Book Market Research

Assess commercial viability of book concepts for Amazon KDP self-publishing. Produces a Market Research Report with viability scorecard and Go/No-Go recommendation. Works standalone or after idea-validator.

---

Overview

The Book Market Research skill determines if a book is worth writing from a business perspective, specifically for Amazon KDP self-publishing. It answers the question: "Setting aside whether this is a good idea, can it succeed commercially?"

A key insight: commercial viability is separate from intellectual merit. A brilliant idea can fail commercially. A mediocre idea can succeed. This skill assesses the market, not the idea itself.

Author intent shapes interpretation—the same viability score means different things depending on whether you're writing for income, authority, passion, or lead generation.

---

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Book Concept Document (required)
• Validation Report (optional but recommended)

Basic Usage

=== "Claude Code"

```markdown
When researching book market viability, read and follow /path/to/claude-skills/non-fiction-book-factory/book-market-research/SKILL.md.
```

=== "Claude.ai"

Upload `book-market-research.skill` to Settings → Skills.

Sample prompt:

I want to assess the commercial viability of my book concept. Here's my Book Concept Document: [paste document]

---

Features

---

Session Modes

Quick Assessment (Single Session)

• Claude-only qualitative analysis via web search
• Identifies competitors, positioning gaps, review themes
• Produces preliminary viability assessment
• Best for: Early-stage filtering, passion/legacy authors, experienced KDP authors

Deep Dive (Multi-Session)

• Full qualitative analysis PLUS quantitative data
• Claude provides pre-filled CSV with competitor URLs
• You gather BSR, prices, review counts from Amazon
• Claude analyzes completed data for full scorecard
• Best for: Income-focused authors, competitive categories, first-time KDP authors

---

Author Intent

Your intent determines how to interpret the viability score:

---

Viability Scorecard

---

Score Interpretation

Intent Overlay:

• Income authors: Follow score literally
• Authority authors: Conditional Go sufficient if positioning strong
• Passion authors: Even Kill score = proceed with eyes open
• Lead Gen authors: Platform fit matters more than raw score

---

Workflow

Starting Research

1. Provide Book Concept Document (and Validation Report if available)
2. Claude asks about author intent
3. Claude recommends session mode with reasoning
4. You confirm mode
5. Proceed to research

Quick Assessment Flow

1. Search for competing books
2. Analyze: competitor positioning, bestseller signals, review themes
3. Identify market gaps
4. Assess author credibility fit
5. Produce preliminary Market Research Report

Deep Dive Flow

Phase 1: Quick Assessment steps + identify 5-8 key competitors

Phase 2: Claude generates pre-filled CSV; you gather Amazon data (~10 min)

Phase 3: Claude analyzes completed data for full scorecard

---

Inputs & Outputs

Inputs

Outputs

---

Market Research Report Structure

1. Executive Summary — Overall assessment and recommendation
2. Author Intent & Interpretation — How intent shapes recommendation
3. Viability Scorecard — Weighted scores with reasoning
4. Competitive Landscape — Top competitors and gaps
5. Target Reader Analysis — Refined persona, underserved needs
6. Positioning Recommendation — How to differentiate
7. Pricing Recommendation — Based on market analysis
8. Title/Subtitle Direction — Market-informed suggestions
9. Platform Fit Assessment — Existing audience leverage
10. Timing Assessment — Trend vs. evergreen
11. Key Risks — What could derail success
12. Recommendation — Go / Conditional Go / Revise / Kill

---

Best Practices

• Declare intent honestly — It shapes interpretation
• Do the data gathering — 10 minutes on Amazon provides valuable quantitative insight
• Consider both validation and market — Intellectual merit ≠ commercial viability
• Use positioning guidance — The how-to-differentiate matters as much as go/no-go

---

Integration

Pipeline Position

flowchart LR
    A[book-ideation] --> B[book-idea-validator]
    B --> C[book-market-research]
    C --> D[book-architect]

Dependency Modes

Standalone Mode: Book Concept Document only → pure commercial analysis

Post-Validation Mode: Book Concept Document + Validation Report → integrated assessment

Upstream Skills

• book-ideation — Provides Book Concept Document
• book-idea-validator — Provides Validation Report (optional)

Downstream Skills

• book-architect — Receives Market Research Report + positioning guidance

---

Scope Boundaries

This skill assesses commercial viability, not:

• Intellectual merit (that's book-idea-validator)
• Book structure (that's book-architect)
• Writing quality (that's the editing pipeline)

---

Related Skills

• Book Idea Validator — Intellectual merit assessment
• Book Ideation — Create the concept document
• Book Architect — Next step after market research