Create and Sell Kids’ Coloring Books For Amazon KDP: A Step-by-Step Guide

Making kids’ coloring books on Amazon KDP is a great way to have fun, be creative, and make money. Did you know that just one coloring book can earn over $10,000 a month? Many authors focus on popular themes and high-quality designs, and they’ve seen big success. Now think about making a bunch of books—you could make even more money!

Take Johanna Basford, for example. She’s a famous coloring book author who has sold over 21 million books worldwide. Her hand-drawn, detailed designs and fun themes are loved by kids and adults alike, proving that creative and unique books can lead to big success.

Experts say the global coloring book market will grow to $2.1 billion by 2027, showing how these books keep getting more popular. A report by Research and Markets says this growth comes from kids and adults wanting fun and relaxing activities.

If you create 12 or more books, you can grow your earnings even more. In this guide, we’ll show you every step—like picking a theme, using AI tools to make illustrations, and designing and publishing your book on Amazon KDP. Whether you’re creative or just looking for a cool way to make money, this guide will help you turn your ideas into a great income stream.

Step 1: Choosing a Profitable Theme

The success of your coloring book starts with selecting the right theme. Here’s how to do it:

1. Research Popular Themes:
   • Go to Amazon and type in “kids coloring books.” Look for books with the “Bestseller” label or lots of positive reviews—these are usually the ones with high sales.
   • Check trends to find themes that both kids and adults love, such as animals, dinosaurs, or educational topics. Use tools like Google Trends or Amazon’s Best Sellers list to see what’s trending. Reading reviews can also help you understand what buyers enjoy most about these books.

1. Use Seller App Extension:
   • Add the Seller App Chrome extension by visiting the Chrome Web Store and clicking “Add to Chrome.” After installing, search for books on Amazon. The extension displays details like daily sales and revenue right on the Amazon page, making it easier to spot high-demand products.
   • Focus on themes with strong demand and good earning potential.
2. Example Theme:
   • Animal-themed coloring books are always popular because they appeal to a wide audience and offer creative flexibility. Other successful themes include seasonal books, like those for holidays or winter scenes, and fantasy books with unicorns or other magical creatures.

Step 2: Generating High-Quality Prompts

Creating good prompts is the first step to making fun and high-quality illustrations for your coloring book. Detailed prompts help AI tools make images that match your ideas, connect with your audience, and make your book unique.

Before you start making images, you need strong prompts. That’s where PromptPalette GPT can help. This tool is free to use and has no limits, apart from needing a ChatGPT Plus subscription. It’s easy to use and great for making prompts fast. Unlike other tools, PromptPalette GPT creates simple, double-sided coloring book prompts for kids with clean white backgrounds for a polished look.

To begin, visit PromptPalette GPT and type ‘Hi.’ The tool will guide you through a series of questions, such as the theme you want, the desired level of detail, and the target age group for your book. For example, you might receive a prompt like:

Generate an image with a fully colored illustration of a cute cupcake with sprinkles and a cherry on top on the left side, and the same illustration in a black-and-white outline on the right side. Both sections should have a clean, white background.

These tailored questions ensure that the resulting prompts are effective and engaging, helping you create illustrations that captivate and delight your audience.

Step 3: Generating Free Coloring Book Images

Now that you’ve created strong prompts, it’s time to use them to make amazing illustrations for your coloring book. The best part? You can do this for free with DeepAI, a tool that’s easy to use and perfect for beginners. By visiting the website DeepAI, you can create high-quality images with customizable settings. DeepAI lets you choose styles and resolutions, making it a great choice for anyone creating a professional-looking coloring book. Here’s how:

1. Visit DeepAI:
   • Go to DeepAI and select the “Text-to-Image Generator” option.
2. Input Your Prompt:
   • Copy the prompts you created in Step 2 and paste them into the text box. For example: “Generate an image with a fully colored illustration of a cute cupcake with sprinkles and a cherry on top on the left side, and the same illustration in a black-and-white outline on the right side. Both sections should have a clean, white background.”
3. Set Image Settings:
   • Choose the Chibi Character Generator style under “Choose a Style.” This style is recommended because it creates cute and simple illustrations that are perfect for kids’ coloring books. The clean and approachable design enhances the book’s appeal and fits well with the playful and creative tone of a coloring book.
   • Select HD under “Choose a Model” to ensure high-quality images.
   • Under “Preference,” set the slider to “Quality” for the best results.

1. Generate and Download Images:
   • Click the “Generate” button to create your illustration. After the image is generated, take a moment to review its quality. If necessary, adjust the settings or prompts to ensure the final image meets your expectations before downloading it.
   • Once the image is generated, review it, and download it directly to your computer.

Why Use DeepAI?

