Entry Modes Guide
Comprehensive guidance for exploring each of the 11 discovery modes. Load this reference when diving deep into any mode.
Entry Modes Guide
Comprehensive guidance for exploring each of the 11 discovery modes. Load this reference when diving deep into any mode.
Table of Contents
- Content Audit
- Book Extraction
- Failed Project Resurrection
- Repeated Questions Analysis
- Expertise Extraction
- Contrarian Positions
- Translation Bridges
- Personal Systems
- Zettelkasten Mining
- Parking Lot Review
- Deep Archive Mining
- Large Archive Strategies
- Mode Connections Map
1. Content Audit
What this mode looks for: Patterns, clusters, and themes hiding in published content. Content that's resonated with audiences. Gaps between what exists and what audiences want.
Includes: Blog posts, videos, newsletters, podcasts, teaching materials, workshop content, course outlines, talk slides.
Key Questions
- What content has performed best? (views, shares, comments, engagement)
- What topics keep appearing across different pieces?
- What do comments and replies ask for more of?
- Where do you go deeper than surface-level?
- What content surprised you by its performance (good or bad)?
- Are there natural clusters of 3-5 pieces on the same theme?
Signals of an Ebook Candidate
- A topic with 3+ pieces of content that could be unified
- High engagement on a specific theme
- Comments asking "do you have more on this?" or "can you go deeper?"
- A series that never got finished but had momentum
- Content you've updated/revisited multiple times
Common Pitfalls
- Recency bias — Only looking at recent content, missing older gold
- Vanity metrics — High views don't always mean ebook potential
- Repackaging without transformation — Just bundling posts isn't an ebook
- Missing the forest for trees — Focusing on individual pieces, not patterns
When to Transition
- User mentions abandoned projects → Failed Project Resurrection
- User describes audience questions → Repeated Questions Analysis
- Patterns reveal expertise user didn't recognize → Expertise Extraction
- Content spans two worlds → Translation Bridges
If Nothing Found
"Your content archive may not have obvious ebook clusters yet—that's fine. This could mean your best ebook is still in your head, not your content. Want to explore Expertise Extraction instead? Or we could look at what questions your audience keeps asking."
2. Book Extraction
What this mode looks for: Sections from larger book projects that could stand alone as ebooks. Strategic extraction opportunities.
Key Questions
- What larger book projects are you working on or planning?
- Which sections could stand completely alone?
- What's the most "complete" chapter or section?
- Which part generates the most questions when you describe the book?
- What section could test audience interest before the full book?
Signals of an Ebook Candidate
- A section that has its own clear transformation
- Content that doesn't depend on other chapters to make sense
- A "gateway" topic that could lead readers to the larger work
- The part you're most excited to write
Common Pitfalls
- Extracting connective tissue — Chapters that only work in context
- Spoiling the main book — Giving away the core thesis
- Incomplete transformation — Section that starts something but doesn't finish it
- Forced independence — Making a section "stand alone" when it really doesn't
When to Transition
- Extraction reveals the book itself is really multiple ebooks → Stay here, map the series
- User mentions content supporting the book → Content Audit
- Section relies on expertise not yet written → Expertise Extraction
If Nothing Found
"If your book project doesn't have natural extraction points, that's actually a sign of tight, integrated writing. We could explore other discovery modes, or discuss whether the full book is the right next step."
3. Failed Project Resurrection
What this mode looks for: Abandoned drafts, stalled projects, half-written content. Projects that failed due to format, not idea quality.
Key Questions
- What projects have you started but not finished?
- Why did each one stall? (lost interest, too big, wrong format, life got busy)
- Looking back, which abandoned ideas still feel alive?
- Were any of these the wrong FORMAT for the idea?
- What would it take to revive the best one?
