How to Start a Six-Figure Amazon KDP Business (Without Writing Books)

Introduction

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) has become a powerful platform for self-publishing and selling e-books and physical books. But what if you don’t want to write a book? Can you still make money on Amazon KDP? The good news is yes, you can!

In fact, one of the fastest-growing segments of the KDP business involves selling low-content and no-content books, such as journals, planners, activity books, and coloring books. These books don’t require any writing, just creativity and a good understanding of what sells on Amazon.

This guide will show you how to create and sell books on Amazon KDP without writing a single word. You’ll learn how to set up your KDP account, create low-content books, design appealing covers, find profitable niches, and market your products to scale your business. Let’s dive in!

1. Understanding Low-Content and No-Content Books

Before we get into how to start your Amazon KDP business, it’s important to understand what low-content and no-content books are.

Low-Content Books: These are books that contain minimal written content, such as journals, planners, logbooks, and calendars. The content usually consists of templates, lists, or prompts that require the buyer to fill in the information themselves.
No-Content Books: These books contain little to no content, like blank notebooks or coloring books. There might be some basic design elements, but the content is left entirely up to the user.

Both types of books are highly profitable because they have a simple structure, can be easily customized, and appeal to a wide variety of customers. This makes them ideal for anyone who wants to start a business without the need to write a lengthy manuscript.

2. How to Set Up Your Amazon KDP Account

Starting an Amazon KDP business is straightforward, and getting your account up and running only takes a few minutes.

Steps to Set Up Your KDP Account:

Create an Amazon Account: If you don’t already have one, create an Amazon account at Amazon.com.
Sign Up for KDP: Go to the Amazon KDP website and sign in using your Amazon account credentials. If you don’t have a KDP account, you can set one up here.
Set Up Payment Information: Provide your bank account details for royalty payments and tax information.
Complete Your Profile: Add details about your business or author name and choose your payment preferences.

With your KDP account ready, you can begin uploading books and making them available for sale.

3. Finding Profitable Niches for Low-Content Books

The success of your Amazon KDP business largely depends on choosing the right niches. Some niches will sell much better than others, so you need to research what people are interested in buying.

How to Find Profitable Niches:

Research Best-Selling Books: Explore Amazon’s top-selling books in the low-content category, such as journals, planners, and activity books. Pay attention to trends, customer reviews, and book themes.
Use Keyword Research Tools: Tools like Amazon’s search bar, Google Trends, and keyword tools such as Helium 10 can help you identify high-demand niches with low competition.
Check Competitors: Browse similar books in your chosen niche to see how well they are selling. Take note of their prices, reviews, and designs.
Find Evergreen Niches: Evergreen niches are topics that always have demand, such as fitness, self-improvement, productivity, and mindfulness.

Once you identify a profitable niche, you can start designing your books to meet the needs of that target audience.

4. Designing Low-Content Books for Amazon KDP

Creating your books is the most fun part of the process! While you don’t have to write anything, you do need to create a high-quality design. Fortunately, there are several tools available that make it easy for beginners to create professional-looking low-content and no-content books.

Tools for Designing Your Books:

Canva: Canva is a free, user-friendly design tool that lets you create book interiors and covers. There are plenty of templates you can use, and it’s a great tool for beginners.
Book Bolt: Book Bolt is a specialized platform for creating and publishing low-content books. It offers interior templates, keyword research tools, and cover design templates.
Adobe InDesign: For more advanced users, Adobe InDesign is a powerful tool for creating professional layouts and book interiors.
Microsoft Word: If you’re just starting out, Microsoft Word is a simple option for creating basic interiors like journals or planners.

Tips for Designing Low-Content Books:

Keep it Simple: Don’t overcomplicate your designs. Customers are looking for clean, easy-to-use templates, not elaborate or cluttered pages.
Use High-Quality Images: Ensure that any images or graphics you use are high-resolution, as Amazon KDP has specific requirements for image quality.
Pay Attention to Margins: Be mindful of KDP’s guidelines for margins and page sizes. Proper formatting is key to ensuring your books look professional.

5. Creating an Eye-Catching Book Cover

A professional-looking book cover is essential to attracting customers. Even though you’re not writing a book, the cover design still plays a crucial role in the purchasing decision.

Tools for Designing Book Covers:

Canva: Canva offers customizable book cover templates that you can tailor to your niche. It’s a simple tool for creating eye-catching covers.
Adobe Spark: Another great tool for designing stunning covers quickly, even without design experience.
KDP Cover Creator: Amazon KDP has its own cover creator tool that you can use to design covers directly on the platform.

Remember that your cover should be visually appealing and relevant to the niche. Avoid overloading it with text or too many colors—simple, clean designs often work best.

6. Pricing Your Books and Uploading to Amazon KDP

Once your book is designed, it’s time to upload it to Amazon and set your pricing.

Pricing Tips:

Low-Content Books: These books typically sell for $5–$15. Higher-end books like planners with more detailed features can be priced higher.
No-Content Books: Blank books like journals and coloring books can be priced in the same range, depending on their quality and design.
Competitive Pricing: Look at your competitors’ prices to ensure you are offering competitive prices. If you’re just starting out, it may be wise to set your price slightly lower to attract customers.

When uploading to Amazon KDP, you’ll need to provide the book’s title, description, keywords, and categories. Ensure you optimize these fields with relevant keywords to improve searchability.

7. Marketing Your Amazon KDP Business

Now that your books are live, it’s time to start marketing them.

Strategies to Market Your KDP Books:

Social Media: Promote your books on platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Use hashtags and posts to connect with potential customers.
Amazon Ads: Invest in Amazon Advertising to increase the visibility of your books on the platform.
Create a Website or Blog: Build a website or blog to showcase your products and drive traffic to your Amazon listings.
Email Marketing: Build an email list by offering free downloads or resources related to your books. You can later promote your Amazon KDP books to your subscribers.

8. Scaling Your Amazon KDP Business

Once you start generating sales, it’s time to scale. Here are a few strategies for growing your Amazon KDP business:

Publish More Books: Expand your portfolio by creating more low-content books in various niches.
Create Bundles: Offer bundles of your books at a discounted price to encourage bulk purchases.
Outsource: If you’re finding it difficult to keep up with creating books, consider outsourcing the design work to freelancers.

Conclusion

Starting a six-figure Amazon KDP business without writing books is entirely possible. By focusing on low-content and no-content books, choosing profitable niches, creating appealing designs, and using effective marketing strategies, you can build a successful business on Amazon. The key to success lies in consistency, research, and optimization—so start small, learn as you go, and scale up for greater success!