
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is a self-publishing platform offered by Amazon. It allows authors, publishers, and individuals to publish and distribute their books and content in the Kindle Store.
KDP enables anyone to create, publish, and sell e-books, paperbacks, and low-content books (such as journals, planners, and colouring books) to millions of customers worldwide without the need for a traditional publishing contract. KDP provides a simple and cost-effective way for authors and publishers to reach a global audience and sell their books on Amazon.
Here is a tutorial on how to create books and low-content books on Kindle Direct Publishing
Step 1: Researching and Choosing a Niche for Kindle Direct Publishing
Choosing the right niche is crucial to your success when it comes to publishing a book on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing KDP. The right niche can help you reach your target audience, attract more readers, and drive more sales. Here are some tips on how to research and choose the best KDP niches in 2023:
- Analyse the market: Look at the Kindle Store and research what books are selling well in your chosen niche. Look at the bestseller lists, customer reviews, and competition to better understand the market.
- Identify your target audience: Knowing your target audience is crucial in choosing the right niche. Consider who would be interested in your book, their interests and needs, and what type of content they are looking for.
- Consider your expertise and passion: Choose a niche you are knowledgeable about. This will not only make writing the book more enjoyable, but it will also show in your writing and attract more readers.
- Evaluate potential demand: Consider the demand for books in your chosen niche. Are there enough readers to make publishing a book in this niche worthwhile?
- Stay current: Stay current on trends and popular topics in your niche. This can help you choose a niche that is in high demand and will help you reach a larger audience.
Some of the best KDP niches in 2023 include self-help, health and wellness, cooking and recipes, journaling, and adult colouring books. To find the best niches for your book, you can use tools such as below to see what topics are currently in demand:
- Amazon’s Best Seller Lists.
- Google Trends.
- Keyword research tools to see what topics are currently in demand.
Our Keyword Research Tool
Try it out below! See how your chosen niche subject appears in search volume each month:
Jaaxy
With this Keyword Research Platform you can:
- Create and save Keyword lists
- Check how many other sites are competing your chosen word or phrase
- Check average monthly search volumes
- Automatically work out how easy you will rank with all data you need
Finding Specific Low Content Niches Within KDP
The tools outlined above are great, but for deep dives into the KDP market itself, check out our page on How To Sell Books on Amazon and Make Money or Paul Marles over on YouTube. Without his channel, I would never have thought to try this as a revenue stream!
Step 2: Creating a Book Concept for Kindle Direct Publishing
Once you have chosen the right niche for your book, the next step is to create a concept for your book. The concept of your book is the foundation for your writing, and it should clearly define your book’s purpose, theme, and structure. Here are some tips on how to create a strong book concept for your KDP book:
- Define the purpose of your book: What message do you want to convey to your readers? What is the goal of your book? Defining the purpose of your book will help you stay focused and ensure that your book has a clear and concise message.
- Choose a theme: Choose a theme for your book that aligns with your purpose. The theme should be central to your book and should be consistent throughout the book.
- Decide on the structure: Decide on the structure of your book. Will it be chronological, topical, or thematic? This will help you plan your writing and ensure that your book has a clear and organized structure.
- Define your target audience: Consider who your target audience is and what they are looking for in a book. This will help you tailor your book to meet their needs and interests.
- Plan your content: Plan the content of your book, including the chapters, sections, and any illustrations or graphics. Make sure that your content is aligned with your purpose, theme, and target audience.
By creating a strong book concept for your KDP book, you can ensure that your book has a clear purpose, a consistent theme, and structured content that appeals to your target audience.
Step 3: Designing a Book Cover for Kindle Direct Publishing
To create self publishing book covers for your Amazon KDP book, you can either do it yourself or outsource it to a professional designer.
To do it yourself:
- Use design software such as Adobe Photoshop or Canva.
- Look for inspiration and guidance on book cover design.
- Choose a template that fits your book genre and make customizations as needed.
- Use high-quality images and graphics that are relevant to your book’s theme.
To outsource to a professional designer:
- Research cover designers who specialize in creating book covers.
- Check their portfolio to ensure their style fits what you’re looking for.
