01-projects/squarely-puzzles

amazon a plus content draft

2026-06-11·reference·status: draft — needs founder + John review before upload
squarelyamazona-plus-contentkdpcopywritingproduct-marketing

Squarely Puzzles — Amazon A+ Content Draft

Audit Summary

Current state across all three listings (as of 2026-06-11):

Opportunity: Because no A+ content exists at all, every module drafted here is net new. Amazon allows KDP authors to add A+ content via the Author Central / KDP dashboard — this is free and high-leverage. Vol 3 should be prioritized given V3-as-entry-point positioning and newest release.

ASINs:

Part 1 — Optimized Product Listing Copy (Bullets + Description)

These replace/supplement the current description text. Amazon KDP allows editing via the KDP dashboard under "Edit Book Details."

Feature Bullets (5 bullets, applies to all volumes with minor per-volume swaps)

  • A genuinely new type of logic puzzle — not Sudoku, not a crossword. Fill a 5×5 grid using only the digits 1–9, guided by two deceptively simple rules. The mechanic clicks fast; the challenge scales deep.
  • 100 puzzles per volume, easy through expert — each book spans the full difficulty arc so one volume is a complete experience. No prerequisite, no prior puzzle experience needed.
  • One puzzle per page, large readable format — 6×9 paperback with clean layout. Works at the kitchen table, on an airplane tray, in a waiting room. Nothing to download, nothing to charge.
  • Created by a retired math professor, tested on real students — John Wilson developed Squarely for his Recreational Mathematics class at Centre College. Students loved it. Now it's yours.
  • Hints + full solutions included — every puzzle has a path out if you get stuck. Work independently or check your logic afterward.

Volume 3 swap (replace first bullet with):

  • The best starting point in the series — Volume 3 includes 25 prefilled "fast-solve" puzzles designed to teach the mechanic before the difficulty ramps. Many solvers call it their favorite first book.

Product Description (long-form, per volume)

Volume 1 Description

What is Squarely?

Squarely is a logic puzzle built around a 5×5 grid and two rules. Your job: fill all 25 cells with the digits 1–9 so every row and column satisfies the given constraints. No guessing. No math beyond single-digit numbers. Pure deductive reasoning — the kind that feels like a clean snap when it resolves.

John Wilson, a retired mathematics professor from Centre College, created Squarely in 2022 and pressure-tested it on his Recreational Mathematics students before publishing. The result is a puzzle that's fast to learn and slow to master.

This volume: the original 100 puzzles.

Volume 1 runs a continuous difficulty arc from Basic through Expert. If you like watching your own skill improve, this is the cleanest progression in the series. Fifty foundational puzzles build your toolkit; the next fifty put it to work.

  • 100 puzzles: Basic → Advanced → Expert
  • Hints available for select puzzles
  • Full solutions for all 100
  • One puzzle per page, 6×9 paperback
  • Each volume is independent — you don't need to start here, but it's a great place to

All three volumes are available on Amazon. Each stands alone.

Volume 2 Description

What is Squarely?

Squarely is a logic puzzle built around a 5×5 grid and two rules. Fill all 25 cells with digits 1–9 so every row and column satisfies the constraints. No arithmetic. No guessing. Just the quiet satisfaction of locking a solution down with pure logic.

Created by retired math professor John Wilson and first published in 2023, Squarely grew out of his Recreational Mathematics class at Centre College — a course with no prerequisites, designed to make math feel like play. It still does.

This volume: 100 puzzles with cleaner clue formatting.

Reader feedback on Volume 1 pointed to one improvement: clue layout. Volume 2 addresses it. Same Squarely DNA, easier to read at the table. If you've already solved Volume 1, this is your next 100 puzzles. If you're starting here, you're not missing anything — every volume is independent.

