---
aliases: ["Write e-book first draft (ch 1-5)"]
Is A: Task
Belongs to: "[[25q3]]"
Status: Done
Owner: "[[person-luca-rossi]]"
---
# Write e-book first draft (ch 1-5)

Following the outline completed in [[25q2]], this task produced the first draft of the e-book's first five chapters, covering Part 1 ("The Transition") and the beginning of Part 2 ("The Craft"). These chapters address the most universal experiences of the IC-to-manager transition: the identity shift, first 1-on-1s, giving feedback, hiring your first report, and managing former peers.

The writing approach was to start with the corresponding newsletter editions from the content library, expand them with additional depth and examples, and weave them into a cohesive narrative rather than a collection of articles. This required significant rewriting -- roughly 40% of the final text was new material.

## Acceptance criteria

- [x] Complete first drafts of chapters 1 through 5 (target: 25,000-30,000 words total)
- [x] Ensure each chapter stands alone while contributing to the overall narrative arc
- [x] Include at least 2 real-world examples per chapter (anonymized from newsletter reader stories)
- [x] Send chapters 1-3 to [[person-sara-ricci]] for initial editorial feedback
- [x] Maintain a writing schedule of 1,500 words/day on designated writing days

## Notes

- The first draft came in at 27,400 words across 5 chapters. The writing pace averaged about 1,200 words per writing day -- slightly below the 1,500 target, but the quality was higher than expected.
- [[person-sara-ricci]]'s feedback on the first 3 chapters was encouraging: the narrative voice is strong, but the transitions between "newsletter-adapted" sections and new material are sometimes jarring. This will be addressed in the second draft.
- Chapter 3 ("Giving Feedback as a New Manager") is the strongest chapter so far and may work as a standalone excerpt for marketing purposes.