- Provide clear instructions and expectations for your book cover design.
- Review drafts and provide feedback to the designer until you are satisfied with the final design.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use Fiverr to outsource a cover for your Amazon KDP book:
- Sign up for a Fiverr account: Go to Fiverr.com and create an account. This will allow you to search for and hire freelancers on the platform.
- Search for book cover designers: Use the search bar to find book cover designers who offer their services on Fiverr. You can use keywords such as “book cover design,” “kindle cover,” or “KDP cover” to find relevant results.
- Browse portfolios: Look at the portfolios of different book cover designers to get a sense of their style and quality of work. You can filter results based on price, delivery time, and ratings to help you find the right designer for your project.
- Contact the designer: Once you’ve found a designer you like, send them a message to discuss the specifics of your project. Please provide them with details such as the book genre, target audience, and any specific ideas or concepts you have in mind for the cover design.
- Place an order: If you and the designer agree on the project’s scope, you can place an order through Fiverr’s platform. You will be asked to provide a description of the project and specify any additional requirements or preferences you have.
- Review drafts and provide feedback: The designer will provide you with drafts of the cover design, and you’ll have the opportunity to give feedback and request revisions until you are satisfied with the final product.
- Approve and download the final design: Once you’ve approved the final design, the designer will provide you with a high-resolution version that you can use to publish your book on Amazon KDP.
Creating Your Own Book Cover Vs Outsourcing Your Book Cover
Creating Your Own Cover
- You are in compete control over your design and vision.
- There are many cost effective tools online to create professional looking covers.
- No need to keep going back for revisions, you can see what works or doesn’t work.
- You will learn new skills from graphic design and illustrating to formatting correct book sizes.
Paying To Create Your Book Cover
- A huge variety of freelancers at affordable rates, offering cost effective packages to suit your budget.
- Saves you time to create other aspects of your book project or from taking away from your work/life balance.
- You can check out portfolios and reviews before committing to any particular seller.
- Although only you know what you have in mind, a good freelancer will be able to work with you to achieve your vision. They may even exceed it.
- Outsourcing your book cover may help you grow your book selling revenue stream by creating and publishing more books in a shorter timeframe.
Whether you create the cover yourself or outsource it, it’s important to remember that the cover is the first thing potential readers will see, so make sure it is eye-catching, professional, and accurately represents your book.
Step 4: Writing the Content for Your Kindle Direct Publishing Book
Once you have created a strong book concept, it’s time to start writing the content of your book. Writing the content of your book is the most important and time-consuming part of the publishing process, but it is also the most rewarding. Here are some tips on how to write the content for your KDP book:
- Start with an outline: Use your book concept and plan to create an outline for your book. This will help you stay organized and ensure that your book has a clear structure.
- Write consistently: Set aside time each day or week to write. Consistent writing will help you make progress and stay focused on your goals.
- Be clear and concise: Write clearly and concisely. Avoid using complex language or convoluted sentences that might confuse your readers.
- Use examples and illustrations: Use examples and illustrations to help illustrate your points and make your writing more engaging.
- Revise and edit: After you have finished writing, take the time to revise and edit your work. Make sure your writing is clear, concise, and free of errors.
- Seek feedback: Consider seeking feedback from friends, family, or beta readers to get a fresh perspective on your writing and identify improvement areas.
Low Content Books:
Use the same steps as above, but keep in mind:
- Low content does not mean empty. Amazon does not like lots of empty pages. You still need to carefully plan the layout and make sure the order of your content makes sense.
- If creating a book such as a children’s sketch book, make sure you do something with blank pages. Maybe a border that matches the theme of the book?
- Everybody and their dog are creating low content books. Make sure yours not only stands out but that you research the niche you’ve chosen.
- Diversify your niches, this helps spread out risk if some don’t sell very well. Also remember a lot of low content books are seasonal. Publishing Christmas books mid-December won’t do very well (unless you have a huge marketing budget to get in front of everyone else!). Plan your books ahead of time to allow the seasonality to kick in. Having a few seasonal books for the whole year should help your sales even out.
Remember, writing a book takes time, effort, and dedication, but the reward of publishing a successful book is well worth it.
