kdp · variety books
Variety puzzle books for KDP, ready to upload
A variety book holds several kinds of puzzle: pick 2 to 9 of sudoku, word search, mazes, cryptograms, word scrambles, number search, kakuro, fill in and killer sudoku, then the level, the number of puzzles and the trim size. The book opens with a contents page, each kind starts with its own page of rules, and all the solutions are at the back, kind by kind. You get the interior PDF, the full wrap cover with the spine sized to the page count, and a signed check of both files against KDP’s paperback specs. One price for any book: 500 credits, from $3.30 in the big pack.
The sample book, as delivered
How a variety book is put together
- Each kind checked by its own program. Every puzzle goes through the same second program as in a book of one kind: one solution for every sudoku, killer sudoku, kakuro and fill in, one route through every maze, every listed word or number exactly once in its grid, every code decoded back to its quote, every scramble spelled again from its letters.
- A contents page. Where each kind’s puzzles start, how many there are, and where its answers start, with the page numbers that are printed on the pages.
- Rules before each kind. Each kind opens with its own page of rules for the level you chose, so a solver who turns to the mazes finds the maze rules there.
- Answers by kind. At the back, in the same order, under headings such as Sudoku Answers and Maze Solutions.
- A cover that shows the mix. The front shows the first puzzle of up to four of the book’s kinds side by side; the back names every kind.
What you choose
| Kinds | 2 to 9 of sudoku, word search, mazes, cryptograms, word scrambles, number search, kakuro, fill in and killer sudoku, in the order shown on the form; the default is word search, sudoku, cryptograms and mazes |
|---|---|
| Puzzles | Up to 150, shared evenly by the kinds (100 puzzles of 4 kinds: 25 of each); at least 4 of each kind and enough to fill KDP’s 24 pages. The form shows the range for the kinds, size and level you pick |
| Level | Easy, medium or hard, the same level for every kind |
| Themes | Word search, word scramble and fill in puzzles each have a theme: 103 everyday themes in turn, or the ones you pick from 163, the 60 Christmas and winter themes included |
| Large print | On by default, with the same rules as each kind’s own large print books: what changes |
| Trim size | 6 × 9, 7 × 10, 8 × 10, 8.5 × 11 in or A4; white or cream paper |
| Title and author | Your title, subtitle and name or imprint, printed on the cover, the spine and the title page |
| Seed | The same seed and settings make exactly the same book again; left empty, every book is new |
Questions
What is a variety puzzle book?
One book with several kinds of puzzle, so the solver can switch from a word search to a sudoku to a maze. They are a common gift for adults and seniors, often in large print. Ours keeps each kind together in its own section, opened by its rules, with a contents page at the front.
How are the puzzles shared out?
Evenly, in the order of the kinds. 100 puzzles of 4 kinds make 25 of each; when the count does not divide, the first kinds get one more. A kind never goes past the most its own books allow at that level.
Will KDP accept the files?
Each book passes our check against KDP’s published paperback specs before you can download it: page size, page count, embedded fonts, margins and gutter for the page count, cover size and spine. If KDP still rejects the files within 30 days, the book’s 500 credits go back to your key.
What goes in the listing?
listing.txt in the ZIP has a title, a subtitle that names the kinds, a description, seven keyword ideas for variety books and the print options to pick on KDP. The preview folder has six images of real pages, the contents page among them.
Also: large print puzzle books · Christmas puzzle books · word search books · sudoku books