thinrichafricanbitch:

You might not like my answer; but read. Read MULTIPLE works. The goal of manipulation is to change people’s perception of you. 

I feel like everyone recommends Ho Tactics and it seems to have been effective. I couldn’t make it past the first chapter though, so I never read it. The works of Robert Greene have great strategy (The Art of Seduction, 48 Laws of Power, 33 Strategies of War) and are a gateway. 

My advice would be to look into Philosophy, Psychology & Sociology which make up Social Engineering (strategy, deception, etc.). To get the ball rolling, here are some works that I recommend in no particular order:

• The Prince – Niccolò Machiavelli
  
• The Art of War – Sun Tzu
• Hagakure –  Yamamoto Tsunetomo
• Strategy - B.H. Liddell Hart
• On War - Carl von Clauswitz
• Influence: Science and Practice (The Psychology of Persuasion) – Robert Cialdini
• How to Win Friends & Influence People – Dale Carnegie
• Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking – Chris Hadnagy
• Covert Persuasion: Psychological Tactics and Tricks to Win the Game – Kevin Hogan & James Speakman
  
• Get Anyone to Do Anything: Never Feel Powerless Again – David J. Lieberman
  
• Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World - Jack Weatherford
• The Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar  Gracián y Morales
• It’s Not All About Me: The Top Ten Techniques for Building Quick Rapport with Anyone – Robin Dreeke
  
• What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People – Joe Navarro
  
• Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage – Paul Ekman
  

A very important thing before you even get into manipulation is learning how to control yourself and understanding why you think and act the way you do. Here’s some recommendations:

• Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind –  Al Ries & Jack Trout
  
• Thinking, Fast and Slow –  Daniel Kahneman
  
• Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions – Dan Ariely
• The Social Animal – David Brooks
  
• The Laws of Human Nature – Robert Greene

Philosophy also plays a major role. I quite enjoy the works, and apply some of the philosophical outlooks of Thucydides, Seneca the Younger, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Zeno of Citium. 

I don’t know if you were more referring to physical presentation, or body language, etc. for manipulation, but this is pretty solid. You don’t have to read everything, but be sure to read something.