• Completely Free: You can generate as many images as you need without any cost.
• User-Friendly: The interface is simple and intuitive, perfect for beginners.
• High-Quality Results: With the right settings, DeepAI produces crisp, professional-grade images.

Following these steps, you can create fun and eye-catching illustrations that make your coloring book stand out and attract more buyers. DeepAI is free to use and doesn’t require an account, but it might sometimes produce images that aren’t perfect, such as low-quality pictures or ones that don’t match your prompt.

The good news is you can keep refining your prompts or adjusting settings without worrying about costs. High-quality images play a crucial role in making your book appealing to buyers. For instance, eye-catching illustrations can help your book gain visibility, receive better reviews, and encourage readers to share positive feedback about your product.

Step 4: Designing the Cover Image Using AI

Making a great cover is super important for catching attention and making your coloring book stand out. A good cover should have bold colors, easy-to-read text, and pictures that match your book’s theme. Here’s how you can create an awesome cover using PromptPalette GPT and Leonardo.ai. PromptPalette GPT helps you make clear, detailed prompts that fit your theme, while Leonardo.ai turns those prompts into high-quality, unique designs.

Using PromptPalette GPT to Create a Cover Image Prompt

After creating your illustration prompts in Step 2, you can also use PromptPalette GPT to design a cover image prompt. This tool is helpful because it adjusts prompts to fit your book’s theme or style, making sure your cover looks just right. Here’s what to do:

1. Continue with PromptPalette GPT:
   • Once your illustration prompts are complete, the GPT will ask: “Would you like to create a cover image prompt for your coloring book?”
   • Simply respond with “Yes,” and the GPT will guide you through additional questions.
2. Answer the Questions:
   • The GPT will ask details like: – Do you want text on the cover? (e.g., title, subtitle)
     • Preferred color scheme or design style for the cover.
     • What text would you like to include as the book title? 📚
     • Would you like to add an author name? If yes, please share the name.
     • Would you like to add a tagline or any additional text? If yes, please provide it.
3. Get Your Prompts:
   • Once you answer, the GPT will generate a detailed prompt tailored to create your perfect cover image. For example, the GPT might produce a prompt like this:
     • “Generate an image with a colored illustration of a cheerful lion, a happy elephant spraying water, a playful kitten chasing a butterfly, a smiling turtle with a flower on its shell, and a curious monkey hanging from a tree branch. Arrange these animals into a vibrant and cohesive cover design. Include the text ‘Coloring Book 2025’ at the top, ‘Piximfix’ at the bottom, and ‘A Creative Adventure with Adorable Animals!’ beneath the title. The illustration should represent the fun and simple animal theme of the coloring book and have a clean, white background.”

Using Leonardo.ai to Generate the Cover Image

Now that you have a detailed cover prompt, it’s time to create the cover image. Leonardo.ai is a great tool for this because it’s easy to use and can generate high-quality, professional-looking designs. The best part? You get a free account with 150 tokens daily. A detailed cover prompt is essential for making your design stand out. Here’s how to use it effectively:

1. Create a Free Leonardo.ai Account:
   • Visit Leonardo.ai and sign up for a free account. You’ll get 150 tokens daily.
   • If you run out of tokens, you can wait 24 hours for a reset or make another free account using a temporary email service like smailpro.com. This tool helps you quickly create email addresses that work like Gmail for easy account setup.

1. Generate the Cover Image:
   • Paste the cover prompt you generated with PromptPalette GPT into Leonardo.ai.
   • Add These Settings:
     • Model/Preset: Phoenix 1.0
     • Style: Graphic Design Pop Art
     • Contrast: High
     • Generation Mode: Quality
     • Image Dimensions: Medium (832×1248)
     • Number of Images: 4
   • Select these settings to get vibrant and professional cover designs.
2. Download the Image:
   • Review the generated image for quality and relevance to your prompt.
   • If the image needs adjustments, refine the prompt or try a different style.
   • Download the finalized image in a high-resolution format.

Why Leonardo.ai?

• Free to Use: Leonardo.ai gives you free tokens every day, making it perfect for beginners on a budget.
• Customizable Settings: Try different styles and options to design a creative, professional cover that matches your book’s theme.
• Multiple Accounts: Use temporary emails to create extra accounts and avoid running out of tokens.

Why a Great Cover Matters

• First Impressions Count: A visually striking cover draws buyers in and sets your book apart from competitors. Bold colors, clear fonts, and thematic imagery are key elements that make a cover stand out and capture attention.
• Builds Credibility: A professional-looking cover signals quality and effort, making it more likely that customers will trust and purchase your book. For example, a well-designed cover with bold colors and clear fonts can attract buyers browsing on Amazon, leading to better reviews and increased sales.

