Books for personal assistants: Professional development in 2023

Whether you're new to the personal assistant profession or a seasoned veteran, being steeped in the profession is very important. You may have read our post about TV shows and movies about personal assistants, so here are some reading resources for you. 

Please be advised that these are NOT recommendations. They are a collection of books about personal assistants that are provided for you as a reference. We have NO affiliation to the authors, nor do we make a commission if you purchase any of the books. 

​Our experience about celebrity assistant books has been the following: Some are better than others, but even the bad ones have a gold nugget or two that can help you better understand the nuance of our PA industry. Happy reading! 

Dream Careers: The Tutorial for Finding Elite Personal Assistant Jobs

celebrity assistant book
This is the only free PA book on the list. Written by Brian Daniel, founder of The Celebrity Personal Assistant Network, it's the world's only interactive book about PAs. Brian gives us a glimpse into the fascinating world of working with celebrities, billionaires, and high-net-worth families by providing hundreds of interactive links to photos and videos that put you right in the action in the day of an elite PA.

Be the Ultimate Assistant: A celebrity assistant's secrets to working with any high-powered employer

how to be a celebrity PA
This book is available on Kindle and paperback. It's written by a celebrity personal assistant who worked for an Oscar winner for 30 years. It has 291 ratings on Amazon with a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Pricing starts as low as $2 for used copies. By far, this is the most popular book on Amazon in its category. 

Read the summary on Amazon 

The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook: A Best Practice Guide for All Secretaries, PAs, Office Managers and Executive Assistants

PA secretarial book
This book is available on Kindle, paperback and hardback. It's written by an award-winning PA. It has 112 ratings on Amazon with a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Pricing starts as low as $12. 

Read the summary on Amazon ​

How to be a PA: A practical guide to becoming a super-efficient Personal Assistant

Picture
This book is available on Kindle, paperback and hardback. It's written by an experienced assistant to a CEO. It has 82 ratings on Amazon with a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Pricing starts as low as $4. 

Read the summary on Amazon ​

Chore Whore: Adventures of a Celebrity Personal Assistant

be a personal assistant in Hollywood
This book is available on Kindle, paperback and hardback. Be advised that this is a fictionalized story of a personal assistant. It has 72 ratings on Amazon with a 4.0 out of 5 stars. Pricing starts as low as $6. 

Read the summary on Amazon ​

How to Become a Celebrity Assistant: Your Inside Source

assistant to HNW families
This book is available on Kindle only. This book is a real account of the author's experience working for Hollywood stars. It has 4 ratings on Amazon with a 5.0 out of 5 stars. Pricing starts as low as $5. 

Read the summary on Amazon ​

The Devil Wears Prada

assistant in fashion industry
This book is available on all formats. "The Devil Wears Prada" was written by the former assistant to fashion legend Anna Wintour, and it was also made into a hit movie. It has more than 2,000 ratings on Amazon with a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Pricing starts as low as $1 for used copies. 

Read the summary on Amazon ​

The Personal Assistant: A Novel

book about a personal assistant
This book is by celebrated author Kimberly Belle. It's a sort of "art imitates life" story about a mommy blogger who becomes and influencer, but a controversial blog post starts an avalanche of "cancel culture" with her audience. Then her assistant turns against her. It's a real page-turner. 

The novel is available in most book stores and online. It has over 1000 ratings on Amazon with an average of 4.0 out of 5 stars. It's available in paperback, hardcover, Kindle and audio book.