The Easy Way To Make Money With Amazon KDP

Let’s be real if you’ve ever Googled how to make money online you’ve probably stumbled across something called Amazon KDP short for Kindle Direct Publishing. And if you’re anything like I was when I first heard about it you probably thought “Sounds complicated. I’m not an author. Hard pass.”

But here’s the thing Amazon KDP isn’t just for writers or novelists. In fact some of the people making serious money on KDP aren’t writing anything close to a traditional book. Yep. It’s way easier and more beginner friendly than you probably think.

Today I’m going to walk you through how you can start making money with Amazon KDP the easy way, what kinds of books you can create (spoiler: you don’t even have to write a ton) and a few tips to speed up your success.

First of All: What Exactly Is Amazon KDP?

Amazon KDP is Amazon’s self-publishing platform that lets anyone publish a book for free.
You can publish both eBooks for Kindle readers and paperback books and you don’t have to pay for inventory, warehouses or shipping. Amazon prints and ships your book when someone orders it.

This model is called print-on-demand and it’s one of the most low risk business opportunities out there.
Basically you create a book once, upload it and every time someone buys it Amazon handles everything else and you get paid royalties.

Why is this exciting?
Because it means you can create passive income streams without a huge upfront investment.

What Kinds of Books Make Money on KDP? (It’s Not What You Think)

Here’s where a lot of people get stuck. They hear publish a book and immediately think they need to write a 300 page novel.

Nope. Not necessary.

Some of the easiest and most profitable types of books on KDP are low content or no content books. These include:

• Journals

• Planners

• Workbooks

• Sketchbooks

• Notebooks

• Logbooks (like fitness logs, habit trackers, mileage logs)

• Coloring books

You’re basically creating the shell of a book and letting the buyer fill it out themselves.

For example you can make a simple 120 page lined notebook with a cute cover that says “Dog Mom Journal” and yes people will buy it!

Some creators have hundreds of these simple books in their Amazon stores and earn hundreds or thousands of dollars a month in passive income.

Step 1: Pick a Profitable Niche

This is probably the most important step if you want to actually make money with Amazon KDP.

Instead of making a generic notebook where you’ll be competing with thousands of others you want to pick a specific niche.

Niche ideas could be:

• Gardening Journals

• Fitness Planners for Runners

• Gratitude Journals for Moms

• Truck Driver Logbooks

• Wedding Planners for LGBTQ+ Couples

• ADHD Daily Planners

  

The more specific you get the better.

How do you find a good niche?
Spend some time on Amazon! Search for “journal,” “planner,” “logbook,” and see what pops up. Look at the reviews. See what people love and complain about.
Tools like Book Bolt or Helium 10 can also help you do niche research if you want to get fancy.

Step 2: Create Your Book (Without Losing Your Mind)

Don’t worry you do not need to be a graphic designer to make a book.

There are two main parts you’ll need:

1. The interior (the inside pages)

2. The cover (the front and back)

For interiors:

• You can create simple lined pages yourself using Canva (free version works fine).

• You can also buy or download free templates online. (There are tons of KDP templates on Etsy, Creative Fabrica and Book Bolt)

• Make sure your interior matches your niche. If it’s a fitness planner include sections for workouts, meals, goals, etc.

For covers:

• Canva is your best friend here too.
  They even have pre sized templates for KDP book covers.

• Keep it simple but eye catching. Remember the cover is what makes people click and buy.

• Use free stock images, cute patterns and bold easy-to-read fonts.

Amazon has very specific sizing guidelines depending on the size of your book like 6″x9″ or 8.5″x11″. Don’t worry they provide a free Cover Calculator tool to help you get it right.

Step 3: Upload to Amazon KDP

Once you have your book ready it’s time to upload!

Here’s a quick breakdown of what you’ll need to do:

• Create a free KDP account (easy peasy)

• Start a new book (click “Create Paperback” or “Create eBook”)

• Fill in the details:

  • Book title and subtitle

  • Author name (this can be your name or a pen name)

  • Description (make it keyword-rich but natural)

  • Keywords (these help people find your book)

  • Categories (choose the best fit and you can pick two)

• Upload your interior file and cover file

• Preview your book (double check for errors)

• Set your pricing and royalties

Amazon lets you choose your price but most low content books are priced between $6.99 and $12.99. You typically earn about 60% royalty after Amazon’s printing costs.

Once you hit “Publish” your book will usually go live within 72 hours!

Step 4: Market Your Book (Just a Little Bit)

One beautiful thing about Amazon KDP is that Amazon itself is a giant search engine.

If you picked a good niche and used the right keywords your book can start selling organically.

But if you want faster results here are a few extra tips:

• Create Pinterest pins linking to your book (Pinterest loves journals and planners)

• Post on Instagram or TikTok showing off your book

• Tell friends and family to leave honest reviews

• Consider Amazon Ads only if you’re ready to invest a little money but not necessary at first

The goal is to get a few sales and a few reviews early on because this helps your book rank higher in search results.

How Much Money Can You Actually Make With KDP?

Good question and the honest answer is it depends.

Some people publish 10 books and make $50/month.
Some publish 100 books and make $1,000+/month.
Some go all in and treat it like a real business so you can start earning $5,000+ per month.

Factors that affect your earnings:

• How many books you publish

• How well you target niches

• How good your covers and titles are

• How much competition you have

• How much you market your books (even a little helps)

The more books you have out there the more income streams you create. And remember once a book is live it can keep selling for years without you doing anything else. That’s the power of passive income.

Quick Tips for KDP Success

Before you run off to create your first book let me share a few quick lessons I learned the hard way:

 Focus on quality over quantity at first.
It’s better to have 10 well designed books than 50 sloppy ones.

 Research before you create.
Make sure there’s demand for the niche you’re targeting.

 Stay consistent.
One book might not change your life but 10, 20, 50? That’s how real income adds up.

 Learn and adjust.
If a book doesn’t sell don’t panic. Look at what might be off like the title, cover or keywords and try again.

 Celebrate small wins.
Your first sale is a big deal! Treat it like the huge milestone it is.

Conclusion

Absolutely if you approach it the smart way. Amazon KDP isn’t a get rich quick scheme. But it’s 100% one of the easiest most accessible ways to start building real passive income streams without a massive investment.

You don’t need to be a writer.
You don’t need fancy equipment.
You don’t even need a ton of time so you can create your first book in a weekend.

And once your books are live they can keep working for you 24/7 year after year. So if you’ve been looking for an easy and legit way to make money online then KDP might just be your new best friend.