Step 5: Formatting Your Kindle Direct Publishing Book
Formatting your KDP book is an important step in publishing, as it ensures that your book is visually appealing and easy to read on different devices. Here are some tips on how to format your KDP book:
- Use a clean and simple layout: Use a clean and simple layout for your book. Avoid using too many fonts, colours, or graphics, as this can make your book look cluttered and overwhelming.
- Set margins and line spacing: Set the margins and line spacing to ensure that your book is easy to read on different devices.
- Use headings and subheadings: Use headings and subheadings to help break up your text and make your book more accessible and visually appealing.
- Include images: If your book concept includes images, format them correctly. Ensure that they are high-quality and properly sized to fit within your book.
- Use a tool like Kindle Create: Kindle Create is a free tool from Amazon that helps you format your book for Kindle. It includes templates, tools, and features that make it easy to format your book for KDP.
By formatting your book correctly, you can ensure that your book looks professional and is accessible to your readers on different devices.
Step 6: Publishing Your Kindle Direct Publishing Book
Once you have written, formatted, and edited your book, it’s time to publish it on Kindle Direct Publishing. KDP makes it easy to self-publish your book and reach millions of readers worldwide. Here are the steps to publish your KDP book:
- Create a KDP account: If you don’t already have a KDP account, you will need to create one. You can do this by visiting kdp.amazon.com and following the on-screen instructions.
- Upload your book: Once you have logged into your KDP account, you can upload your book. This process typically involves uploading your book file, cover image, and other relevant information, such as your book description and keywords.
- Set your book’s details: Set the details of your book, including the title, author name, and categories. You will also be able to set the price of your book and choose whether you want to enrol it in KDP Select.
To set pricing for your Amazon KDP book, follow these steps:
- Log into your KDP account and select the book you want to set the price for.
- Click on “Pricing” and then “Edit.”
- Decide on your list price: The list price is the price at which you want your book to be sold on Amazon. You can set the price in US dollars, and must be within Amazon’s pricing guidelines.
- Choose your royalty option: You can select either 35% or 70% royalty for your book. The 70% option has certain restrictions, such as a higher list price, so review Amazon’s guidelines before selecting.
- Save your changes: Click “Save and Publish KDP” to make your new pricing live.
- Preview your book: Preview your book to ensure it looks and behaves as you intended. This is an important step, as it allows you to catch any errors or issues before your book goes live.
- Publish your book: Once you are satisfied with the preview of your book, you can hit the publish button to make your book available to the world.
With KDP, you can make your book available on Kindle devices and the Kindle app and earn royalties every time someone purchases your book. Good luck with your publishing journey!
Step 7: Monitoring and Updating Your Kindle Direct Publishing Book
Publishing your book on KDP is the first step in your publishing journey. Once your book is live, monitoring it and making updates as needed is important. Here are some tips for monitoring and updating your KDP book:
- Monitor your book’s sales and reviews: Keep an eye on your book’s sales and reviews to understand how well it is performing. Use this information to make updates and improvements to your book, such as fixing any errors or making changes to your book’s cover or description.
- Respond to reader feedback: If you receive any negative reviews or feedback from readers, take the time to respond. Showing you are committed to providing a high-quality product will help you build a positive relationship with your readers.
- Make updates to your book content: If you identify any errors or issues in your book, make updates to fix them. This will help to improve the overall quality of your book and ensure that your readers have a positive experience.
- Re-upload your updated book file: Once you have updated your book, you will need to re-upload your updated book file to KDP. This process is straightforward and allows you to keep your book up-to-date.
Conclusion
In conclusion, publishing a low-content book on Amazon KDP is straightforward. For success, it’s important to familiarize yourself with Amazon’s guidelines for low-content books and to review all information and files before publishing carefully.
Before You Go, We Highly Recommend Checking Out Fiverr if You Like the Idea of Outsourcing Your Book from Cover to Publishing:
Cover Design
Book Content
Whether you choose low content word search books or an idea for the next best selling novel to publish, and do it all yourself or pay for some or all of it to be created, good luck!
Check out our other Revenue Streams, KDP and self publishing ideas below:
Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or feedback on creating your own successful books on Kindle!