The Ebook Factory
A suite of Claude skills designed specifically for ebook creation—shorter, concentrated solutions optimized for speed-to-value.
Overview
The Ebook Factory
A suite of Claude skills designed specifically for ebook creation—shorter, concentrated solutions optimized for speed-to-value.
Reference Guide
Purpose: This document captures the complete vision, philosophy, and specifications for a suite of Claude skills designed specifically for ebook creation. Use this to brief future Claude sessions when building individual skills.
Author: Robert Guss Created: December 30, 2024 Last Updated: December 31, 2024
Table of Contents
- Overview & Philosophy
- The Ebook Pipeline
- Design Principles
- Skill 0: Ebook Discovery (Optional)
- Skill 1: Ebook Concept Development
- Skill 2: Ebook Architecture
- Skill 3: Chapter Outlining
- Skill 4: Research
- Skill 5: Drafting
- Skill 6: Editing & Revision
- Reference Documents
- Handoffs Between Skills
Overview & Philosophy
The Core Insight
Ebooks are not compressed books — they are a distinct format optimized for speed-to-value.
The constraint of being shorter makes ebooks harder to write well, not easier. Every sentence must earn its place. There's no room to meander, over-explain, or pad. The discipline required is higher than for full-length books.
The reader who buys a short read is saying: "I value my time. I have a specific problem. I want the answer without wading through filler, backstory, or the author proving how much they know."
This is a more demanding reader. They'll notice fluff immediately. They'll feel cheated by padding. They expect density.
The Mindset Shift
You're not writing a "small book." You're creating a concentrated solution.
The quality bar per page is actually higher for ebooks:
- Every chapter must deliver
- Every example must be the right example, not three examples when one would do
- Every paragraph must move the reader toward transformation
Why a Separate Pipeline?
The Book Factory was designed for 50,000-80,000 word nonfiction books with multi-month timelines. Its thoroughness is appropriate for that scale. But applying that same process to a 10,000-20,000 word ebook creates unnecessary overhead.
The Ebook Factory is:
- Right-sized for shorter content
- Faster to move through
- Lighter on process and documentation
- Equally rigorous on quality and reader experience
Relationship to the Book Factory
The Ebook Factory borrows wisdom from the Book Factory but adapts it for the format:
What We Keep:
- Reader-first philosophy as the governing principle
- Session flow patterns (new/continuing, triage, exit summaries)
- Collaboration behaviors (push back, surface insights, challenge weakness)
- Versioned documents for continuity
- Readiness criteria before handoffs
- Brutal honesty over ego protection
What We Simplify:
- Multiple output documents → Single working document per skill
- 5-10 reference files per skill → Essentials embedded, 1-2 references max
- Multi-session default → Single-session default
- Eight elements for ideation → Five core + two situational elements
- Section → Chapter → Beat hierarchy → Chapter → Beat only
- Five editing passes → Two passes maximum
What We Add:
- Content source assessment (for creator-led ebooks)
- Platform considerations (KDP, Gumroad, both)
- Screen-reading optimization throughout
- AI as primary drafter (not coach)
- Value Gap analysis for creator-led content
The Ebook Pipeline
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ THE EBOOK FACTORY │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ SKILL 0: EBOOK DISCOVERY (Optional) │
│ ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│ │ ebook-discovery │ Surface ideas you didn't know you had │
│ └──────────┬──────────┘ │
│ │ Outputs: Discovery Tracker with ebook candidates │
│ ▼ │
│ SKILL 1: EBOOK CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT │
│ ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│ │ ebook-concept-dev │ (or start here with an existing idea) │
│ └──────────┬──────────┘ │
│ │ Outputs: Ebook Concept Document │
│ ▼ │
│ SKILL 2: EBOOK ARCHITECTURE │
│ ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│ │ ebook-architect │ │
│ └──────────┬──────────┘ │
│ │ Outputs: Ebook Architecture Document │
│ ▼ │
│ SKILL 3: CHAPTER OUTLINING │
│ ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│ │ chapter-outliner │ (may loop per chapter or batch) │
│ └──────────┬──────────┘ │
│ │ Outputs: Chapter Outlines │
│ ▼ │
│ SKILL 4: RESEARCH │
│ ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│ │ ebook-research │ (may be skipped if not needed) │
│ └──────────┬──────────┘ │
│ │ Outputs: Research Notes (organized by chapter) │
│ ▼ │
│ SKILL 5: DRAFTING │
│ ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│ │ ebook-drafter │ (AI writes, chapter by chapter) │
│ └──────────┬──────────┘ │
│ │ Outputs: Complete First Draft │
│ ▼ │
│ SKILL 6: EDITING & REVISION │
│ ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│ │ ebook-editor │ (collaborative, two passes) │
│ └──────────┬──────────┘ │
│ │ Outputs: Final Manuscript │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│ │ READY TO PUBLISH │ │
│ └─────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Pipeline Characteristics
- Linear but flexible — Skills flow in sequence, but some may be compressed or skipped based on ebook needs
- Single-session default — Each skill designed to complete in one focused session
- Chapter-by-chapter option — Outlining and drafting can work chapter-by-chapter with review points
- Research is conditional — Not every ebook needs dedicated research; the skill starts with a "do you need this?" gate
- Discovery is optional — Users with existing ideas can skip straight to Concept Development
Design Principles
1. Single Document Per Skill
Each skill produces one working document rather than multiple separate files. This document may have clear sections that serve different purposes, but it's one artifact to track and pass forward.
