The Iceberg Museum

💡The Iceberg Museum Framework takes the 90% of the work used to create your Open World and puts it on display for all to explore for FREE. This creates greater Fan Demand for the remaining 10% normally reserved for your products.

The Iceberg Museum Framework is like the “Iceberg Method 2.0” — the Bigger Brother of a popular and well accepted approach to worldbuilding called The Iceberg Framework.

The Iceberg Museum focuses on Open Worldbuilding and using Artifacts to foster long-term relationships with Explorers rather than just relying one-off transactions with products.

The Old Way:
The Iceberg Framework

On the surface The Iceberg Museum seems to be nearly identical.

But The Iceberg Museum is massively evolved once you dig just a little deeper.

And my studies are showing this framework to be any micro-worldbuilder’s only advantage to compete with the Iconic Worlds and hopefully one day grow to be one themselves.

Source: Leo De Wijs

Brandon Sanderson, a well known high fantasy & science fiction author, explains the Iceberg Framework like this:

The top of the iceberg is what makes it into “the book,” the bottom of the iceberg is what you (the worldbuilder) knows.

Brandon Sanderson

Why hide all your hard work and ideas?

There are two key problems here:

  1. The Iceberg Method is generally product-centered — not people centered
  2. A ton of your ideas and details (90%) go to waste

That’s 90% of your work that goes unused — and often unnoticed.

The Iceberg Museum Framework solves this problem.

Flip the Iceberg Framework on its Head

Build Iceberg Museums. Not Just Icebergs.

Completely flip the old framework upside down.

  1. Put 90% your world on exhibit for all Explorers to see and explore
  2. Reserve the remaining 10% of the world in paid products

Iceberg Museum Key Advantage 1: No Idea Left Behind

The key difference between The Iceberg Museum and the The Iceberg is that the remaining 90% (that would normally go unseen) is intentionally put on exhibit by you — The Worldbuilder in the form of Artifacts to be discovered by Explorers.

  • 90% of your work and ideas is not lost
  • 90% of your work and ideas is not wasted
  • 90% of your work and ideas is not collecting dust somewhere

Now, 90% of your work is out in the wild — strategically planted by you for Explorers to discover to their surprise — like an archaeologist finding treasures in the ground.

The Iceberg Museum allows worldbuilders to:

  • create and publish early and often
  • get near instant feedback
  • make your worlds even “stickier” in Explorers’ minds

And this creates a more immersive world for anyone who encounters it.

Iceberg Museum Key Advantage 2: Grow as you Go

Whether you’re struggling to grow with your current World or you’re starting from scratch (like me) — Open Worldbuilding with the Iceberg Museum Framework presents a worldbuilding experience with considerably less friction.

Begin Publishing “underwater” content for FREE on Day 1 — not months (or years) later once you finally complete your product (book, comic, script, film, game, etc.)

Begin building your Fanbase on Day 1 — putting artifacts in front of Explorers and immediately opening up a world for them to inhabit, explore and share with their like-minded friends.

Begin Building Demand of your Products on Day 1 — Even if you haven’t started on your product, you can be creating artifacts that point to the product which builds up Fan Demand (curiosity, desire and massive demand) over time.

⚡Next Steps

See Parts I and II of my Iconic Worlds Primer for deeper dives into the Iceberg Museum framework.