In 2025, the debate is settled: partnerships are no longer a side channel but a central pillar of go-to-market strategy, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with sales and marketing. This evolution prompted us to re-evaluate the landscape of available knowledge. While foundational books remain essential, we discovered a vibrant new ecosystem of strategic resources, including innovative new partnership frameworks, redefined partner marketing playbooks, and the holistic GTM frameworks which are essential to successful partnerships.
In this update, we also included a new section on affiliate marketing. What was once seen as a retail-centric tactic has rapidly expanded across industries—from SaaS to professional services. As buyers increasingly value content-rich, experience-driven journeys, affiliate marketing has adapted to deliver more targeted and credible touchpoints at every stage.
Another important development is the rise of partner tech stacks—particularly PRMs (Partner Relationship Management platforms). These tools are now critical for scaling partnerships effectively. From managing partner onboarding to tracking performance and automating engagement, a well-integrated PRM system enables companies to operate partnerships as predictably and strategically as any sales or marketing function.
Together, these changes reflect a broader industry shift toward ecosystem-led growth, where partnerships, content, and technology come together to drive sustainable, scalable success. So if you're looking to deepen your knowledge, check out our list of the top 15 must-read books for partner professionals.
1. "Building Successful Partner Channels: In the Software Industry" (2015) by Hans Peter Bech
Overview
The book emphasises that the choice between direct and indirect go-to-market approaches isn't arbitrary. It depends heavily on the specific nature of your business model and its operating environment. The book highlights that an indirect channel is most effective when it aligns seamlessly with your product offering and value proposition. To achieve global market leadership through indirect channels, businesses must develop and maintain a robust channel partner program. The book outlines the key components of such a program, including the essential channel partner P&L model. It emphasises that the partner program will evolve significantly as the business transitions from early-stage channel development to a mature stage, where most revenue is generated by existing partners.
The book explores the process of recruiting channel partners, noting that it shares similarities with hiring top-performing salespeople. However, unlike employees who are immediately compensated for their work, channel partners often need to make substantial investments before reaping the rewards of the partnership. The author recommends a strategy of recruiting a large pool of potential partners and then allowing them to demonstrate their capabilities. This approach enables businesses to classify partners based on their performance and tailor management strategies accordingly.
2. Coelevate: How to Unlock Business Growth and Consumer Value with Strategic Partnerships (2025) by Richard Ezekiel
Overview
Let's be real for a second, past the press releases and optimistic projections. Most business partnerships fail. The data is unforgiving: seven out of ten are gone in under two years. It’s the expensive, time-wasting secret everyone in business knows but nobody wants to admit.
COELEVATE directly confronts this reality. Author Richard Ezekiel provides the solution, delivering a proven framework designed to flip that statistic on its head. He cuts through the confusion and guesswork, offering a reliable system for building strategic alliances that deliver powerful, lasting results.
Praised by industry-defining leaders like Nolan Bushnell (Founder of Atari), Andy Dunn (Founder of Bonobos), and Shawn Layden (Former CEO of Sony Playstation), COELEVATE offers a clear blueprint for success. You will learn to apply the "Co-Elevate Method" to elevate your partnerships from simple transactions to truly game-changing collaborations.
And the experience doesn't end on the final page. The author is also launching innovative technology that allows you to interact with the book's concepts, bringing the framework to life and turning passive reading into active strategy.
Whether you lead a fast-growing startup or a Fortune 500 company, this guide will finally equip you to build the alliances that unlock sustainable growth and create your ultimate competitive advantage.
Read the interview with Richard Ezekiel, Author of "COELEVATE"
3. "Ecosystem-Led Growth: A Blueprint for Sales and Marketing Success Using the Power of Partnerships" (2022) by Bob Moore
Overview
What if the key to scaling your company wasn’t hidden in another marketing hack or sales script—but in the partnerships you already have?
Ecosystem-Led Growth offers a fresh, practical look at how today’s most successful companies are tapping into their partner networks to drive explosive growth. Written by seasoned entrepreneur and tech innovator Bob Moore, this guide shows how partnerships have evolved from casual networking to a strategic growth engine fuelled by data, collaboration, and shared value.
Inside, you'll explore how to:
- Use cutting-edge tools to access and act on partner data in real time
- Learn from companies that are turning ecosystem insights into real revenue
- Shift your sales and marketing mindset from solo to ecosystem-driven
- See how industry leaders are building high-growth, high-impact partnerships that scale
Whether you're leading sales, marketing, or partnerships, this book will show you how to turn alliances into a sustainable, scalable path to growth.
