Since Wouter Takes became Keesing Media Group’s new Manager of Business Development, his focus has been to attract new puzzle enthusiasts through new products, markets and non-traditional retail channels. With the joint production of Het Zeven Zussen (The Seven Sisters) Puzzle Boek, Keesing is reaching a new audience. It is based on an eight-book series written by Lucinda Riley and now Wouter is working to expand the puzzle book into additional countries.
“When I joined Keesing in 2017, Keesing Media Group was already the market leader,” says Wouter. “An important part of the growth strategy was to expand the puzzle business into new, adjacent markets, such as books, games as well as digital products. Our presence in the book channel is an example of that strategy.”
The Seven Sisters Puzzle Book is the result of a great partnership between Keesing’s Denksport brand, the Dutch book series publisher Xander, and the Riley family. “This cooperation strengthens our position in the Benelux book channel, and we are also looking to expand into the book channel in multiple other countries. This cooperation contributes towards that goal.”
What is the Seven Sisters book series?
De Zeven Zussen Puzzel Boek is based on an eight-book series written by Lucinda Riley, who has sadly passed away, but enjoyed critical success worldwide. The Seven Sisters is an epic tale of love and loss that tells the stories of D’Aplièse sisters, all adopted as babies by the enigmatic billionaire they affectionately call Pa Salt.
Based on mythological seven sisters of Pleiades, each book tells the story of one of the sisters and the last is the story of Pa Salt. The series celebrates the achievements of women and highlights each of their unique strengths and weaknesses in stories about love, family, loss, joy, fear, freedom and pain. Since Lucinda Riley passed, her family has been keeping her legacy alive and the Puzzle Book series has become popular as a gift and for collectors.
“Working with Keesing has been a remarkable experience defined by clear communication, swift adaptability, and exceptional expertise, says” Anke Roelen, CEO of Xander Uitgevers. And the Riley family is also very pleased with the book. “Lucinda Riley readers will love this puzzle book, produced with love,’ adds Harry Whittaker, Lucindás son.
The launch of Puzzle Book – Edition 1
In 2020, Keesing Media Group launched its first Bos (Forest) Atlas Puzzel Boek, which sold really well with 150,000 copies in the first edition. “Retail stores were very enthusiastic about it and the Dutch publisher knew about our specialty puzzle books, such as the Bos Atlas and Rijksmuseum books,” says Wouter. This led the publisher and Keesing to begin talks in 2023 to grow the book series into a new market with additional products.
The puzzle book was published in 2024 with beautiful imagery and a variety of fun puzzles that reflect the stories of the seven sisters. “When we produced the puzzle book, we were only provided with the book cover images so our design team created beautiful images based on the story lines and settings in different countries, such as Rio de Janeiro Brazil.”
The Keesing editorial team in the Netherlands created the 160-page book in just six months. Since its release, 30,000 of its 35,000-print run has been distributed to retail. It is available for sale online at Denksport and Amazon as well as in Dutch retail shops and bookstores like Bruna, Primera and Libris.
Looking ahead to new countries and a second book
“Xander Publishing and Keesing have the puzzle book publisher rights for the Benelux region and international markets as well,” says Wouter. “Now we’re working on the second book but also focusing on expanding sales into other countries such as Sweden, Australia, France and the UK and are in talks with local publishers in each country.”
Since its production, the Seven Sisters Puzzle Book has become very popular in the Netherlands and attracted a new audience. During a promotion with the Dutch Albert Hein supermarket chain at Mother’s Day and in the summer, many people bought a puzzle book for the first time, whether to give as a gift or to enjoy the puzzles themselves.
“In earlier research, we discovered that seventy-five percent of the book’s buyers had not bought a puzzle book in the year before. It’s very interesting data and an important insight for Keesing that we are attracting a new audience.”
Since Keesing is a multi-national company, we have learned to use the success of various products in different countries and replicate the roll-out successfully in other cities. And this puzzle book is a great example of this process as we get set to launch in other countries.”
Check out the book or buy it here on Denksport website.
