Are Coloring Books Profitable?

The profitability of coloring books hinges on various factors, particularly the type and quality of the book. If you are targeting an oversaturated market, such as adult coloring books, your chances of success may be limited. Competing against thousands of well-reviewed adult coloring books can be a daunting task.

Instead, consider dedicating some time to identify less competitive sub-niches within the coloring book market.

Step 1 — Identify a Low Competition Coloring Book Niche

There are numerous KDP tools available to assist in discovering low-competition coloring book niches. One of the most effective tools currently is Titans Pro.

This tool can quickly provide you with a wealth of sub-niche ideas along with essential research metrics, such as:

• Estimated search volume (indicating demand)
• Estimated search results (indicating competition)
• Opportunity Score (reflecting your potential for success in a niche)

I have written an in-depth guide on Titans Pro, detailing its features and functionality, which you can find on my blog.

Once you have pinpointed a viable niche for your coloring book, delve deeper into analyzing key factors like:

• The quality of covers of already published books
• The number of reviews they have
• Their list prices
• The average BSR of the top 5 to 10 books

You can conduct this analysis manually or expedite the process with a Chrome extension like Titans Quick View, which provides a quick overview of valuable metrics related to a niche idea.

For instance, I discovered a low-competition niche titled “do markers coloring book,” which boasts a niche score of 76—indicative of a promising opportunity (anything above 60 is considered excellent).

Other useful metrics include:

• Number of results: 1,668 (indicating low competition)
• Average BSR: 141,681 (indicating demand)
• Average Reviews: 686 (ideally under 2K)
• Average Price: $8.80 (indicating potential for profitable ads)

While these figures are encouraging, remember that they alone won't guarantee your book's success. Your book must be appealing and effectively marketed to drive sales.

Step 2 — Create a High-Quality Coloring Book

Before embarking on the creation of your coloring book, conduct thorough research on Amazon. Examine the covers, interior pages (in terms of quality and quantity), and reviews of best-selling books in your chosen niche.

This research will provide clarity on the types of coloring pages to include and the ideal number of pages for your book.

> Pro Tip: Offer more pages than your competitors.

When creating a coloring book, you have several options:

1. Create a Coloring Book Yourself (If You Have Design Skills)

This method allows you to maintain full control over the quality of your book. However, not everyone possesses design skills. If you lack this expertise, consider the next option.

2. Hire a Designer or Illustrator

If creating the coloring book on your own isn't feasible, hiring an illustrator from platforms like Upwork or Fiverr can be a viable solution. I have utilized this approach, paying approximately $1 per coloring page for two freelancers to create my coloring books for Amazon KDP.

When posting a job on Upwork, specify that you need someone to create 40 or 50 coloring pages (for any target audience), and clearly outline your budget to avoid misunderstandings.

3. Use Pre-Made Coloring Pages

If you're operating on a tight budget, consider utilizing pre-made coloring pages from various online sources. Several platforms offer high-quality coloring pages at a nominal cost. Here are a few options:

• Create Fabrica: $3.99/month with an annual subscription
• Book Bird: Offers over 700 coloring book interior templates for Amazon KDP
• Vecteezy: Costs $9/month

Keep in mind that using these pre-made pages means that many others may be creating similar books. To mitigate this, mix and match pages from different sources or look for pages that come with editable resource files (SVG, PSD) that you can modify before publishing.

4. Use a Coloring Book Maker Tool

I personally used a coloring book maker tool to create a toddler coloring book that is now available on Amazon and generating sales. This tool offers over 9,000 coloring pages and elements, allowing you to create unique pages for your book easily.

It functions similarly to Canva, where you can search for and drop coloring elements onto a canvas, adding text, shapes, and images to create one-of-a-kind pages. For further details, refer to my video tutorial below.

Step 3 — Design an Eye-Catching Book Cover

Your book cover is the first impression a potential buyer has, making it vital to have an attractive design to enhance sales.

> Note: Avoid designing your own cover unless you have substantial experience in graphic design.

Outsourcing your cover design on Fiverr can be a cost-effective solution, with prices starting as low as $10.

How to Properly Format a Coloring Book

A common practice among coloring books published on Amazon is to alternate coloring images with blank pages. For example, a coloring book with 50 coloring pages should consist of 100 pages total.

This means you should include a blank page after each coloring page to prevent colors from bleeding through. Thus, coloring images should occupy the odd-numbered pages, while even-numbered pages should remain blank.

I have recorded a detailed video tutorial on formatting a coloring book for Amazon KDP using PowerPoint, which you can view here:

How Many Pages Should a Coloring Book Have?

When publishing a coloring book on Amazon through KDP, aim for a minimum of 24 coloring pages, as KDP requires this number for publication.

To add value for your customers, consider offering more than 24 pages. Most coloring books on Amazon typically range from 35 to 50 pages, with some exceeding 100 pages.

However, keep in mind that increasing the number of pages will also raise printing costs, ultimately reducing your profits. Therefore, aim for a balance of 35 to 50 pages to optimize both customer satisfaction and your earnings.

Conclusion

In summary, creating and publishing a successful coloring book on Amazon necessitates careful planning, niche identification, and high-quality content. Utilizing tools like Titans Pro to target low-competition niches is essential. Hiring designers or using pre-made pages can help you bring your coloring book to fruition.

Outsource an appealing book cover to create a strong first impression. Ensure your book is properly formatted with alternating coloring and blank pages to avoid color bleeding.

Aim for a minimum of 35–50 coloring pages to comply with Amazon KDP's requirements while providing value to your audience. Finding the right balance between page count and printing costs is crucial for maximizing profits.

By following these steps and continuously refining your approach, you can create a successful coloring book that generates passive income on Amazon.