4. “The Book on Partnerships: How Startups Work With Partners To Sell More, Add Features, And Get Acquired”(2024) by Franz-Josef Schrepf
Overview
The Book on Partnerships is a practical guide that demystifies the world of partnerships and explains how they can give your startup a competitive edge. Drawing from extensive research and real-world examples, this book offers a clear and unbiased approach to partnerships. It's not a sales pitch for software or a costly course. Whether you're a founder, an entrepreneurial team member, or simply curious about partnerships, this book will equip you with the knowledge to:
- Develop a winning partnership strategy
- Identify ideal partners
- Boost sales
- Expand into global markets
- Navigate channel conflicts
- Forge strategic alliances with industry leaders
- Position your startup for acquisition
5.“Business Partnership Essentials: A Step-by-Step Action Plan for Succeeding in Business With a Partner” (2017) Dorene Lehavi
Overview
Business partnerships are a cornerstone of the US economy, yet their failure rate is alarmingly high, with 70% of them not reaching their full potential. Dr. Lehavi is at the forefront of efforts to address this issue. As a business partnership relationship coach, she deeply understands the profound impact that these partnerships have on cofounders, employees, customers, families, local communities, and even global markets. Business Partnership Essentials guides you through every stage of the partnership journey, from selecting the right partner and navigating daily operations to planning for exits and unexpected challenges. This book isn't about the financial aspects of starting a business, but rather focuses on establishing a strong foundation for your relationship with your business partner. By following Lehavi's guidance, you'll take proactive steps to increase your partnership's chances of success.
6. “The Art of Strategic Partnering: Dancing with Elephants” (2018) by Mark Sochan
Overview
The Art of Strategic Partnering is a practical guide that teaches you how to build and maintain successful strategic partnerships. Designed for entrepreneurial leaders and executives, this book reveals strategies for company growth and achieving groundbreaking results. Benefit from the insights of a seasoned Silicon Valley industry expert with over 150 successful strategic partnerships under their belt. The author shares captivating anecdotes from his business career, highlighting his extensive experience in strategic partnerships across various stages of company development. His impressive track record makes him uniquely qualified to write a guide on this subject. While the examples primarily focus on the tech sector, the insights are presented in a clear and relatable way, making them applicable to a wide range of industries.
7.“Sales and Marketing Channels: How to Build and Manage Distribution Strategy” (2018) by Julian Dent and Michael White
Overview
The landscape of business has undergone a seismic shift, with traditional routes to market disrupted by digital innovation and changing consumer behaviours. Products are evolving into services, online and offline channels are converging, and new distribution models are reshaping the industry. In light of these unprecedented upheavals, the third edition of Distribution Channels is reimagined as Sales and Marketing Channels, placing market access at the core of business and marketing strategy. This global bestseller offers a practical framework for analysing, planning, and managing profitable channels to market. By addressing emerging business models and buying behaviours, it empowers businesses to maximise the value of their channel partners throughout the go-to-market process.
The book provides a comprehensive overview of sales and marketing channels, tailored to a wide range of industries. Explore real-world examples such as Airbnb, Transferwise, Amazon, and ASOS to gain insights into successful market strategies. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or a budding entrepreneur, Sales and Marketing Channels is an indispensable resource for navigating the complexities of today's marketplace and building successful routes to market.
8. "The Partner-Powered Revenue Revolution: Transforming Partnerships into Profitable Efficient Growth Engines!" (2024) by Craig Booth
Overview
"The Partner-Powered Revenue Revolution" unveils a groundbreaking, end-to-end approach to partner-led sales designed to double your revenue at a fraction of the cost of traditional channel strategies. Tailored for Chief Revenue Officers and partner ecosystem leaders, this guide offers a strategic framework for building scalable and efficient revenue growth through partnerships.
The book introduces five essential innovations that today’s channel organisations need to adopt in order to move toward a modern, structured performance model. Central to this is the MP3 framework—a system that reimagines partner sales as a streamlined production process, incorporating clear inputs, repeatable sales creation steps, and built-in controls to ensure consistent, high-quality results.
Readers will gain access to advanced revenue planning tools, strategic account and territory models, intelligent execution processes, AI-driven outreach strategies, digital selling techniques, and more. These tools are all part of a practical playbook for putting the MP3 system into action.
For organisations seeking to optimise partner revenue, boost ROI, and maintain competitive relevance, this book is a must-read. It highlights how data-centric, structured partner models will become the industry standard within the next five years.
