How I Made $400 in My First Month Selling Coloring Books on Amazon Using ChromaPrint
Quick Answer
Yes, you can make money selling coloring books on Amazon KDP without drawing skills - but results vary widely. This is one realistic example from a first-time publisher who used AI-generated line art and published 4 books in 30 days. Results are not typical. Individual results vary based on effort, niche selection, and market conditions.
Self-publishing on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing has quietly become one of the most accessible side-income paths of the past decade. Low-content books - coloring books, journals, puzzle books - require no printing investment, no warehouse, and no traditional publishing deal. According to KDP's own royalty documentation, authors keep 60% of the list price on paperbacks priced between $2.99 and $9.99, minus a per-page printing cost. This is an income report from one first-time publisher who tested whether that math pencils out.
The numbers below are real. The workflow is repeatable. Here is exactly what happened, what worked, and what to do differently.
The Setup: 4 Books in 30 Days
The goal was simple: publish 4 coloring books on Amazon KDP in one month and measure whether the effort was worth it. No prior publishing experience. No illustration skills. Total upfront cost: $38 in ChromaPrint credits.
The four books:
- Golden Retriever Coloring Book - 20 pages, $7.99
- Seaside Cottage Coloring Book - 20 pages, $7.99
- Vintage Bicycle Coloring Book - 20 pages, $7.99
- Koi Pond Coloring Book - 20 pages, $6.99
The Math: Royalties and Costs
KDP pays a 60% royalty on books priced $2.99–$9.99, minus printing costs per page. You can verify these numbers yourself using the KDP royalty calculator. For an 8.5×11" black-and-white interior with 20 pages:
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| List price | $7.99 |
| KDP royalty rate | 60% |
| Gross royalty | $4.79 |
| KDP printing cost (20 B&W pages) | ~$2.15 |
| Net royalty per sale | $2.64 |
Month 1 results: 152 total sales across 4 books. Total revenue: $401.28. Upfront cost to create the books: $38 in ChromaPrint credits. Net profit month 1: ~$363. Books continue to sell every month with zero additional work.
Note: Amazon's Best Seller Rank (BSR) updates hourly and reflects recent sales velocity - not lifetime sales. A BSR under 100,000 in Books typically indicates at least a few sales per day.
The Exact ChromaPrint Workflow
Each book took 2-3 hours from start to KDP upload. Here is the step-by-step:
- Find source photos. Use stock photo sites with commercial licenses (Unsplash, Pexels, or Pixabay). For the golden retriever book: 20 high-quality dog photos in various poses.
- Generate line art in ChromaPrint. Upload each photo, select the "Artist" style (fine lines work better for KDP adult coloring books), and download the high-res PNG. 20 images = 20 credits = $10.
- Assemble the PDF interior. Use Canva (free) or Google Slides. Place one line art image per right-hand page. Leave the left-hand pages blank (prevents bleed-through when coloring). Export as PDF, 8.5×11", 300 DPI. Review KDP's paperback formatting guidelines before uploading.
- Create the cover. Use KDP's Cover Creator or Canva. One striking image from the book, bold title, clean design.
- Upload to KDP. Create a new title at kdp.amazon.com. Upload interior PDF and cover PDF. Fill in title, subtitle (use keywords here), description, and 7 keyword fields. Set price at $7.99. Submit for review.
KDP reviews typically take 24-72 hours. After approval, the book is live on Amazon in all marketplaces where you've chosen to publish.
Why These Niches Worked
Niche selection is the most important decision. The four books performed differently:
| Book | Month 1 Sales | Why It Worked |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Retriever | 68 | Breed-specific: buyers are passionate owners who search for their breed |
| Seaside Cottage | 47 | Cozy aesthetic is perennially popular for adult coloring |
| Vintage Bicycle | 22 | Narrower niche, but low competition means page 1 ranking quickly |
| Koi Pond | 15 | Very niche - slower start but steady organic traffic from koi hobbyists |
What to Do Differently
- Publish 30+ pages, not 20. Buyers expect 20-40 pages minimum. More pages allows higher pricing ($9.99-$12.99) with a much better royalty on the same printing cost.
- Research keywords before writing the title. Use Amazon's autocomplete or Publisher Rocket to find exact phrases buyers use. "golden retriever coloring book for adults" outperforms "golden retriever coloring book." KDP provides keyword guidance in their help center.
- Upload 4-5 interior preview images. Amazon lets you add interior images to your listing. Show actual coloring pages - buyers need to see the line quality before purchasing.
- Price at $9.99 from day 1. $7.99 was conservative. At $9.99 the royalty jumps to $3.84 per sale. Same competition, higher earnings.
The Path to $2,000/Month
Month 1 was $400 with 4 books. Month 2: add 8 more books, optimize keywords on existing 4. Month 3: 20 books live. At 20 books averaging 40 sales/month each at $3.84 net royalty: 20 × 40 × $3.84 = $3,072/month. This compounds as older books build review history.
ChromaPrint makes the content creation fast enough to actually hit those numbers. 4 hours per book × 16 books = 64 hours total investment for a catalog that generates passive income indefinitely.
These projections represent a best-case scenario based on sustained effort, successful niche selection, and favorable market conditions. Actual results may be significantly lower. Results are not typical.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can you make selling coloring books on Amazon KDP?
Beginners with 4 books at $7.99 can realistically earn $200-500 in their first month in a good niche. At $7.99 with 60% KDP royalty and ~$2.15 printing cost, you net about $2.64 per sale. Scaling to 20 books at $9.99 can reach $2,000-4,000/month. Results are not typical and vary widely.
Is the coloring book niche on Amazon saturated?
The broad category is competitive, but specific niches (breed-specific pets, niche hobbies, regional themes) have low competition. Narrow sub-niches are where new publishers can rank quickly without advertising spend.
Do you need drawing skills to sell coloring books on Amazon?
No. AI tools like ChromaPrint AI generate clean line art from photos. Upload photos, generate line art, assemble into a PDF, and upload to KDP. No artistic skill required - the AI does the creative heavy lifting.
How much does it cost to start?
KDP publishing is free. Your main cost is image generation. A 20-page book costs roughly $10 in ChromaPrint credits. That is your entire upfront investment for a book that sells indefinitely on Amazon.
Sources & Further Reading
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