  • 100 puzzles: Basic through Expert
  • Refined clue formatting based on reader feedback
  • Introduction with rules, examples, and strategies
  • Full solutions for all 100
  • One puzzle per page, large 6×9 format

Start with any volume. The other two will be waiting.

Volume 3 Description

What is Squarely?

Squarely is a logic puzzle built on a 5×5 grid and two rules. Fill all 25 cells with digits 1–9, satisfying the row and column constraints. No math. No guessing. The solution is always unique — and always earnable.

Created by retired math professor John Wilson and tested on his Recreational Mathematics students at Centre College, Squarely has been refined across three volumes based on real solver feedback.

This volume: the widest difficulty range in the series — and many solvers' favorite starting point.

Volume 3 opens with 25 prefilled puzzles: several cells are already filled in, letting you experience the solve mechanic and build confidence before the difficulty ramps. After that, it's the same full arc — Basic through Expert — with the cleanest presentation across all three volumes.

  • 100 puzzles, widest difficulty range in the series
  • First 25 puzzles partially prefilled for fast onboarding
  • Introduction with rules, examples, and strategies
  • Full solutions for all 100
  • One puzzle per page, 6×9 paperback

Each volume is independent. Volume 3 is where many solvers start — and a great place for you to as well.

Part 2 — A+ Content Modules

Amazon's A+ Content Builder supports several module types. Below are the recommended modules, copy-ready. Images are described as creative briefs for the designer/founder to produce.

Upload path: KDP dashboard → Marketing → A+ Content Manager → Create A+ Content → Select ASIN

Recommended module sequence for each listing:

  1. Brand Story (Brand Story module — appears at top, tied to brand not individual ASIN)
  2. Feature + Image module ×3 (core mechanics walkthrough)
  3. Comparison chart (cross-sell all three volumes)
  4. "Why Squarely" text-only module

Module 1 — Brand Story (Shared Across All Volumes)

This module displays at the top of A+ content and ties to the Squarely brand, not a single ASIN. Set it once; it appears on all volumes.

Brand logo area: Squarely wordmark (or puzzle-grid logo lockup)

Brand story headline:

A new kind of logic puzzle — made by a mathematician, designed for everyone.

Brand story body (250 words max):

Squarely started in a classroom.

In 2022, John Wilson — a mathematics professor with four decades of teaching at Centre College — wanted to give his Recreational Mathematics students something that felt like a game. No equations. No prerequisites. Just a puzzle that rewarded clear thinking.

He invented Squarely: a 5×5 grid, two rules, and a single unique solution waiting to be uncovered. He tested it on students. They liked it. He tested it on colleagues. They liked it more. In 2023, he published Volume 1.

Squarely is different from every puzzle you've tried before. It's not Sudoku. It's not a word puzzle or a math test. It's a deductive system that clicks — usually around the third or fourth puzzle, when the logic starts to flow and you stop second-guessing yourself.

Each book in the series is independent: 100 puzzles, easy through expert, one per page, no app required. Volume 3 is the best starting point for most solvers — the first 25 puzzles come partially prefilled to get you into the rhythm before things get harder.

The books are designed for the kitchen counter, the airplane, the quiet hour before the house wakes up.

Three volumes. 300 puzzles. One mechanic that never gets old.

Brand story image brief:

Module 2 — How Squarely Works (Feature + Image, ×3 panels)

Three-panel feature module walking through the mechanic. Each panel = one image + one text block.

Panel A — The Grid

Headline: A 5×5 grid. Two rules. One solution.

Body (75 words):

Every Squarely puzzle starts with a completely empty 5×5 grid. Your job is to fill all 25 cells using only the digits 1 through 9. Two rules govern every puzzle — they're simple enough to learn in 60 seconds, deep enough to keep you thinking for years. There's always a unique solution. No guessing required.

Image brief:

Panel B — Deductive Logic

Headline: Eliminate. Deduce. Lock it in.