9. “Partnernomics: The Art, Science, and Processes of Developing Successful Strategic Partnerships” (2017) by Mark Brigman
Overview
"Partnernomics”, the blueprint for building and leading successful partnerships" offers a groundbreaking perspective on the transformative power of strategic partnerships in today's business landscape. Beyond simply highlighting the benefits of these relationships, this book provides a clear framework for managing and leading partnerships to success. "Partnernomics stands out as a pioneering work, offering a unique and interactive learning experience. The book incorporates QR codes and URLs that link to supplementary videos and resources, enhancing the reader's engagement and understanding. Successful partnerships can be a catalyst for exponential growth. "Partnernomics presents a well-researched toolkit for developing and nurturing strategic business relationships. Dr. Brigman's extensive research, coupled with his C-level experience and Fortune 100 background, adds significant value to this essential guide.
By challenging conventional zero-sum thinking, Brigman encourages readers to embrace a more strategic approach to partnerships, emphasising trust, esprit de corps, and the Partnership Pyramid. This fresh and engaging book offers valuable insights for recalibrating traditional business relationship strategies and thriving in today's rapidly evolving business environment.
10. “The Strategic Alliances Fieldbook: The Art of Agile Alliances” (2022) by Gavin Booth, Mike Nevin and Jim Whitehurst
Overview
"The Strategic Alliances Fieldbook: The Art of Agile Alliances" is a valuable resource for technology and professional services practitioners and executives seeking to accelerate the value derived from their partnerships. As traditional alliances evolve rapidly in form and tempo, this book offers a comprehensive guide to navigating the complexities of modern partnerships. The global COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the urgency and investment in digital transformation for many companies, including those in technology and professional services. Drawing on a century of combined experience leading joint businesses, the authors of "The Strategic Alliances Fieldbook" provide a roadmap for achieving faster results and avoiding common pitfalls in alliances.
The book offers a detailed analysis of professional services and technology companies, exploring the unique cultural and operational dynamics that shape their partnerships. It also provides a "Blueprint," a collection of 15 practical templates that can be applied to accelerate any alliance. Additionally, 19 case studies illustrate real-world scenarios, providing valuable insights for executives involved in partnership initiatives.
11. The Partnership Economy: How Modern Businesses Find New Customers, Grow Revenue, and Deliver Exceptional Experiences by David A. Yovanno
Overview
In his new book, The Partnership Economy, David A. Yovanno, CEO of impact.com and a leading expert in partnership automation, offers a definitive playbook for this new era. He provides a clear, strategic guide to help you harness modern partnerships and drive unprecedented revenue growth for your company.
Drawing on success stories from industry leaders like Target, Walmart, Fabletics, and Ticketmaster, the book presents applicable models for capitalizing on today's partnership opportunities. Yovanno explains how to cultivate brand recognition, strengthen customer loyalty, and secure a lasting competitive edge. He demonstrates that the true potential is realized when various partnership channels—including influencer marketing, commerce content, B2B integrations, and affiliate networks—are managed as a cohesive, integrated strategy.
This book will teach you to:
- Understand why forward-thinking companies are generating as much as one-third of their total revenue through sophisticated partnership programs.
- Distinguish between different partnership models, such as influencers, content creators, and traditional affiliates, and learn how to leverage each for maximum impact.
- Implement a partnership strategy immediately, whether with an in-house team or an agency, using a step-by-step launch plan and growth roadmap.
- Evaluate the maturity of your current program and learn how to scale and diversify your efforts to achieve your organization's full growth potential.
The Partnership Economy is an essential resource for founders, C-suite executives, and any professional focused on revenue generation. It provides the crucial insights needed to expand your business in today's interconnected market.
12. "Revenue Architecture" (2023) by Jacco van der Kooij
Overview
Revenue Architecture isn’t just another business book—it’s a practical playbook built specifically for companies that rely on recurring revenue. Written by Jacco van der Kooij, the founder of the B2B consultancy Winning by Design, this textbook lays out the same frameworks and systems top revenue leaders use to align their go-to-market teams and build efficient, long-term growth.
A lot of revenue leaders today are stuck chasing quarterly goals with strategies that just aren’t built to last. The real problem? Their go-to-market efforts are often stitched together with disconnected tools, misaligned teams, and processes that don’t scale.
This book changes that.
Inside, you’ll find over 250 visuals—diagrams, tables, blueprints—all crafted with recurring revenue in mind. It’s a hands-on guide to turning your GTM team into a well-oiled “revenue factory” that drives growth, reduces inefficiencies, and improves your product along the way.
