Stocking Stuffer Puzzle Books: A Pocket-Size KDP Guide

Every December, someone needs one more small thing for a stocking. Stocking stuffer puzzle books fill that gap, and they are one of the few Christmas puzzle books where small is the selling point.

This guide covers the size, puzzle count, price and timing for a pocket-size KDP puzzle book, and how to build one from a template this week. All the print math uses KDP's published US costs.

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What makes a good stocking stuffer puzzle book?

A good stocking stuffer puzzle book is small, cheerful and finishable. It should fit in a stocking without bending, look like a gift at a glance, and hold enough puzzles to last past Boxing Day.

That rules out the big 8.5 x 11 activity book that dominates the shelf. It also gives a smaller publisher room, because a pocket format is a different search and a different shopper.

• Size: 5 x 8 inches, or 5.25 x 8 or 5.5 x 8.5 for a little more room.
• Length: 50 to 80 puzzles plus answers, roughly 60 to 110 pages.
• Look: a bright, simple cover that says the format and the theme in a few words.
• Buyer: parents, grandparents and office gift swaps looking for something under ten dollars.

Why does trim size change your royalty?

KDP sorts trims into standard and large, and large trims cost more to print. Per KDP's trim size guidelines, anything up to 6.12 inches wide and 9 inches tall is standard, so a 5 x 8 book pays $2.30 to print from 24 to 110 pages, while an 8.5 x 11 book pays $2.84.

The royalty rate matters even more. KDP pays 60% of list price at $9.99 and up, but 50% below it, so the price you pick decides most of what you keep.

We cannot tell you which price sells more stocking stuffers, because that depends on your cover and your niche. What the table does show is that $9.99 earns about 68% more per copy than $8.99, so a lower price has to sell a lot more books to come out ahead.

Which puzzles fit a pocket-size page?

Puzzles with compact grids or short text fit a 5 x 8 page best. A sudoku grid, a one-quote cryptogram or a short word scramble list reads comfortably at that size, while a big 20 x 20 word search would need type too small for most solvers.

Try a page before you build a book. The free sudoku generator, cryptogram maker and word search maker each make a single printable page, so you can print one and hold it at stocking size.

How to build a pocket puzzle book in the Book Studio

The fastest route is to start from the Christmas template and shrink it. You change the trim, cut the puzzle count, and the Studio redraws every page and the answer key at the new size.

1. Open the Christmas word search template in the Book Studio.
2. Change Trim size to 5" x 8" in the Your Book panel.
3. Lower the section counts to a total of 50 to 80 puzzles, or add a sudoku section for variety.
4. Build the book, then read the KDP check panel for trim, page count, margins and fonts.
5. Download the first 10 pages and the cover free, print them at actual size, and check the type on paper.
6. When it reads well, export the full interior with a Publisher plan and upload it to KDP.

When should a stocking stuffer book be live?

As soon as you can, ideally in late October or early November. KDP review can take up to 72 hours, a printed proof takes time to arrive, and buyers order stocking gifts through early December.

The calendar and cover advice in our Christmas puzzle books Q4 playbook applies here too, and the Q4 cover design guide covers small-format covers. A pocket book also keeps paying off, because the same file can sell again every December.

For the full publishing walkthrough, see how to publish low-content puzzle books on KDP, and browse every free tool on the KDP hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size should a stocking stuffer puzzle book be?

A stocking stuffer puzzle book works best at 5 x 8 inches or a similar small trim, because it fits in a stocking and still holds a readable puzzle. On KDP, any trim up to 6.12 x 9 inches counts as a standard trim and prints at the lower flat rate.

How many puzzles should a pocket-size puzzle book have?

Fifty to eighty puzzles plus answer keys is a comfortable range for a 5 x 8 stocking stuffer. That usually keeps the book under 110 pages, where KDP charges one flat printing fee.

What price should a stocking stuffer puzzle book be?

Small gift books often sit between $6.99 and $9.99. On KDP the royalty jumps at $9.99, so a 5 x 8 book earns about $2.20 at $8.99 and about $3.69 at $9.99, before you weigh which price buyers prefer.

Which puzzles fit best on a small 5 x 8 page?

Sudoku, cryptograms, word scrambles and smaller word search grids fit a 5 x 8 page well. Large print puzzles do not, so save those for an 8.5 x 11 book.