SinachPat
33c2af4359
Plain-language rewrite of the three AIBook.fun planning docs, with a product
review folded in:
- Name one core loop (read -> run -> share) and a single North-Star metric
(activation), reported ahead of the fundraising numbers.
- Layer the product: v1 = the core loop; contributor economy, cohorts,
agent-onboarding, and the ecosystem funnel become explicit later layers
instead of co-equal launch goals.
- Add the "Minimum Lovable Library" launch gate: seed 15-20 tested workflows
ourselves before asking anyone to pay, rather than betting the launch on the
crowd filling an empty shelf.
- Reframe the contributor incentive honestly: today's mechanic is affiliate
referral, not payment for writing workflows; make paid contribution a
launch-blocking decision.
- Force the subscription-vs-lifetime pricing tension into a reasoned decision.
- Split the product-validation bar from the funding floor ("funded" != validated).
- Lead the pitch with utility; make ownership the retention layer.
- Trim governance to the two gates that matter (no-crypto scrub, truth in claims).
- Turn the domain "decision" into a same-day chore.
- Translate internal jargon, handles, and merge-history out of the doc bodies.
Old versions preserved in git history; a field-by-field ID mapping can be
produced on request.
224 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
224 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "AIBook.fun — Implementation Plan"
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type: implementation-plan
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status: draft
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owner: Patrick (Product)
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launch-target: 2026-09-26
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last-updated: 2026-08-26
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companions: [AiBook_PRD.md, AiBook_Spec.md]
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---
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# 📚 AIBook.fun — Implementation Plan
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> **Status: DRAFT.** The schedule below assumes decisions that aren't final yet (see "Do this
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> week"). Dates, owners, and dollar figures are planning assumptions until signed off. This is a
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> **living document** — update it weekly with actual dates and owners. See
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> [Appendix — What changed](#appendix--what-changed-in-this-revision) for how this revision
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> differs from the prior draft.
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**The clock:** today is late August 2026; **launch is 9/26/2026** — roughly **4–5 weeks out**.
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Every week counts, and the critical path has little slack. The domain expires **09-05**, so
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step one is non-negotiable and immediate.
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**The critical path in one line:**
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`renew domain + make the pricing decisions → seed the Minimum Lovable Library → freeze copy → no-crypto scrub → submit to Kickstarter → launch 9/26`
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---
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## Do this week (the real gate zero)
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Before any copy or build locks, close these. Most are decisions or de-risking, not building.
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| # | Task | Owner | Why it's first |
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|:--|:--|:--|:--|
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| 0.1 | **Renew aibook.fun today.** It expires 09-05; launch is 09-26. | Whoever holds the registrar login | It's a chore, not a decision. A lapsed domain 3 weeks before launch is a self-inflicted disaster. |
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| 0.2 | **Decide the pricing spine — lifetime *and* royalties together** (D-1 + D-2). | Commercial lead (@GTM) | Both block copy freeze; they're linked (see [Spec §6](AiBook_Spec.md)). |
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| 0.3 | **Ratify the North-Star + product-health floors** (activation, submissions, renewal). | Product (@pat) + team | So we measure the right thing from Day 1, not just dollars. |
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| 0.4 | **Ratify the Minimum Lovable Library number and assign every workflow an author.** | Product + co-authors | This is the #1 risk; turn it from hope into owned work. |
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| 0.5 | **Confirm the two unconfirmed co-authors, or cut their verticals from v1** (D-3). | Commercial lead (@GTM) | Scope certainty before outline lock. |
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| 0.6 | Open the claims register; assign a post-campaign renewal owner. | Product + Commercial | Truth-in-claims gate; don't leave renewal unstaffed. |
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| 0.7 | Set up the Kickstarter creator account + identity verification. | Campaign lead (@THY) | Long lead time; do it early. |
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**✅ Gate 0 — decisions closed.** Pricing spine decided · targets ratified · Minimum Lovable
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Library scoped with authors · domain renewed · claims register open. *Until pricing is decided,
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don't freeze copy. Until the domain is renewed, don't push anything live.*
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---
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## Phase 1 — Build (the ~3 weeks before launch)
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Organized by the four workstreams. **The content workstream is the critical path** — a beautiful
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campaign around an empty library fails.