Here’s what you’ll get:
- Scientific foundation rooted in first principles, real-world data, and systems thinking
- Growth design models that show you how to scale recurring revenue in a smart, sustainable way
- A proven operating model that brings structure and focus to every part of your revenue engine
Whether you’re leading Sales, Marketing, or Customer Success—or you're a founder trying to pull it all together—Revenue Architecture will help you rethink how to grow in today’s fast-changing market. It’s not a book you read once and shelve; it’s the kind you keep close and reference as your business evolves.
13. "The Complete Guide to Partnership Marketing: How to Create Successful Marketing Collaborations" (2018) by James Cristal
Overview
Partnership marketing has quickly become one of the most powerful and fast-growing strategies in today’s business world—and for good reason. When done right, collaboration doesn’t just expand your reach; it sparks innovation, builds trust, and drives real growth. The Complete Guide to Partnership Marketing breaks down everything you need to know to launch and scale successful partnership campaigns from the ground up.
Inside, you’ll explore the ten key types of partnerships, how to identify and connect with the right partners, and how to build campaigns that actually stand out in a crowded market. This guide doesn’t just talk theory—it’s packed with real examples from brands like Apple, Spotify, Netflix, and Uber to show you exactly how it’s done.
Whether you’re new to partnership marketing or looking to take your existing efforts to the next level, this book gives you a clear, step-by-step roadmap. It’s built for both beginners and seasoned marketers alike.
14. "Marketing Multiplied: A real-world guide to Channel Marketing for beginners, practitioners, and executive" (2018) by Mike Moore and Peter A Thomas
Overview
Marketing Multiplied is your all-in-one guide to making channel marketing actually work in today’s world. Drawing on over four decades of combined experience, Mike Moore and Peter Thomas walk you through what it really takes to engage partners, build effective programs, hire the right people, and create content that actually drives results. They even dig into how to design incentives that truly motivate your partners to deliver.
Traditional channel marketing hasn’t kept up with the times. The old tactics just don’t match how buyers make decisions anymore. This book helps you throw out the random, one-off efforts and replace them with a modern, structured approach that aligns with the way your audience wants to buy.
Moore and Thomas lay out a practical, no-fluff framework backed by real examples from the field. You’ll learn how to break the channel down to its core components and rebuild it as a cohesive strategy that gets results—and earns buy-in from your team and leadership along the way.
Whether you’re just getting started in channel marketing or you’ve been in the trenches for years, Marketing Multiplied offers the insights and tools you need to push past the noise and turn your channel into a real growth engine.
15. "The essentials of successful affiliate marketing: a step-by-step guide to choose a profitable niche, increase traffic, boost conversions, and establish credibility with your audience" (2025) by Prestige Pofit Partners
Overview
Thinking about jumping into the world of affiliate marketing but not sure where to begin? Maybe you’ve already given it a shot, but struggled to make it work or earn steady income. Or perhaps you’re dreaming of building a flexible online business that brings in solid profits—without needing a huge upfront investment.
If any of that sounds familiar, you're in the right spot. Here’s the truth: affiliate marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. Sure, it takes effort and the right strategy, but with the right roadmap, the path to success is way more accessible than it seems.
This practical, step-by-step guide is here to help you:
- Start your affiliate marketing journey with a clear and actionable plan—designed to take you from beginner to confident pro in a matter of months
- Choose a niche that fits your interests and experience—and has real profit potential
- Create content that naturally draws in traffic, without relying on paid ads
- Learn the most effective ways to turn visitors into loyal customers and build trust with your audience
- Master SEO basics so your content ranks well and drives steady, free traffic from search engines
- Get smart about choosing and promoting products that truly resonate with your audience
- Avoid common mistakes that hold many beginners back
- Discover which affiliate programs are worth your time and effort
- Tap into email marketing strategies that actually convert—complete with tips on subject lines, calls to action, and more
- Use social media the right way to expand your reach and grow your brand
- Understand how to market ethically and build a sustainable business that lasts
- Get inspired by real-world success stories and takeaways from people who’ve already built thriving affiliate businesses
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to level up, this guide is packed with actionable advice, practical tools, and honest insights to help you build a profitable affiliate marketing business—without the fluff.
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Author's comments: This article was originally published in October 2024 and updated in August 2025 spotlighting the dynamic evolution of partnerships in modern business strategy. Since our last update, the landscape around partner marketing and go-to-market (GTM) execution has continued to shift in meaningful ways.