How much does it cost?

A project unlocks for $4.99, paid once. After that you can export the interior and solutions PDFs at any KDP trim, as many formats as you like, forever. There is no subscription.

What do I get when I export?

One print-ready 300 DPI interior PDF, with the answers at the back, sized for the KDP trim you choose. That interior is the single file you upload to KDP. You also get a separate solutions PDF.

Are the puzzles guaranteed to have one solution?

Yes, and it is the thing to check when you compare Heyawake books. Every board is proved to shade exactly one way before it enters the book, which most room layouts you could draw would not.

How is the answer page printed?

The same grid with every shaded square filled in dark grey rather than solid black, because that much solid black cockles an interior sheet and shows through the leaf. Where a number sits on a square the answer shades, it is reversed out in white so it stays readable, which is what a printed answer key does.

Is a Heyawake the same as a nurikabe?

No, though both shade a grid and both keep the unshaded squares connected. In nurikabe the numbers give the size of unshaded islands and the shaded squares are meant to join up; here the numbers count shaded squares inside a room, the shaded squares may never touch, and the rule that really drives it is that no straight run of unshaded squares may cross two room walls. We publish both.

Can I try it before I pay?

Yes. The free Heyawake generator makes a real 2-page puzzle in your browser with no sign-up. The unlock is only for a full multi-puzzle project you plan to publish.

Can I sell the books I make?

Yes. The exported interiors are yours to publish and sell on Amazon KDP or print yourself. The per-project unlock covers unlimited exports of that project.

Publisher Studio

The KDP Heyawake maker

Generate a whole graded Heyawake book, then export it at every KDP trim, print-ready at 300 DPI. Make one puzzle free in your browser, unlock a full project for a one-time fee, and export unlimited formats forever.

Open Publisher Studio Make one free first

$4.99 once per project. Unlimited exports, every trim. No subscription.

Every puzzle shades exactly one way

This takes real work in this genre, and the studio gets it by running the solver backwards: it cuts the rooms, asks the solver for one answer to a board with no numbers on it, reads the room counts off that, and then takes numbers away for as long as the board still shades one way. Most room layouts admit no legal shading at all, so several are cut for every puzzle that ships.

Every KDP trim, 300 DPI

Pick any of KDP's 17 trim sizes, from 5.06 by 7.81 up to 8.27 by 11.69, with correct margins and gutter. The single interior file you upload passes KDP review.

Generate once, export forever

One project unlocks for $4.99. After that, re-export any trim, any time. No monthly subscription and nothing to cancel.

How it works

1Try a free puzzle. Use the free generator in your browser to make one Heyawake puzzle and its shaded answer, so you can see the output before you commit.
2Pick a difficulty curve. In Publisher Studio, choose how many puzzles you want at each grade, from a six by six board up to a fourteen by fourteen, and the studio generates the whole graded book.
3Choose your KDP trim. Pick a trim size. The interior is sized with the right margins and gutter for the page count so it passes KDP review.
4Unlock once, export any size. Unlock the project for $4.99, then export the print-ready interior and solutions PDFs at any trim, as often as you like.

Free tool or full studio

The free generator makes one printable puzzle to try the engine. Publisher Studio is where you make a book to sell.

Free generator	Publisher Studio
One puzzle and one answer page	Hundreds of graded puzzles with a solutions section
Large print only, printed from the browser	Every KDP trim, 300 DPI, print-ready PDFs
One board at a time	A graded curve from a 6×6 board to a 14×14
Nothing is saved once you close the tab	A durable project, re-export any size forever ($4.99)

One price, per project

$4.99

Paid once. Export unlimited formats, forever.

Print-ready 300 DPI interior PDF
Separate solutions PDF
Every KDP trim size and format
Re-export any size, any time

Open Publisher Studio

Comparison

Once Books vs Book Bolt

A purpose-built puzzle-book maker you pay for once, versus an all-in-one KDP suite on a subscription.

Questions

How much does it cost?: A project unlocks for $4.99, paid once. After that you can export the interior and solutions PDFs at any KDP trim, as many formats as you like, forever. There is no subscription.
What do I get when I export?: One print-ready 300 DPI interior PDF, with the answers at the back, sized for the KDP trim you choose. That interior is the single file you upload to KDP. You also get a separate solutions PDF.
Are the puzzles guaranteed to have one solution?: Yes, and it is the thing to check when you compare Heyawake books. Every board is proved to shade exactly one way before it enters the book, which most room layouts you could draw would not.
How is the answer page printed?: The same grid with every shaded square filled in dark grey rather than solid black, because that much solid black cockles an interior sheet and shows through the leaf. Where a number sits on a square the answer shades, it is reversed out in white so it stays readable, which is what a printed answer key does.
Is a Heyawake the same as a nurikabe?: No, though both shade a grid and both keep the unshaded squares connected. In nurikabe the numbers give the size of unshaded islands and the shaded squares are meant to join up; here the numbers count shaded squares inside a room, the shaded squares may never touch, and the rule that really drives it is that no straight run of unshaded squares may cross two room walls. We publish both.
Can I try it before I pay?: Yes. The free Heyawake generator makes a real 2-page puzzle in your browser with no sign-up. The unlock is only for a full multi-puzzle project you plan to publish.
Can I sell the books I make?: Yes. The exported interiors are yours to publish and sell on Amazon KDP or print yourself. The per-project unlock covers unlimited exports of that project.