How to Influence Mortals and Hang with the Gods

Most self-help books tell you to smile more. Hermes recommends stealing Apollo's cattle. Not because theft builds character. Because understanding what people actually want is far more powerful than arguing about what they say they want. It worked on Apollo. It has worked on kings, thieves, merchants, heroes, monsters, and more mortals than Hermes has bothered to count. Now the messenger of the gods is finally revealing the principles that made him Olympus's greatest negotiator. Learn why people never argue about what they're arguing about. Discover how trust is built before words are spoken. Master the art of asking the question everyone else is too polite to ask. Find out why gratitude is only the beginning of influence, why the truth can be more dangerous than any lie, and why the best guides never announce the destination. Every lesson is illustrated with stories from Greek mythology—from Prometheus and Pandora to Odysseus, Achilles, Ariadne, Demeter, Zeus, and, naturally, Hermes himself. Part philosophy, part mythology, part suspiciously practical life advice, How to Influence Mortals and Hang with the Gods is a loving parody of classic self-help books that somehow manages to become a surprisingly useful one. Whether you're trying to make friends, negotiate a raise, survive awkward conversations, or simply understand why people do what they do, Hermes has been navigating those crossroads for thousands of years. He's just finally decided to write the manual.