The goal of this phase is to make sure your book idea is solid before you invest weeks of writing into it. A lot of first time authors skip this and end up with a draft that wanders, repeats itself, or runs out of steam at chapter 5.

What You're Doing

You're stress testing your Book Brief. You filled it out, now you pressure test it.

Tasks

• [ ] Read through your completed Book Brief with fresh eyes. Does the one sentence premise still excite you?
• [ ] Talk about your book idea with someone you trust (or explain it out loud to yourself). Does it hold together when you say it?
• [ ] Search for 3 to 5 books in the same space. Read their table of contents and reviews. What angle are they missing? That's your angle.
• [ ] List out 10 to 15 possible chapter topics (brain dump, no filtering). Write each one as a sticky note style phrase, not a full sentence.
• [ ] Group your chapter topics into 3 to 4 clusters. These clusters are likely your book's main sections or parts.
• [ ] Cut anything that doesn't serve your one sentence premise. Be ruthless. A focused 10 chapter book beats a wandering 20 chapter one.

If You're Using AI

Share your Book Brief with your AI tool and ask: "Based on this premise and these key takeaways, what chapters would you expect to see in this book?" Compare the AI's suggestions with your own list. Use the overlap to validate your instinct. Use the differences to find blind spots.

Don't let AI decide your book's structure. Let it show you options, then you choose.

Definition of Done

• [ ] Book Brief is complete (no blank sections)
• [ ] You have a validated list of 8 to 15 chapter topics
• [ ] You can explain the book in one sentence and it sounds compelling
• [ ] You've looked at competing books and identified your unique angle