Signals of an Ebook Candidate
- A project that stalled because it was "too big" — might be ebook-sized
- Something you keep thinking about despite abandoning it
- A draft that got positive early feedback
- A project where you can now see what went wrong
Common Pitfalls
- Sunk cost resurrection — Reviving something just because work was invested
- Same mistakes — Attempting the same format that failed before
- Zombie projects — Ideas that should stay dead
- Guilt-driven choices — Picking projects you "should" finish vs. want to
When to Transition
- Failed project was based on audience demand → Repeated Questions Analysis
- Project failed because scope was unclear → might need Concept Development first
- Multiple failed projects share a theme → look for the pattern
If Nothing Found
"Not having failed projects isn't a bad thing. Let's explore where your ebook ideas might come from instead—maybe from expertise you haven't tried to write about yet."
4. Repeated Questions Analysis
What this mode looks for: Questions your audience asks repeatedly. Patterns in comments, emails, and conversations that reveal demand.
Key Questions
- What questions appear in YouTube comments over and over?
- What email replies do you get most often?
- What do people ask after talks or teaching?
- What do people assume you have the answer to?
- What question makes you think "I should just write something I can point to"?
Signals of an Ebook Candidate
- The same question asked 10+ times
- Questions that require nuanced, lengthy answers
- Questions where your answer surprises people
- Questions that come from your ideal audience
Common Pitfalls
- FAQ trap — Collecting questions without finding the unifying theme
- Surface questions — The question asked isn't always the real question
- Assuming demand — Questions don't always mean willingness to pay
- One-off vs. pattern — Need genuine repetition, not memorable outliers
When to Transition
- Questions reveal expertise gap → Expertise Extraction
- Questions are about your process → Personal Systems
- Questions span domains → Translation Bridges
- Questions push against conventional wisdom → Contrarian Positions
If Nothing Found
"If you're not getting repeated questions, you might not have enough audience exposure yet, or your content already answers the obvious questions. Let's explore what you know that you haven't shared."
5. Expertise Extraction
What this mode looks for: Tacit knowledge that feels obvious to you but valuable to others. The "curse of knowledge" hiding ebook potential.
Note: This is the harder path. See expertise-extraction-guide.md for
comprehensive support.
Key Questions
- What do you explain to people over and over?
- What feels "obvious" to you that others find valuable?
- What do people assume you know the answer to?
- What have you figured out through experience that others struggle with?
- What would you tell your younger self?
Signals of an Ebook Candidate
- Something you dismiss as "everyone knows this" but they don't
- Knowledge that took you years to develop
- A process you've refined that others do poorly
- Expertise at the intersection of two domains
Common Pitfalls
- Expertise blindness — Can't see what you know because it's obvious to you
- Imposter syndrome — Dismissing expertise as "not special"
- Too broad — "Everything I know about X" isn't an ebook
- No transformation — Knowledge without behavior change
When to Transition
- Expertise is actually a process → Personal Systems
- Expertise contradicts conventional wisdom → Contrarian Positions
- Expertise bridges two worlds → Translation Bridges
- Expertise is documented somewhere → Content Audit
If Nothing Found
See expertise-extraction-guide.md for deeper techniques. This mode often
requires multiple passes and different angles.
6. Contrarian Positions
What this mode looks for: Views that push against mainstream thinking. Built-in tension that makes for compelling ebooks.
Key Questions
- What do you believe that most people in your field get wrong?
- What conventional wisdom do you push back against?
- What makes you frustrated when you hear it repeated?
- Where do you disagree with respected voices?
- What unpopular opinion have you validated through experience?
Signals of an Ebook Candidate
- A position you can defend with evidence and experience
- Something that would make people stop and think
- A view that has a natural "enemy" (the conventional wisdom)
- An argument that could change behavior if accepted
Common Pitfalls
- Contrarian for its own sake — Disagreeing without substance
- Strawman opponents — Arguing against positions no one holds
- No transformation — Being right isn't enough; what changes for the reader?
- Too niche — Contrarian in a tiny field no one cares about
When to Transition
- Contrarian position is based on unique expertise → Expertise Extraction
- Position comes from bridging domains → Translation Bridges
- Evidence is in your content → Content Audit
If Nothing Found
"Not having strong contrarian positions might mean you're in a field with genuine consensus, or you haven't articulated your disagreements yet. Let's explore other angles."
