adding-new-book-type

name: adding-new-book-type description: How to add a new book type to the Grade N math book publishing system. Covers initial pages, config entries, main .tex template, and build pipeline setup. Use when asked to create, add, or set up a new book type.

Adding a New Book Type

This skill guides you through adding a new book type (e.g. study_guide, workbook, quiz) to the Grade N math book publishing system. The process is grade-independent — the same steps apply to Grade 3 through Grade 8.

Step 0 — Gather Facts

Before doing anything else, run the facts script to get all the information you need:

python3 .agents/skills/adding-new-book-type/scripts/get_new_book_type_facts.py <book_type>

Example:

python3 .agents/skills/adding-new-book-type/scripts/get_new_book_type_facts.py study_guide

This prints a structured report with:

• Grade & audience — grade number, age range, tone guide, math level, design notes
• Book type status — whether config entries already exist
• Files to create/edit — exact paths and what's missing
• Initial page specs — what pages are required and design guidance for each
• Common pages — reusable pages that already exist (formula reference, vocabulary, etc.)
• Chapter & topic structure — all chapters and topics for content reference
• Color palette — every available color with hex values
• Existing book types — what other book types include, for cross-reference

Use --list-types to see all existing book types:

python3 .agents/skills/adding-new-book-type/scripts/get_new_book_type_facts.py --list-types

Step 1 — Add Config Entries

Edit scripts/config.py and add entries to these dictionaries (if not already present):

1a. BOOK_TYPES dictionary

"my_book": {
    "template": "my_book_main.tex",
    "output_subdir": "my_book",
    "description": "Human-readable description for CLI help",
    # For topic-based books:
    "topic_dirs": ("topics_my_book", "topics_my_book_modified", "topics_my_book_additional"),
    # For practice test books:
    # "test_range": (1, 3),
},

1b. BOOK_DISPLAY_NAMES

"my_book": "My Book",

1c. GENERIC_BOOK_TITLES

"my_book": (
    "Grade N Math My Book",           # title
    "Subtitle Goes Here",              # subtitle
),

1d. _TITLE_TEMPLATES (state-specific title templates)

"my_book": (
    "{state} {exam} Grade {grade_n} Math My Book",
    "Subtitle with Keywords",
),

1e. _TPT_TIERS (TPT title variants, max 80 chars)

"my_book": {
    "titles": [
        "{state} {exam} Grade {grade_n} Math My Book",
    ],
    "subtitles": [
        "Full Subtitle Here",        # longest first
        "Shorter Subtitle",           # progressively shorter
    ],
},

1f. TOPIC_DIR_MAP in scripts/generate_state_books.py

If the book type uses topics (not practice tests), also add to TOPIC_DIR_MAP:

"my_book": ("topics_my_book", "topics_my_book_modified", "topics_my_book_additional"),

Important: If the new book type reuses the same topic files as another type (e.g. study_guide reuses the same topics/ as all_in_one), point to the same directories.

1g. Pricing in .env

Add a line to the .env file:

PRICE_MY_BOOK=12.99

Step 2 — Create Topic Directories (if applicable)

If the book type has its own topic files (not reusing another type's), create:

topics_my_book/           # core topic files
topics_my_book_modified/  # state-specific overrides
topics_my_book_additional/ # state-specific extras

Each topic file is a .tex file named like ch01-01-what-is-a-ratio.tex.

If reusing topics from another book type, just point topic_dirs at those existing directories.

Step 3 — Write Initial Pages

This is the most important creative step. Initial pages serve as TPT product thumbnails — the first 3 pages are what buyers see in the online listing. They must be visually stunning.

Directory structure

Create initial_pages/<book_type>/ with numbered .tex files:

initial_pages/my_book/
├── 00-welcome.tex          # REQUIRED — full-page splash
├── 01-how-to-use.tex       # REQUIRED — book structure guide
└── 02-<specific>.tex       # REQUIRED — varies by type

Common pages (reuse these — do NOT recreate)

These already exist in initial_pages/common/ and can be \input'd by any book type:

Design Rules — CRITICAL

Print-friendly design (teachers print these):

• Use very light background colors: funTealLight, funBlueLight, funOrangeLight, etc.
• Use dark colored fonts: funTealDark, funBlueDark, funOrangeDark, etc.
• NEVER use black!N patterns (e.g. black!15, black!50) — use the fun* color variants instead
• White card backgrounds (colback=white) with very light color frames (colframe=funTeal!25)
• Shadows should be barely visible (shadow={1mm}{-1mm}{0mm}{funTeal!6})

Brand colors: Each book type gets a primary brand color. Check the facts script output for existing assignments and pick an unused or appropriate color.

Content must be grade-appropriate: The facts script reports the audience age, tone, and math level. Write welcome text, tips, and reference content that match the grade — NOT generic boilerplate.

Page 1: Welcome (00-welcome.tex)

Full-page splash design using tikzpicture[remember picture, overlay].

Must include:

• Colored header band across the top (dark brand color)
• Small-caps subtitle in the band (e.g. "YOUR GRADE 6 STUDY GUIDE")
• Large bold title in white (e.g. "Math Made Easy")
• Bullet-separated tagline (e.g. "Key Concepts • Worked Examples • Practice with Answers")
• Welcome message card (white tcolorbox with light frame)
• 3 feature cards at the bottom (each with an icon, title, and description)

Structure:

\thispagestyle{empty}
\begin{tikzpicture}[remember picture, overlay]
    % Light background fill
    \fill[funTealLight] (current page.south west) rectangle (current page.north east);
    % Dark header band
    \fill[funTealDark] (current page.north west) rectangle ([yshift=-6.5cm]current page.north east);
    % Title, tagline, welcome card, feature cards...
\end{tikzpicture}
\clearpage

Page 2: How to Use (01-how-to-use.tex)

3–4 numbered steps, each in a tcolorbox card with a different accent color.

