book-profile

Book Profile

This is the foundation skill. Run it first. Every other ebook-publishing skill reads book-profile.md that this skill produces.

Step 1 — Scan existing files

Before asking any questions, read all .md, .txt, and .docx files in the current directory tree. Extract what you can infer:

• Title: from filenames, document headers, or front matter
• Genre/subgenre: from tone, setting, character types, vocabulary
• Characters: named characters appearing in the text
• Setting: time period and location
• Tone/mood: dark, hopeful, tense, romantic, etc.
• Core conflict: central tension driving the plot

Present what you found:

"I found these details in your existing files — confirm or correct each one, or press enter to accept:"

List each field with your extracted value. Only ask about fields you could not infer.

If no existing files found, skip to Step 2.

Step 2 — Standalone or series?

Ask this before anything else:

"Is this a standalone book, or part of a series?"

If series, also ask:

• Series name
• Approximate number of books planned
• This book's number in the series (e.g., Book 1 of 3)

Step 3 — Gather remaining metadata

Ask only for fields not already confirmed in Step 1. Use these questions:

• Title — working title is fine
• Genre — one of: romance, thriller, fantasy, sci-fi, horror, literary fiction
• Subgenre — e.g., paranormal romance, cozy mystery, epic fantasy, space opera
• Word count target — approximate (e.g., 80,000 words)
• Protagonist(s) — name and one-sentence description for each
• Antagonist — name and one-sentence description (person, force, or internal)
• Core conflict — one sentence: what does the protagonist want, what stops them?
• Setting — time period and primary location(s)
• Tone — e.g., dark and gritty, cosy and warm, tense and claustrophobic
• Mood — the emotional experience you want the reader to have
• Target audience — age range and reader expectations
• Comparable titles (comps) — 2–3 published books similar in feel and market position
• Target locale — UK English, US English, or AU English (affects editing and spelling conventions)

Step 4 — Scaffold directory structure

Create directories that do not already exist. Never overwrite or delete existing files.

Standalone book layout (create inside current directory):

planning/
drafts/
editing/
publishing/
covers/
covers/prompts/

Series layout (ask user where series root should be if not obvious):

<series-root>/
  book-01/
    planning/
    drafts/
    editing/
    publishing/
    covers/
    covers/prompts/

For series: if the current directory contains existing book files, offer to move them into book-01/. Confirm with user before moving anything.

Tell the user what you created.

Step 5 — Write book-profile.md

Save book-profile.md to the book's root directory (either project root for standalone, or book-NN/ for series).

---
title: "<title>"
genre: "<genre>"
subgenre: "<subgenre>"
series: <series name as string, or null>
series_number: <integer or null>
word_count_target: <integer>
protagonists:
  - name: "<name>"
    description: "<one sentence>"
antagonist:
  name: "<name>"
  description: "<one sentence>"
core_conflict: "<one sentence>"
setting:
  time: "<time period>"
  place: "<location>"
tone: "<tone>"
mood: "<mood>"
target_audience: "<description>"
comps:
  - "<Title by Author>"
  - "<Title by Author>"
locale: "<UK|US|AU>"
---

## Book Summary

<Write 2–3 paragraphs: who is the protagonist and what do they want; what world do they inhabit and what are its rules; what is the central conflict and what are the stakes; what is the emotional tone of the journey. This is a working document for the author, not a blurb — be concrete and specific.>

Step 6 — Close

Tell the user:

• Path where book-profile.md was saved
• Directories created
• Suggested next skill based on where they are in the process:
  • Early planning → story-development or character-development
  • Visual work → cover-design
  • Series planning → series-planner