7. Translation Bridges
What this mode looks for: Knowledge you carry between worlds. Things you explain to one group about another group's domain.
Key Questions
- What different worlds do you inhabit? (professional, personal, hobby, community)
- What do you find yourself explaining between these worlds?
- Where does your unusual combination of experience give you insight?
- What would Group A find valuable to understand about Group B?
- What translation do you provide that others can't?
Signals of an Ebook Candidate
- A genuine gap between two audiences you can bridge
- Translation you've done successfully (people found it valuable)
- Unique positioning at the intersection
- Both sides would benefit from the bridge
Common Pitfalls
- Forced intersection — Combining domains that don't naturally connect
- Too insider — Translation that requires too much context
- No audience — Neither side wants the translation
- Surface-level — Superficial connections that don't provide real insight
When to Transition
- Bridge is based on expertise → Expertise Extraction
- Bridge reveals contrarian positions → Contrarian Positions
- Bridge is documented in content → Content Audit
If Nothing Found
"If you don't have obvious translation bridges, you might inhabit more unified domains. Let's explore what expertise you have within your primary domain."
8. Personal Systems
What this mode looks for: Workflows, processes, and disciplines you've developed. Lived systems that are often more valuable than theoretical ones.
Key Questions
- What systems have you built for yourself?
- What processes have you refined over time?
- What do people notice about how you work?
- What would fall apart if you stopped doing it?
- What habit or routine has made the biggest difference?
Signals of an Ebook Candidate
- A system you've used for 1+ years
- Something others have asked you to teach
- A process with clear steps that produces results
- A system that solves a common problem
Common Pitfalls
- Too personal — Systems that only work for you
- No transformation — A system without clear before/after
- Complexity creep — Over-engineered processes
- Unproven — New systems without track record
When to Transition
- System is based on deep expertise → Expertise Extraction
- System contradicts common approaches → Contrarian Positions
- System is documented somewhere → Content Audit
If Nothing Found
"If you don't have documented personal systems, you might have intuitive processes that haven't been articulated yet. Let's explore what you do without thinking about it."
9. Zettelkasten Mining
What this mode looks for: Clusters of connected notes that reveal ebook-shaped ideas. Themes emerging from your thinking archive.
Key Questions
- What note clusters have the most connections?
- What themes keep appearing in your permanent notes?
- Where do multiple threads converge?
- What ideas have you returned to repeatedly?
- What would happen if you pulled on a specific thread?
Signals of an Ebook Candidate
- A cluster of 10+ interconnected notes on a theme
- Notes that generate new notes when you revisit them
- A thread you keep adding to over months/years
- An emerging argument across multiple notes
Common Pitfalls
- Collection without synthesis — Notes that haven't been connected
- Research without opinion — Information without your take
- Too academic — Interesting to you but not actionable for readers
- Premature extraction — Pulling ideas out before they're developed
When to Transition
- Cluster reveals expertise → Expertise Extraction
- Cluster shows contrarian view → Contrarian Positions
- Notes reference your published content → Content Audit
If Nothing Found
"If your Zettelkasten doesn't have obvious clusters, it might need more connection work, or your ebook ideas live elsewhere. Let's explore other sources."
10. Parking Lot Review
What this mode looks for: Ideas parked during other brainstorms. Things that didn't fit larger projects but could stand alone. Cross-project intersections.
Key Questions
- What ideas came up during other projects that you set aside?
- What didn't fit the scope of something you were working on?
- What "someday" ideas keep showing up?
- Where do two different projects overlap?
- What's been on your "to explore" list for too long?
Signals of an Ebook Candidate
- An idea that keeps getting parked because it doesn't fit elsewhere
- Something that felt important but not urgent
- Ideas that multiple projects touched on
- A "someday" that has actual energy behind it
Common Pitfalls
- Parking lot as graveyard — Ideas parked because they're weak, not because timing was wrong
- Shiny objects — Dis