Structure:

\thispagestyle{empty}
{
\sffamily
% Header
\begin{center}
    {\fontsize{24}{28}\selectfont\bfseries\color{funTealDark} How to Use This Book}
    \smallskip
    {\normalsize\color{funGray} Brief description.}
\end{center}
\vspace{3mm}
{\centering\color{funTeal!30}\rule{0.55\textwidth}{1pt}\par}
\vspace{8mm}

% Step cards (cycle: Teal → Blue → Orange → Purple)
\begin{tcolorbox}[enhanced, colback=funTealLight, colframe=funTeal!20, arc=5pt, boxrule=0.5pt,
    left=10mm, right=6mm, top=3mm, bottom=3mm,
    overlay={\node[circle, fill=funTeal, inner sep=0pt, minimum size=24pt,
        text=white, font=\bfseries\small] at ([xshift=5mm]frame.west) {1};}]
    {\large\bfseries\color{funTealDark}Step title}\\[2pt]
    {\color{funGrayDark}Description text.}
\end{tcolorbox}
% ... more steps ...

% Suggestions box at bottom
\begin{tcolorbox}[enhanced, colback=funTeal!5, colframe=funTeal!25, arc=6pt, boxrule=0.6pt]
    {\bfseries\color{funTealDark}Ways to use this book:}
    % Two-column minipage with bullet points
\end{tcolorbox}
}
\clearpage

Page 3: Type-Specific Page (02-*.tex)

This varies by book type:

Additional Pages (optional, varies by type)

Some book types have extra pages:

Step 4 — Create the Main Template File

Create <book_type>_main.tex in the workspace root. This is the master template that the build pipeline transforms into state-specific variants.

Use this structure:

% ============================================================================
% Grade N Math <Book Display Name>
% <Subtitle>
% ============================================================================
\documentclass[12pt, fleqn, openany]{studyGuide}
% Add optional packages here (e.g. \usepackage{VM_packages/VMfunWorkbook})

\setstretch{1.4}

\begin{document}

% ============================================================================
% COVER PAGE
% ============================================================================
\StateName{INSERT-STATE-NAME-HERE}
\CoverImage{images/covers/<book_type>.png}
\StateNameXOffset{4.1in}
\StateNameYOffset{6.2in}
\StateNameRotation{3}
\StateNameFontSize{40}
\StateNameColor{NavyBlue}
\makeCoverPage

% ============================================================================
% INITIAL PAGES
% ============================================================================
\pagenumbering{roman}

\renewcommand{\VMBookTitle}{Grade N Math <Title>}
\renewcommand{\VMBookSubtitle}{<Subtitle with \\ line breaks>}
\renewcommand{\VMFooterURL}{https://viewmath.com/gradeN}
\renewcommand{\VMFooterURLDisplay}{ViewMath.com/GradeN}
\input{initial_pages/common/copyright_page}

\input{initial_pages/<book_type>/00-welcome}
\input{initial_pages/<book_type>/01-how-to-use}
\input{initial_pages/<book_type>/02-<specific>}
% Optional: \input{initial_pages/common/formula-reference}
% Optional: \input{initial_pages/common/key-vocabulary}

\friendlyTOC
\pagenumbering{arabic}

% ============================================================================
% CHAPTERS
% ============================================================================
\chapter{Chapter Title}
\input{topics_<book_type>/ch01-01-topic-name}
% ... more topics ...

% ============================================================================
\printAnswerKey
\end{document}

Key placeholders (replaced by generate_state_books.py):

• INSERT-STATE-NAME-HERE → replaced with state display name
• Topic \input lines → adjusted per state (modified/additional topics swapped)

Step 5 — Test the Build

Generate and compile for a single state to verify:

python3 scripts/generate_state_books.py --book-type <book_type> --states alabama --verbose
python3 scripts/compile_state_books.py --book-type <book_type> --states alabama

Check for:

1. No LaTeX ! errors in the log: grep '^\!' build/<book_type>_alabama-grade6/<book_type>_alabama-grade6.log
2. PDF opens correctly: open build/<book_type>_alabama-grade6/<book_type>_alabama-grade6.pdf
3. Page count is reasonable for the book type
4. Initial pages look correct — especially the first 3 (TPT thumbnails)
5. Column balance on vocabulary/reference pages (no large empty spaces)

Step 6 — Compile All States

Once the single-state test passes:

python3 scripts/generate_state_books.py --book-type <book_type> --verbose
python3 scripts/compile_state_books.py --book-type <book_type>

Checklist

• scripts/config.py — BOOK_TYPES entry
• scripts/config.py — BOOK_DISPLAY_NAMES entry
• scripts/config.py — GENERIC_BOOK_TITLES entry
• scripts/config.py — _TITLE_TEMPLATES entry
• scripts/config.py — _TPT_TIERS entry
• scripts/generate_state_books.py — TOPIC_DIR_MAP entry (if topic-based)
• .env — PRICE_<BOOK_TYPE> pricing
• images/covers/<book_type>.png — cover image (graphic designer dependency)
• initial_pages/<book_type>/00-welcome.tex — welcome splash page
• initial_pages/<book_type>/01-how-to-use.tex — how to use guide
• initial_pages/<book_type>/02-*.tex — type-specific page
• <book_type>_main.tex — main template file
• Topic directories created (if new topics needed)
• Single-state test compile passes
• PDF visual review — initial pages look stunning
• All-state compile passes