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### 1A · Content — seed the Minimum Lovable Library (critical path)
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| Task | Owner |
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|:--|:--|
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| Lock the chapter outline (chapters per vertical, a named owner each) | Co-authors |
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| Publish the Workflow Recipe template + 3 filled examples | Product |
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| **Seed the Minimum Lovable Library to its floor number** (team + co-authors write & test the workflows) | Co-authors + team |
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| 3 "clone-and-run" kits, each **verified by actually running it** | Dev + QA support |
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| 2 sample chapters (the backer preview) | Two lead co-authors |
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| Contributor onboarding doc + affiliate signup path | Product + Commercial |
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| Structured/versioned content format (so editions diff cleanly, and agents can read it later) | Format support |
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### 1B · Site & domain
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| Task | Owner |
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|:--|:--|
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| Review the staged landing-page proof-of-concept → feedback | Product + Commercial |
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| Push landing to production (**only after Gate 0**) — working HTTPS, analytics continuity | Site admin (@GTM) |
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| Landing page runs as a **hook A/B test** ("run a workflow today" vs. "own a community guide") — learn which message converts before spending ad budget | Site admin + Product |
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| Affiliates page + Kickbooster widget | Commercial |
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| Email-gated sample-chapter download flow | Email lead (@LDC) + Site admin |
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| **09-12 infra freeze** — DNS/SSL/registrar untouched after this date | All |
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### 1C · Campaign assets
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| Task | Owner |
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|:--|:--|
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| Kickstarter page copy (all sections, 9/26 dates) | Campaign lead + exec co-author |
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| **Copy freeze — commercial terms locked** (lifetime/royalties per D-1/D-2) | Commercial lead (sign) |
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| **No-crypto scrub gate on every asset** (translation table) | Campaign lead (owner) |
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| Hero video: script → shoot → edit (2–3 min) | Creative lead (@LFG) + co-authors |
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| Cover design + 3D mockups | Creative lead |
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| Pre-launch email sequence (3 emails) built + tagged | Exec co-author + Email lead |
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| LinkedIn organic pre-launch calendar | Creative lead |
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### 1D · Community & the learning loop
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| Task | Owner |
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|:--|:--|
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| Try-it feedback loop live in the community channel (pinned template) | Product |
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| Book Circles playbook (1 page) + pilot cohort announced | Product + community |
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| Affiliate program live: Kickbooster account, rates set, co-authors invited | Commercial |
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| Workflow-of-the-Week showcase format + first few episodes planned | Product + WeOwn.FM |
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**✅ Gate 1 — ready to rehearse.** Minimum Lovable Library seeded to its floor · site live with
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working HTTPS · Kickstarter copy frozen · no-crypto scrub passed · pre-launch list on track to
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500 · claims register current.
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---
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## Phase 2 — Launch rehearsal (the final week)
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| Task | Owner |
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|:--|:--|
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| Full dry run: page live, access-key flow tested, all tracking + affiliate links, test email send | Exec co-author + Commercial |
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| Day-1 playbook refreshed (hour-by-hour, 6am→9pm) | Exec co-author |
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| Risk sweep: re-read the risk register against current reality | Product |
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| Final pre-launch list push (target 500) | All |
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| Final claims pass — no draft/open figure on any surface | Product |
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**✅ Gate 2 — all green → LAUNCH 9/26/2026.**
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---
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## Phase 3 — Campaign (~33 days)
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The standard Kickstarter arc:
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- **Day 1 (09-26):** live at 6am · launch email · all-team social · hourly backer monitoring ·
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Day-1 goal ~30% funded + 100 backers.
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- **Week 1:** reply to every comment within ~2h · early-bird urgency (cap 200) · "FUNDED in X
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days" moment at $5K.
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- **Week 2 (ads on):** LinkedIn A/B (3 creatives) → scale the winner · Meta retargeting · mid
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emails.
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- **Week 3 (mid-push):** anti-dead-zone tactics — signed/personalized tier, stretch-goal
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announcements, guest posts, press, a live Workflow-of-the-Week episode.
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- **Final 48h:** 24h / 3h / final-call emails.
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- **Weekly ritual:** metrics vs. targets + a claims check; feed learnings into steering.
