Guides

Guides for puzzle book publishers

How to plan, lay out and check a puzzle book for Amazon KDP, Etsy or an e-ink tablet. The KDP numbers link to the official help pages, and the examples are real pages from our studio.

Format and print

• KDP margins, gutter and bleed for puzzle booksThe KDP margin rules for a puzzle book interior: inside margin by page count, outside margins with and without bleed, page size with bleed, and how to keep grids out of the binding.
• The best trim size and paper for a puzzle book6 x 9, 8 x 10, 8.5 x 11 or A4? How trim size changes grid size, page count and printing cost for a KDP puzzle book, and whether to choose white or cream paper.
• Spine width and cover size for a puzzle bookHow to work out the spine width and full cover size of a KDP paperback from its page count and paper, with worked examples for 6 x 9 and 8.5 x 11 puzzle books.
• Large print puzzle books: font size and layoutHow to make a large print Sudoku or word search book that older readers can actually use: type size, one grid per page, trim size, line weight and what to say in the listing.
• Puzzle book interior PDF checklist for KDPA checklist for a puzzle book interior PDF before you upload it to KDP: page size, margins, fonts, line weight, page count, answer key, metadata and the print previewer.

Planning the book

• How to make a Sudoku book for KDP, step by stepA step by step guide to making a Sudoku puzzle book for Amazon KDP: reader, trim size, number of puzzles, difficulty, how-to page, answer key, interior PDF, cover and listing.
• How to make a word search book for KDPHow to plan a word search puzzle book for Amazon KDP: grid sizes and word counts by level, themes, word list rules, brand names, answer keys and large print.
• How many puzzles per book, and how to mix the levelsHow to choose the number of puzzles, the difficulty mix and the sections of a puzzle book, with real page counts for 100 and 150 puzzle books and what they cost to print on KDP.
• Answer keys and unique solutions in puzzle booksWhy every puzzle in a book needs exactly one solution, how to check it, how to lay out an answer key readers can use, and what a verification page adds.
• Logic puzzle books beyond SudokuA publisher's guide to eleven logic puzzle types for books: who each one suits, grid sizes by level, how hard it is to explain, and what to watch for in layout and answer keys.
• Puzzle book ideas for 2026, and how to test themHow to find a puzzle book niche on Amazon in 2026 without guessing: combine a reader, a puzzle type and a format, check the competition yourself, and plan a series. 20 ideas to test.
• How to price a puzzle book on KDPHow KDP printing cost and royalty work for puzzle books on Amazon.com, the 50% and 60% royalty rates, worked examples for 6 x 9 and 8.5 x 11 books, and how page count changes your price.

KDP rules

• Why KDP rejects puzzle books, and how to avoid itThe usual reasons KDP blocks or rejects puzzle books: formatting errors, wrong low-content setting, disappointing or duplicate content, metadata. What KDP's help pages say and what to check.
• Are puzzle books low content on KDP?What KDP means by low-content books, why puzzle books are listed as not generally low-content, and what that changes for ISBN, series, Look Inside and Expanded Distribution.
• Puzzle generators, duplicate content and licencesCan you publish puzzles from a generator, a free website or a PLR pack on KDP? What KDP says about freely available and reused content, what to check in a generator's licence, and how to keep every book different.
• Copyright and trademarks in puzzle booksWhat to check before you publish a puzzle book: puzzle names that are trademarks in some countries, brand names in word lists, font licences, the copyright page and the licence of your puzzle source. Not legal advice.
• AI disclosure for puzzle books on KDP and EtsyWhat KDP and Etsy ask about AI-generated content, how that applies to puzzles, word lists, covers and descriptions, and how to answer truthfully. With quotes from the official pages.

E-ink and Etsy

• Puzzle books for Kindle ScribeHow puzzle PDFs work on the Kindle Scribe: Send to Kindle versus USB, page shape, tap-through contents and solutions, and where to sell them, since KDP write-on books are not an option for self-publishers.
• Puzzle PDFs for reMarkable, Boox and SupernoteHow to make Sudoku and logic puzzle PDFs that work well on reMarkable, Boox and Supernote tablets: screen sizes, page shape, toolbar margins, hyperlinked contents and what to tell buyers.
• Selling printable puzzle books on EtsyHow to sell printable and e-ink puzzle books on Etsy as digital downloads: file limits, the "made or designed by you" rule, AI disclosure, answer keys in one file, listing photos and descriptions.