Research Methods

How Claude conducts market research for book viability assessment.

Qualitative Research (Claude performs via web search)

Competitor Discovery

Search patterns:

• [topic] books Amazon
• best [topic] books
• [topic] books for [audience]
• books like [known competitor]

What to capture:

• Titles and subtitles (positioning signals)
• Author names and credentials
• Publisher (traditional vs. self-published)
• Bestseller badges in search results
• Publication dates (market freshness)

Review Analysis

Search patterns:

• [book title] review
• [book title] Goodreads
• [topic] book recommendations Reddit

What to capture from reviews:

• Common praise themes (what readers value)
• Common complaints (gap opportunities)
• Unmet needs mentioned
• Comparisons to other books

Gap Identification

Look for patterns in complaints:

• "I wish this book covered..."
• "The only problem is..."
• "Great but missing..."
• "Not for beginners" / "Too basic"

These signal positioning opportunities.

Author Credibility Signals

Search for:

• Author's other books
• Author's credentials, background
• Author's platform (podcast, newsletter, social)
• Speaking engagements, media appearances

Assess fit between author's background and book's claims.

Market Timing

Search for:

• Trend articles about the topic
• Google Trends data
• Recent news or cultural moments
• Competing books' publication dates

Assess: Is this trending up, stable, or declining?

Quantitative Research (Human gathers, Claude analyzes)

Claude cannot directly access Amazon product pages due to technical restrictions. For quantitative data, Claude:

1. Identifies 5-8 key competitors from qualitative research
2. Generates pre-filled CSV with titles and URLs
3. Provides Amazon Field Guide (see references/amazon-field-guide.md)
4. User fills in: BSR, prices, reviews, rating, pages, KU status
5. Claude analyzes the completed data

Quantitative Indicators

BSR Analysis:

• Average BSR across competitors = demand signal
• BSR spread = market consistency
• Low BSR + high reviews = proven demand

Price Analysis:

• Price range establishes market expectations
• Median price = likely sweet spot
• Outliers may indicate premium positioning

Review Velocity:

• Reviews ÷ months since publication ≈ monthly review rate
• Higher velocity = active market

KU Saturation:

• High KU presence = readers expect free access
• Low KU presence = opportunity or signal of premium market

Synthesis

Combine qualitative and quantitative findings:

Limitations

Claude cannot access:

• Amazon product pages directly
• Real-time BSR data
• Exact sales figures
• KDP category structure
• Kindle Unlimited royalty rates

Claude can assess:

• Market presence and positioning
• Review sentiment and gaps
• Author-market fit
• Relative competition intensity
• Timing indicators