strategy.
Here’s the truth:
Pricing isn’t math.
Pricing is psychology, communication, and positioning.
If you want to charge better, you have to think better.
And these 8 books will completely shift the way you approach value, money, and negotiation.
Let’s break them down one by one
1. Sales Pitch — April Dunford
A modern classic for understanding positioning and value storytelling.
This book shows you how to explain why you’re the best option without sounding salesy.
Clients won’t pay premium rates unless they understand your difference.
This book teaches you how to articulate that difference clearly and confidently.
If you want higher prices, improve how you tell your story.
2. The Win Without Pitching Manifesto — Blair Enns
This book is a mindset reset for every creative professional.
Blair Enns teaches you how to escape the cycle of free work, endless pitching, and pricing fear.
To charge more, you must stop acting like a vendor and start acting like an advisor.
Experts don’t audition. They lead.
3. Influence — Robert Cialdini
A foundational book on psychology, persuasion, and decision-making.
Cialdini explains why people say “yes,” and how to ethically influence decisions.
Pricing is emotional.
If you understand human triggers (authority, scarcity, reciprocity), you price smarter.
People buy with emotion, justify with logic.
4. Never Split the Difference — Chris Voss
Written by an FBI negotiator, this book is a masterclass in negotiation, anchoring, and objection handling.
Clients will negotiate.
Your ability to stay confident, calm, and strategic determines your income.
“No” is not rejection it’s information.
5. Price Yourself Right — Mark Wickersham
A practical guide on how to set your prices, charge what you're worth, and avoid underpricing.
It gives you actionable frameworks for setting rates that reflect your value, not your fear.
Cheap attracts cheap. Confident pricing attracts better clients.
6. Value-Based Fees — Alan Weiss
The holy grail of pricing for consultants and creatives.
This book teaches you how to charge for outcomes, not deliverables or hours.
If your work creates impact, your pricing should reflect impact not time spent.
Stop charging for effort. Charge for results.
7. The Psychology of Money — Morgan Housel
Not a pricing book but essential for understanding your internal money mindset.
Many designers undercharge because of limiting beliefs, fear, or scarcity thinking.
This book rewires that mindset.
Your relationship with money shapes your pricing more than you think.
8. The Business of Expertise — David C. Baker
A must-read for anyone who wants to build authority, specialize, and charge premium prices.
Specialists get paid more, faster.
This book shows you how to position yourself as one.
The market rewards clarity.
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Pricing isn’t just about numbers
it’s about value, mindset, positioning, and communication.
These 8 books will help you think like a strategist, act like an expert,
and charge like someone who knows their worth.
Because your price isn't just a number
it's a message about your confidence.
Reply to this newsletter and tell us which book you’re picking up first.
Or reach out if you need help pricing your services or building a value-driven offer.
Let’s grow your confidence.
Let’s raise your prices.
Let’s Kriate.