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**✅ Gate 3 — campaign close.** ≥$5K minimum (mandatory) · report vs. $35K/$54K · affiliate share
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vs. 20% target · begin the handoff of backers into the ecosystem funnel. *(Remember: hitting the
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$5K floor proves people will pre-order — it does not prove renewal or contribution. Read the
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product-health numbers with equal weight.)*
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---
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## Phase 4 — Fulfillment & the living book (post-campaign → 2027)
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| # | Milestone | Target |
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|:--|:--|:--|
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| 4.1 | Campaign final update + backer emails (funded / what's next) | +48h |
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| 4.2 | Manuscript complete (all verticals) | ~Day 60 |
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| 4.3 | Professional editing | ~Day 75 |
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| 4.4 | Layout + design | ~Day 85 |
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| 4.5 | Final proof | ~Day 90 |
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| 4.6 | Print run (hardcopy upcharge) | ~Day 95 |
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| 4.7 | Digital access keys issued (ledger + email; content format finalized) | ~Day 100 |
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| 4.8 | Signed hardcopies shipped | ~Day 110 |
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| 4.9 | All rewards fulfilled | ~Day 120 |
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| 4.10 | **Subscription renewal system live** (year-2 $47/yr; lifetime honored per D-1) | Day 120+ |
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| 4.11 | **Open contribution live** — with a real incentive (per D-2), *now* that the library exists | Day 120+ |
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| 4.12 | Book Circles scale (pilot → several vertical cohorts); showcase becomes a regular series | 2027 Q1 |
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| 4.13 | **Annual edition v1.1** (changelog; the "stays current" promise honored) | 2027 Q1 |
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| 4.14 | Year-1 renewal cohort tracked against the 60% target | 2027 Q4 |
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| 4.15 | Decide whether to build the standalone platform; funnel operational | 2027 Q2 |
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> Note: the source plan's "NFT minting" step becomes, publicly, **"digital access key
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> issuance."** Same fulfillment, no-crypto framing.
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---
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## Budget (planning baseline — reforecast at Gate 1)
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| Item | Cost |
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|:--|:--|
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| LinkedIn ads (campaign wks 2–4) | $1,300 |
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| Meta ads | $700 |
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| Google ads | $280 |
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| Cover / video edit | $0–500 |
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| Kickstarter fees (~8% on $35K) | ~$2,800 |
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| Kickbooster (~10% on referred pledges) | ~$700 |
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| Domain renewal | ~$15–20 |
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| **Pre-revenue total** | **~$6,000** |
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| Projected revenue | $35,000–$54,000 |
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| Projected net | ~$28,500–$48,000 |
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---
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## Who owns what
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Plain roles, with the internal handle in parentheses for traceability.
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| Workstream | Lead | Support |
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|:--|:--|:--|
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| Commercial + pricing sign-offs (D-1/D-2, domain) | Commercial lead (@GTM) | Campaign lead (@THY) |
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| Campaign page, account, launch ops | Campaign lead (@THY) | Exec co-author (@CEO), Creative (@LFG) |
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| Content & curation (incl. the Minimum Lovable Library) | Lead co-authors (@THY + @CEO) | Contributors, Product (template), dev/QA (kits) |
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| Site / domain / affiliate tech | Site admin (@GTM) | Email lead (@LDC), dev (staged POC) |
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| Email / CRM | Email lead (@LDC) | Exec co-author (copy) |
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| Creative (cover / video / social) | Creative lead (@LFG) | All |
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| Community & learning loop (Circles, showcase) | Product (@pat) | Community channel, design support |
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| **Spec / PRD / metrics / claims governance** | **Product (@pat)** | Format & governance support |
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---
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## Dependencies in one line
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Renew domain (now) → push site → pre-launch list + affiliate live · Decide pricing (this week) →
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freeze copy → submit to Kickstarter · Seed the library + sample chapters → hero video + backer
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preview → launch 9/26.
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## Review loop
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Living artifact. Each week (post-metrics): Product updates this plan with actual dates and
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owners; the team reviews; deviations are noted here. Keep the claims register and content-format
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conformance current as you go.
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---
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## Appendix — What changed in this revision
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A plain-language rewrite with the product review folded in:
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1. **Re-sorted around the core loop and the content risk.** The old "Phase 0 decisions" now open
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with renewing the domain and seeding the **Minimum Lovable Library** — the two things most
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likely to sink the launch — instead of a flat list of governance gates.
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2. **Domain is a same-day chore, not a gated decision** (task 0.1).
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3. **Added the Minimum Lovable Library as an explicit Phase-1 gate** — a beautiful campaign
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around an empty library fails.
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4. **Landing page is now a hook A/B test**, not just an email-capture gate — learn which message
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converts before spending ad budget.
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5. **Paid contribution (D-2) is on the critical path**, and "open contribution" in Phase 4 is
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explicitly tied to having a real incentive.
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6. **Product-health metrics get equal weight** at campaign close — "funded" isn't "validated."
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7. **Governance ceremony trimmed** to the two gates that matter (no-crypto scrub, truth in
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claims).
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8. **Jargon translated out** — internal seat/role codes and merge-history removed; owners shown
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as plain roles with handles kept for traceability.
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