more than a calling card but not your whole calling,
your book falls somewhere in between.
here's how the Clarity Spectrum can help.

You wouldn't spend this much energy, time, and effort for the sake of writing itself. You want your book to be good. You want it to really matter.

Sometimes, it feels undefinable—like putting your book in a box would be as impossible as fitting your unique background, perspective, and insight under a single label.

This kind of book can't be rushed. Not because you're slow, but because you care.

The book world has a language problem. Authors are told to figure out where a book belongs before we’ve written it—not based on what helps us or our readers, but by an outdated industry's limited sales categories.

So if you don't feel particularly unlocked by trying to wedge your ideas into a single genre or to reverse-engineer a book for "market fit," you're not alone. When you’re writing a purpose-first, product-second book, that approach rarely works.

The Clarity Spectrum exists to shift that pattern. Instead of asking where your book might sell someday, it asks where it speaks now. It helps you name what kind of experience your book creates and how that creation can emerge from unique strengths as a writer, expert, thinker, human.

And a huge step of that process is pausing to celebrate this moment: The part where you acknowledged that you don't know what you don't know. The part where you refused to perform "book" to someone else's standards. The part where you care too much about your message and your reader to give them something generic.

That part? That's what makes authors who are great, readers who are changed, and books that matter. You're right where you need to be. Now let's see where you can go.

Meet the
Clarity Spectrum

all 9 types

how the clarity spectrum defines undefineable books

start with:

the intention behind your book—the feeling that pulled you here in the first place and still won't let you go

layer in:

the impact you want to create, the shift you hope your reader will feel, the change you know your book can hold

build toward:

the point where your larger purpose, your reader’s experience, and the shared journey of your book all intersect

how to know you need a new lens for your book

You might notice...

You’ve written pages—or even full drafts, plural—but you still don't see your process or your book reflected in mainstream writing advice
Every time you try to describe your book, you start with “it’s kind of like…” then eventually apologize for rambling
You keep second-guessing yourself, thinking you should go deeper, be more useful, get more personal, or pull yourself out of it entirely
You’ve taken courses, read books, maybe even hired editors, but nothing has made the book on the page match the shape of the book that's in your head

Underneath, what's really happening is…

You’re filtering through than one kind of lens at once—your personal, professional, and philosophical priorities hold equal weight
Your larger work in the world matters more than anything, but you haven't pinpointed a specific role that the book plays within it
You're worried that if you don't get it right, you'll have to go through this process all over again, which has given overthinking and perfectionism a foothold
You care too much to give your reader something that’s "technically done” but not deeply true, helpful, or impactful

The Clarity Spectrum can help by...

Blending author intent and reader impact to create a tone, structure, and level of depth that resonates rather than restricts
Separating this one book from the immediate business goals that pull your focus and the long-term life goals that add too much weight
Freeing you from the pressure to do everything at once so that you can do one thing really well
Letting you create from a place of flow—without force or obligation—so the right book will find its home on the right shelves when it's the right time

varying shapes a clarity spectrum book can take

the direct:
pure book type

these books land squarely in one of the nine core Spectrum types—the author's intention is clear, their impact focused, and the structure of their Clarity type supports that vision from start to finish

the nuanced:
blended book type

these books hold a core Clarity Spectrum type but weave in a strong element from another for added nuance—not because anyone else requires it, but because the book itself asks for it

the slow:
emerging book type

some books ask for more exploration, more experimentation, more presence—and the authors who meet that process with the space and grace it requires often find that their Clarity type emerges in time

what you need to know about using the clarity spectrum

The Clarity Spectrum can help you write with your book type's specific needs, pitfalls, and expectations in mind. Here's what else you need to know—especially if you haven't yet found a type that feels like "home."

You'll need: To give yourself credit for what you do know—even if you don’t yet have the language to describe it.

You can expect: To lean into your instincts, even if you're not used to trusting them yet. Clarity is often felt before it's named, so find the resonance first and address the resistance later.

You'll need: To choose which part of your work this book is meant to hold.

You can expect: To feel like you're excluding one intention or another by emphasizing one at a time. You're not. A good story can magnetize and the right tool can connect. Books that start with clarity first can expand to hold complexity later.

You'll need: A willingness to explore—to test your ideas, voice, and message—until you land on a direction with or without the Spectrum.

You can expect: To get comfortable with “I don’t know” as an honest starting point. Just know that staying there too long will leave your book blurry and blocked. Narrowing your focus helps keep you moving.

You’ll need: A clear direction for this book, in alignment with your wider focus.

You can expect: To discover that narrowing the book doesn't make your work smaller. It helps your process flow, your message land, and your book meet the reader it’s meant to move.

Watch out for…

The temptation to "I don't know" your way out of key decisions. Uncertainty is a valid signal, but it’s not a place to stay. Without clarifying your book’s intentions, you’ll keep rewriting without traction—or worse, finish something that doesn't actually fit.

Trying to make one book do everything. If you’re struggling to define your book, you might be unconsciously trying to fit your entire body of work into this one project. If the red side of the Spectrum is appealing because you need clients—but your book is inching toward purple—you can meet "magnetic" needs with something else while the book holds the integrity of your vision.

Chasing strategy when what you need is clarity. No marketing, editor, or AI tool can name your intention for you. Until you decide what purpose and impact your book is asking to uphold, every strategic choice you're advised to take will feel mismatched. Get clear first, then you can move.

try this 5 Minute Outline warm-up for clarity

1. Why do we—you, your readers, or both—care about the topic of this book? Where is our focus right now?

2. What's in our way—standing between where we are now and where you'd like us to be?

3. What is my key takeaway? The one thing I want readers to know, feel, or do after reading this book?

4. What anchors us to this takeaway, making us as readers believe that we can take away the takeaway? What made you believe?

5. What is on the other side of this takeaway? (Be honest about the good, the challenging, and the surprising.)

What's Next?

Whatever book you’re building, it’s easy to overthink the next step. Or any step. All of the steps. It happens.

Here’s the simplest way to stay connected to what matters most. Simply—and frequently—ask yourself:

How does this book fit into my larger work in the world?
What would help my reader most in this moment?

These two questions will keep you aligned every time you start to second-guess.

And when you’re ready for deeper support, here are two more ways to keep moving at your pace, in your way.

Get Unstuck Right Now

Need to separate your book from all the other magic you're making? Want to zero in on a book type even if the quiz didn't cut it? Just need traction? Book a One Hour Clarity Session to identify your next right step and the support you'll need to take it.

Whether it’s an idea you’re circling, a draft that feels messy, or a process that’s stalled, this space is ready for you. No prep required. No pre-reqs to hit. I'll meet wherever you are and move your book forward with practical clarity.

Get a Clear Direction

Not sure what kind of book you’re writing or how to refine the one you’ve already started? A Clear Direction Analysis gives you the insight you need to move forward with purpose, clarity, and a plan that honors your voice and vision.

I'll read the book on the page—whatever you have, in whatever shape it's in—and then we'll get on a call to surface the book that's in your head. Together, we'll name your author persona, reader experience, and ideal structure of the shared experience your book creates.

Afterward, you'll get a set of steps that allow you to move forward without second-guessing—following the flow until you've finished something that actually fits.

You don’t need a polished draft to name a clear direction. Just a willingness to figure out what this book really wants to be.

Remember that you’re writing toward something bigger than a $24.99 sale.

Remember that you’re offering the reader something more than a few hours of escape.

You’re building a bridge between your truth and theirs.

Be kind to both of you (author and reader) as you bring that vision to life.

You already are the magic.

I’ll be here when you’re ready to bring that magic to the page.

get direction

get clear