How Much I Earned On KDP Selling Lined Notebooks
The Good, Bad & Ugly: A Review Of What Works & What Doesn't
I first heard about KDP Publishing during a scroll on YouTube.
I came across one of Ryan Hogue’s videos where he did a long interview with Paul Marles about his KDP business.
If you haven't watched Ryan’s video, you’re missing out. The guy is brilliant and has a great way of explaining the different side hustles he is involved in, in a simple step-by-step process.
He also interviews other entrepreneurs who specialize in a specific passive income stream and they both share what worked for them.
This was back in September 2019.
Fast forward to November 2021 and I am still learning new concepts, tactics, and strategies in every publishing session.
The last two years have been a rollercoaster of emotions and a eye-opener on this expanding side hustle.
Before we dive into niches, strategies, and tips, here is an overview of my sales since I started on the platform.
An Overview
- I spent all of September 2020 in full-time research mode.
- I binge-watched all the YouTube videos I could get my hands on, experimented with different keyword researching and design tools, and planned out interiors.
- Dedicated at least 1–3 months of consistent research into KDP before starting. Get familiar with using Helium 10, Canva, and Amazon keyword research tool. I will go into depth about the tools and their benefits in another piece.
- Do not expect a lot of sales in the beginning. Aim to publish consistently.
- Start with lined patterned notebooks and move to themed/seasonal coloring and activity books.
- Definitely take marketing into your own hands. Many KDP publishers will tell you that Amazon markets your book to users, but I found more success when I marketed my books on my own Facebook page, Pinterest and Twitter.
- Create a publishing routine to hold yourself accountable for how often you publish. Cover seasonal niches as well as general niches, as these sell well throughout the year and bring in consistent income overall.
- If you have the chance to write your own fiction or non-fiction book, then I highly recommend publishing it as soon as possible. You will get paid more than lined notebooks as it will convert to an ebook and payment will be per reading.
- Batch creates different color variations of each design, a maximum of 2 of each design to allow users to have options.
- I created 150 lined notebooks as well as 12 activity books and coloring books.
- Each book was sized at 8x11inches 100 pages interior and was targeted for school children.
- In most cases, lined notebooks were patterned covers with images of animals, flowers, and dinosaurs.
My Next Steps:
- I will continue creating lined notebooks but will move away from the patterned designs and focus more on public domain quotes and unique interiors.
- I hope to invest more time in creating unique themed activity books. These will price higher than the lined notebooks and bring more revenue and are a joy to make. I will be using Canva to compile activity books. I’ll definitely keep you updated on my journey.
- Aim to write my first non-fiction how-to book, which will showcase and summarise my experience in the wellness field. I have not created a fully written book before, so this will be a challenge.
You can follow similar successful strategies I have tried from my Redbubble side hustle that worked great for KDP publishing:
If you are looking to try other income streams, then check out the articles below:
Have you tried KDP Publishing before?
What passive income streams are you involved in?
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About The Author
Noor is a second-year business student at Tredu. She is also studying for a Diploma in International Smart Industry at Tampere University. She is passionate about marketing and content creation.
