Book_Map

An agent-first book authoring and editing system. Adapted from Context_Map for managing book projects with AI agents.

What This Is

Book_Map applies the same principles that make agent-led software development work — progressive disclosure, single source of truth, session handoffs, quality scoring, enforcement scripts — to the domain of writing books.

It manages the full lifecycle: from blank page through drafting, developmental editing, line editing, copy editing, and production — keeping agents aligned with voice, structure, and editorial standards across sessions.

Quick Start

For agents: Start at AGENTS.md (or your platform-specific entry file).

For humans: Start here.

Repository Structure

docs/                  Shared operational truth (voice, style, workflows, quality)
  book/                Shared book architecture (voice, style, glossary, fact model)
  decisions/EDR/       Editorial Decision Records
  workflows/           Drafting, editing, and series workflows
  quality/             Quality scorecard + editorial debt
  agent-guide/         Agent onboarding, tasks, roles
  session/             Session handoff
series/                Series-level continuity (arc, characters, world, threads)
books/                 Per-book content
  book-01/
    manuscript/        Chapters, front/back matter
    docs/book/         Per-book docs (outline, continuity bible, overview)
plans/                 Execution plans (temporal, lifecycle-bound)
scripts/               Validation and enforcement (read-only)
guide/                 Methodology + craft reference (read-only)

Key Principles

1. The repo is the system — structure encodes the methodology
2. Single source of truth — content exists once, pointers replace duplication
3. Progressive disclosure — entry file → index → detail in ≤3 hops
4. Docs are system of record — if it is in docs/, it is true
5. Separate temporal from evergreen — plans vs docs vs guide
6. Enforce what matters — validation scripts check structural invariants
7. Editorial decisions are recorded — EDRs prevent re-litigation
8. Freshness is measurable — every doc has a review date
9. Agent ergonomics over aesthetics — structure for parseability
10. Minimize coordination cost — session handoffs capture state

Validation Scripts

scripts/check-structure.sh            # Required files/dirs exist
scripts/check-doc-freshness.sh        # Docs reviewed within 30 days
scripts/check-agent-files.sh          # Entry files route correctly
scripts/check-manuscript-metadata.sh  # Chapter metadata present
scripts/check-outline-coverage.sh     # Outline ↔ chapter mapping
scripts/check-style-sheet-terms.sh    # Forbidden terms flagged
scripts/check-series-continuity.sh    # Series documents consistent
scripts/check-thread-resolution.sh    # Plot threads tracked to resolution

Guide

The guide/ directory contains 13 chapters covering the Book_Map methodology, book development craft, and series management. See guide/README.md for the chapter listing.

License

MIT