Body (75 words):

Squarely is a pure logic puzzle. You don't need math skills — you need patience and attention. Work through the constraints: which cells can hold which digits? What does that rule out? Each elimination narrows the field until only one answer remains. The moment a puzzle resolves is the same satisfying snap every time, no matter your skill level.

Image brief:

Panel C — A Puzzle for Anywhere

Headline: No app. No wifi. No battery required.

Body (75 words):

Squarely is a paperback. That's the point. One puzzle per page, large format, built to work at the kitchen table, on a long flight, or in the waiting room. Each book is self-contained — introduction, puzzles, hints for some, full solutions for all. Pick it up anywhere in the book. No accounts, no subscriptions, no screen time.

Image brief:

Module 3 — Volume Comparison Chart

Amazon's comparison module supports up to 6 columns and 5 rows. Use 4 columns (V1, V2, V3, Bundle) and 4 rows.

Vol 1 Vol 2 Vol 3 All 3 Volumes
Puzzle count 100 100 100 300
Best for Classic progression, V1 collectors Reader-refined formatting Best starting point, widest range Complete library
Prefilled warmup puzzles No No Yes — first 25 Includes V3
Difficulty range Basic → Expert Basic → Expert Fast-solve → Expert All levels

Module headline: Three volumes. Any order. Start anywhere.

Module subheadline: Each book is independent — pick whichever sounds right. Most solvers find Volume 3 the best entry point.

Module 4 — "Why Squarely" Text Panel

Text-only module for browsers who read before buying. 400-word max.

Headline: A puzzle that grows with you.

Body:

Most puzzle books are a race to the bottom of a skill curve. You learn the trick, you apply the trick, you finish. Squarely doesn't work that way.

The mechanic stays constant across all 300 puzzles — but the experience doesn't. Early puzzles feel like following a trail someone already cleared. Expert puzzles feel like building the trail yourself. The same two rules produce both experiences because the logic branches differently at every difficulty level.

John Wilson designed this deliberately. As a math professor, he spent four decades watching students stall out when material got abstract too fast. Squarely's progression is calibrated: you get confident before you get challenged.

Who picks up a Squarely book:

  • Sudoku fans who want something genuinely different
  • Puzzle-book gifters looking for something unusual and well-made
  • Parents who want a screen-free solo activity that scales for adults and older kids
  • Retired educators and math-adjacent readers who appreciate a clean logical system
  • Anyone who's said "I've done every Sudoku in this book" and wanted a new challenge waiting

What makes it work: The puzzle has a unique solution — always. That means when you're stuck, you haven't hit a dead end; you've missed a deduction. That distinction matters. Dead ends create frustration; missed deductions create curiosity. Squarely is built on curiosity.

Three volumes are available now. Each one is 100 puzzles, self-contained, and ready to go the moment you open it.

Part 3 — A/B Framework Note

What to test (once baseline A+ content is live and indexed, ~30 days):

Test Variant A Variant B Signal to watch
Brand story hook Creator bio-first ("Squarely started in a classroom") Mechanic-first ("A 5×5 grid. Two rules.") Page scroll depth, add-to-cart rate
Feature module order How-it-works first Lifestyle/anywhere first Session-to-purchase rate by traffic source
Comparison chart presence All 3 volumes comparison No chart (just cross-sell text links) V1→V2/V3 cross-sell conversion
Vol 3 as entry-point framing Explicit "best starting point" CTA in brand story Neutral "three volumes available" V3 units relative to V1

Measurement limitation: KDP does not provide A/B testing tooling natively. To run true A/B tests, you'd need Amazon Ads + attribution links (aTag parameter) to isolate traffic sources. For now, treat the first content version as "Version A" and track BSR movement and review velocity over 60 days before changing copy.

Practical recommendation: Launch all modules on V3 first (it's the recommended entry point and the most recent release). Apply to V1 and V2 within the same session. Track the 3-volume BSR delta over 30 days vs. the 30 days prior.

Implementation Checklist