Gary and I enjoy watching YouTube. We have various channels that we always watch. We particularly enjoy travel, architecture, creative people . . . and cats! Mixed among those listings are always videos advertising how to make money. Sometimes we watch one or two. Many seem like something we could do. One group was enticing: how to make passive income—selling puzzle books on Amazon—especially word search puzzle books.
It is easy they said. You can make money they said. You can make ten puzzles in an hour they said. The more you have online, the better chance you have of selling enough to make money.
Gary and I watched several “How To” videos. We decided that we would give it a shot. First, you find a topic that is popular and using various word generators (AI), you produce a list of words related to that topic and a program will make the puzzles. You use a template for the cover and voila you have a book!
Yes, doing it that way is simple. The catch is that the books made by AI are not that interesting—at least to me. Many of the words are rather lame. Each individual puzzle does not have a topic, rather the entire book is one topic and the words are randomly placed under each puzzle.
Doing It My Own Way
My brain prefers order and logic—and something educational. So I set about creating word search books using my own research (not AI).
I started with a topic that is interesting to me, such as rocks. (I find it hard to work on something that doesn’t fascinate me.) I divided that into five subtopics: Rocks, Minerals, Gemstones, Tools and Terms, and Just for Fun. Each of the five subtopics has eleven puzzles with a topic and twenty words under each puzzle.
It took more than an hour to make. The research for each puzzle book took several weeks plus several more days of editing and proofing. Gary designed the cover by taking pictures of rocks from my own collection. Then we loaded all that information into a program that produces the puzzles and solution pages.
When I was a child one of the first professions I was interested in was geology. Making this book gave me a chance to revisit many of the words and terms that I had not thought about in decades. I still have my rock collection so designing a cover was easy for my husband to do.
I must say that I enjoyed the process. I love words and this certainly is a lot of words and information packed into a fun puzzle book. Maybe I did need a hobby!
Word Search Puzzle Books from HMMP Publications
So far we have created these puzzle books. Click on the links to see them.
Summer Vacation Word Search
At the Beach. Road Trips. National Parks. Camping and Hiking. On a Cruise.
Rocks, Minerals, and Gemstones Word Search
Rocks. Minerals. Gemstones. Tools and Terms. Just for Fun.
American Architecture and Construction Word Search
Architectural Styles. Building Types. Tools and Materials. Famous Architects and Structures. Sustainable Architecture.
Peg’s Potpourri of Word Search Puzzles, Volume One
Sixty puzzles with sixty topics which include: Aquatic Animals. Kinds of Art. Humor. Rivers in the United States.
Peg’s Potpourri of Word Search Puzzles, Volume Two
Sixty puzzles with sixty topics which include: Dancing. Detective Story. Ancient Greece. National Parks.
Peg’s Potpourri of Word Search Puzzles, Volume Three
Sixty puzzles with sixty topics which include: Jazz Musicians. Languages. Baseball. Eighties TV. Card Games.
Journal from HMMP Publications
I love journals and we also made this beautiful journal:
Just for Fun—A New Hobby
I found creating these books to be relaxing, rewarding, and enjoyable. Take a look and give one a try. Puzzles are a fun way to unwind while stimulating your mind! They also make great gifts for that family member or friend who is hard to buy for.
I am working on another word search book about the United States. It will be out soon!
Inspired by making the word search book about rocks, we stopped at several places on our recent cross country trip to buy some rocks.
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.