Step 5: Designing the Coloring Book Pages

Next, we need to combine all these images and design the pages to create a coloring book. Here’s how you can design the pages of your coloring book using Canva:

Step 1: Set the Page Size

1. Open Canva and click on “Create a Design.“

1. Set the size of your page to meet Amazon KDP requirements: 8.5 x 11 inches. This size is perfect because it matches standard coloring book dimensions, giving your book a polished and professional look that works well with Amazon’s printing system.

1. Open Canva and Create a New Design: Click on “Create a Design,” then select “Custom Size.”
2. Adjust Units and Dimensions: Change the units to inches. Then, type 8.5 for the width and 11 for the height. This size ensures your book meets Amazon’s standards while looking professional and polished.
3. Once you’ve set the dimensions, you’ll have a blank page ready for designing.

Step 2: Upload Your Images

1. Go to the “Uploads” tab in Canva.
2. Before you start, organize your images into folders to make uploading easier and faster.

1. Drag and drop all the images you’ve generated into the uploads section.
2. After uploading, you can begin designing your pages.

Step 3: Design Each Page

1. Add Images:
   • Start with the first page by clicking on an image to add it to the canvas.

1. Add and View the Image: Once you add the image, you will see both the colored version and the outline together. To make a page like the example, place the colored image at the top and the outline at the center. This way, kids can use the colored image as a guide while coloring.

1. Duplicate the Image: Right-click on the image and select “Duplicate.” This will create a copy of the image for editing.

1. Crop the Colored Image: Click on the duplicated image and crop it to show only the colored part. Move the cropped colored image to the corner of the page.

1. Crop the Outline Image: Similarly, crop the outline image to keep only the outline. Use the corner dots to resize and center it on the page.

1. Crop and Adjust Images: Crop and resize the images to fit them neatly on the page. Right-click on the image and select “Duplicate” to make a copy. This step helps you position the colored and outline versions perfectly on the same page, making it easy to design an engaging layout.

• Add Text for Each Image: Let’s add the name of the animal. To do this, click on the text option and choose a style. Enter the name of the animal, then drag and drop it to place it neatly on the page. This makes the book more interactive and educational for kids.

And it’s done!

Step 4: Blank Pages for Smudging

1. To prevent smudging, leave one side of each page blank. This makes it easier for kids to color with markers or heavy materials without worrying about making a mess. A clean, blank side helps keep their drawings neat and prevents colors from bleeding through.
2. Add enough pages to meet these requirements while ensuring a variety of content.

Step 5: Plan Your Page Count

1. Amazon requires a minimum of 24 pages and a maximum of 80 pages. If you’re unsure, aim for 40-50 pages. This range provides a good balance between variety and manageability for your coloring book.* For a balanced book, consider aiming for around 40-50 pages, which provides enough variety while staying manageable.*
2. Add enough pages to meet these requirements while ensuring a variety of content.

Final Step: Download Your Coloring Book

• When you’ve finished designing all the pages, click “Share” and then “Download.” Make sure to select “PDF Standard” as the format to ensure it works perfectly with Amazon KDP while keeping the quality of your coloring book high.
• Choose “PDF Standard” as the format to ensure compatibility with Amazon KDP.
• Save the file to your computer.

Now that your coloring book is designed, it’s ready to publish! The next step is to upload your book to Amazon KDP and start sharing it with readers everywhere.

Key Insights and Tips

• Standout Quote: “Bright and colorful images make your book unique and encourage more people to buy it. This highlights the importance of using high-quality visuals to grab attention and make your book stand out in a competitive market.”
• Helpful Tip: Leave some pages blank to prevent smudging and make coloring more fun for kids. This is especially helpful when kids use markers or heavy coloring materials, as the blank pages keep their artwork neat and prevent colors from bleeding through.
• Think Big: Create multiple books with different themes to boost your earnings.
  
  For example, you could design books based on popular topics like animals, holidays, or fantasy themes like unicorns and dragons. Other ideas include books about space, magical fairytale worlds, or even educational themes like learning the alphabet or numbers. These ideas are popular because they cater to different interests, making your books appealing to a larger audience. By offering a variety of themes, you increase your chances of connecting with more buyers and boosting your sales.

Learn How to Publish Your Coloring Book on Amazon KDP

Once your coloring book is ready, the next step is sharing it with the world. If you’re wondering how to publish your book on Amazon KDP, we’ve got you covered! Check out our detailed blog post that walks you through every step of the publishing process—from uploading your files and setting the perfect price to optimizing your listing for better visibility.

Publishing on Amazon KDP doesn’t have to be complicated. With our guide, you’ll learn how to showcase your work and reach a wide audience with ease. Visit our blog post now to get started!

Conclusion: Start Your Coloring Book Journey Today

Making and selling kids’ coloring books on Amazon KDP is a fun and easy way to be creative while earning extra money. Some creators make over $10,000 a month by designing books with great themes and high-quality illustrations. This guide will show you exactly how to make your own coloring book step by step. W