2. Embedded References
Essential guidance is embedded in the skill itself rather than split across many reference files. Reference files are limited to:
- Catalogs that would bloat the main skill (e.g., AI-isms to avoid)
- Templates that need to be filled in
- Style guides that need separate maintenance
3. Single-Session Default
Skills are designed to complete in one focused session. Multi-session work is the exception, not the assumption. This creates momentum and prevents projects from stalling.
4. Reader-First, Always
Every decision — structural, stylistic, content — is evaluated from the reader's perspective:
- Will this help the reader understand?
- Will this keep the reader engaged?
- Will this move the reader toward transformation?
- Does this earn its place, or is it filler?
5. Claude as True Collaborator
Claude is not an assistant waiting for instructions. Claude is an intellectual partner who:
- Contributes ideas proactively
- Pushes back on weak thinking
- Challenges assumptions
- Surfaces problems early
- Brings genuine expertise to the work
The human decides, but Claude contributes fully.
6. Brutal Honesty Over Ego Protection
The skills exist to surface problems early — when they're cheap to fix. Better to kill a weak idea now than finish a weak ebook later. Claude tells the truth even when it's uncomfortable.
7. Quality Through Constraint
Brevity is the discipline. The constraint of being shorter forces higher quality per page. "Less is more" is not about doing less work — it's about more rigorous selection of what earns space.
Skill 0: Ebook Discovery (Optional)
Status: ✅ Built — See ebook-discovery/SKILL.md
Purpose
Surface ebook ideas you didn't know you had. This is the optional "upstream" skill that feeds into Concept Development. Use when you want to explore what ebooks might be hiding in your content, expertise, or thinking.
Core Philosophy
This is divergent/generative discovery ("what's here?") rather than convergent development ("is this right?"). Claude is an active intellectual partner who contributes ideas, not just a facilitator who asks questions.
Two Starting Paths
Path A: Content Audit — For those with published content (blog posts, videos, newsletters, podcasts, teaching materials)
Path B: Expertise Extraction — For those with unpublished expertise (tacit knowledge that feels obvious to you but valuable to others)
Both paths are equally valid. Claude recommends with reasoning, user decides.
Entry Modes (11 Total)
Content-Based: Content Audit, Book Extraction, Failed Project Resurrection
Audience-Based: Repeated Questions Analysis
Knowledge-Based: Expertise Extraction, Contrarian Positions, Translation Bridges, Personal Systems
Archive-Based: Zettelkasten Mining, Parking Lot Review, Deep Archive Mining
Modes are introduced progressively through guided exploration, not presented as a menu.
Output
Discovery Tracker containing:
- User profile (content inventory, expertise areas, intent)
- Exploration log (which modes explored, how deeply)
- Candidates with viability ratings and reasoning
- Patterns and insights across candidates
- Session notes for multi-session continuity
Handoff to Concept Development
A candidate is ready when:
- Core idea stated in 1-2 sentences
- Source identified (which mode, what material)
- Appears ebook-shaped (not too thin, not too thick)
- Viability notes with reasoning
- User has decided to pursue it
Skill 1: Ebook Concept Development
Status: ✅ Built — See ebook-concept-development/SKILL.md
Purpose
Develop raw ideas into structured ebook concepts through guided exploration. This skill sits at the entry point of the pipeline, transforming a seed (existing content, vague idea, identified opportunity) into a clear concept ready for architecture.
Core Philosophy
Not every idea is an ebook. Not every ebook is worth writing. This skill helps distinguish between ideas worth pursuing and ideas to park or kill. It also shapes viable ideas into clear concepts with defined scope.
The Ebook Elements
Core Elements (Always Addressed)
| Element | Core Question |
|---|---|
| 1. The Reader | Who specifically is this for? Beyond demographics — their situation, problem, what they've tried, what's blocking them. |
| 2. The Transformation | Where are they before reading? Where are they after? The gap between A and B is the ebook's reason to exist. |
| 3. The Promise | In one sentence, what does the reader get? Specific, believable, compelling. This is the ebook's value proposition. |
| 4. Content Source | What existing content does this build from? YouTube video, blog posts, course material, original creation? This shapes the entire approach. |
| 5. Scope & Format | Target length, depth level, platform(s), visual needs. Is this genuinely ebook-sized? |
Situational Elements (Surfaced When Relevant)
| Element | When It Applies |
|---|---|
| 6. The Value Gap | For creator-led ebooks: Why should someone pay for this when they already got value from your free content? What's the paid version offering beyond the free version? |
| 7. The Enemy | For opinionated/argument-driven ebooks: What is this ebook arguing against? A mindset, practice, conventional wisdom? The enemy clarifies the thesis by contrast. |
Key Activities
Content Source Assessment:
- What existing content does this build from?
- How validated is that content already? (views, engagement, questions received)
- What does the existing content do well