Cornerstone Press acquires Fight Less, Win More by negotiation experts Jonathan B Smith and Derek Gaunt
Cornerstone Press has acquired Fight Less, Win More by Jonathan B Smith and Derek Gaunt, experts on negotiation who work with Never Split the Difference author Chris Voss (Random House Business) at his Black Swan Group.
Nigel Wilcockson, associate publisher at Cornerstone, pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights in a six-figure deal with Steve Ross at the Steve Ross Agency. Cornerstone Press will publish in hardback, e-book and audio in February 2026.
“Fight Less, Win More offers an armoury of negotiation techniques and approaches that are both superbly practical and brilliantly effective,” the synopsis says. “All have been exhaustively tried and tested in situations that range from high-stakes hostage crises to everyday business conversations. All are underpinned by the groundbreaking notion of Tactical Empathy: a means of understanding the motivations and preoccupations of others so that you can engage with them more effectively. Whether you’re negotiating a deal, seeking to defuse tension at work, or even trying to persuade a recalcitrant teenager, Fight Less, Win More will help you resolve conflicts faster, build stronger relationships – and achieve outcomes you never thought possible.”
Smith and Gaunt said: “Partnering with Nigel and Penguin Random House is the perfect next step in our mission to make Tactical Empathy a global language. Their success with Never Split the Difference shows how deeply these ideas can resonate – and we’re excited to build on that momentum with Fight Less, Win More.”
Wilcockson added: “Fight Less, Win More is a fantastic book: engagingly written, full of smart ideas, and deeply grounded in first-hand research.”
