If you want more digital side hustle ideas, check out our post on Top 10 Digital Side Hustles You Can Start with Zero Budget in 2025. Many of these ideas complement KDP publishing and can help you diversify your online income.
What is Amazon KDP?
Amazon KDP is a free platform that allows anyone to publish eBooks and paperbacks directly on Amazon. You can sell your books to millions of Amazon users worldwide without needing a publisher, physical inventory, or expensive printing costs. The platform handles printing (for paperbacks), delivery, and even royalty payments, so you can focus on creating content.
Key Advantages:
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Free to start: There are no upfront costs to publish your first book.
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Passive income: Once your book is live, you can earn money from sales long after publishing.
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Huge audience: Millions of Amazon users browse and buy books every day.
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Print-on-demand: Amazon prints your book only when someone orders it, eliminating storage or shipping worries.
Even beginners with minimal experience can succeed on KDP, making it one of the most accessible ways to start earning online in 2025.
Why Choose Amazon KDP?
Amazon KDP is perfect for beginners because it combines accessibility, flexibility, and scalability. Here’s why many people start their digital publishing journey here:
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Free to Start: Unlike traditional publishing, you don’t need money to print or distribute books. You just need an Amazon account and your content.
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Passive Income: Your books can continue earning royalties while you focus on creating more titles or exploring other side hustles.
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Massive Audience: Amazon’s built-in audience increases your chances of making sales without heavy marketing.
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Print-on-Demand: You never hold inventory or ship books. This reduces risk and simplifies the process.
Additionally, KDP allows you to publish in multiple formats: paperback, hardcover (KDP Print), and eBooks, giving you flexibility and multiple income streams.
Steps to Make Your First $100 on Amazon KDP
Making your first $100 may feel daunting, but with a structured approach, it’s completely achievable. Let’s break it down step by step:
1. Choose a Profitable Niche
The first step is picking a niche that sells well. A profitable niche increases your chances of earning your first sales quickly. Here are some beginner-friendly options:
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Low-content books: Journals, planners, notebooks, and logbooks. These require minimal writing but high design quality.
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Coloring books: For adults or children, these are highly popular on Amazon.
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Children’s storybooks: Creative storytelling for kids can be highly lucrative if done well.
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Guided journals: Self-care, gratitude, or goal-tracking journals are always in demand.
Pro Tip: Look at Amazon’s bestsellers in your niche to see which books are selling well and why. Pay attention to titles, covers, and formats.
Read more: How to Design a KDP Cover That Grabs Attention and Converts to stand out in your niche.
Example: One beginner published a gratitude journal with prompts and daily exercises. By researching competitors and offering unique prompts, the journal earned $120 in the first month.
2. Research the Market
Market research helps you understand what buyers want and how much they are willing to pay. Here’s what to look for:
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Bestsellers: Identify popular books in your chosen niche.
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Customer reviews: See what buyers like and dislike. This helps you create a better product.
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Book descriptions: Check what works in terms of title, keywords, and description style.
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Price points: Note the typical pricing range for your niche.
Free tools to help:
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Amazon Suggest (type keywords in Amazon’s search bar to see suggestions)
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Google Trends (to check search interest over time)
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Book Bolt (free plan for keyword research and competitive analysis)
Example: If you notice that planners with weekly goal sections get high reviews, you can design a planner with that feature to match market demand.
3. Create Your Book
Depending on your niche, the book creation process differs:
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Low-content books: Use Canva or Book Bolt Designer to create interiors for journals, planners, or coloring books. Templates save time and make your book look professional.
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Content books (eBooks): You can write content yourself or use AI writing tools to help brainstorm and draft. Ensure your content is original, helpful, and high-quality.
Tip: Even if you’re new to writing, focus on providing value. For example, a 50-page guided journal with prompts is enough to attract buyers.
Want help writing your first eBook? Check out How to Write Blog Posts That Rank on Google – Even as a Beginner to get started with content creation and research skills you can also use for KDP.
4. Design an Eye-Catching Cover
Your cover is the first thing potential buyers notice. A professional-looking cover can dramatically increase sales.
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DIY Option: Canva has pre-made KDP templates for different book sizes.
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Freelancer Option: Hire designers on Fiverr for affordable cover design.
Example: A coloring book cover with vibrant colors and clear illustrations sold 3x more copies than a competitor with a dull cover.
Pro Tip: Research top-selling books’ covers in your niche to understand trends. Bright colors, readable fonts, and relevant imagery work best.
5. Upload Your Book to Amazon KDP
Once your content and cover are ready, it’s time to publish:
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Go to kdp.amazon.com and sign in.
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Enter your book title and description, using relevant keywords.
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Choose the appropriate categories and search keywords.
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Upload your interior and cover files (PDF format works best).
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Set your pricing. Starting low ($2.99–$5.99) can help get early sales and reviews.
Tip: Use Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature to ensure your formatting appears correctly. A professional-looking interior increases buyer trust.
6. Promote Your Book
Don’t rely solely on Amazon’s algorithm. You can actively promote your book to accelerate sales:
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Share on social media like Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook.
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Write blog posts related to your book topic.
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Join KDP or niche-related Facebook groups and share your book.
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Reach out to friends, family, or niche influencers for support.
Need tips to boost blog traffic? Read How to Use Pinterest to Drive Blog Traffic for strategies that also apply to book promotion.
Example: A self-published planner creator shared a daily tip from her planner on Instagram Reels. The post went viral, driving 50+ sales in one week.
7. Keep Publishing More Books
Success on Amazon KDP often comes from volume. One book might make a few sales, but publishing multiple books increases your earning potential.
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Start with 5–10 books in one niche or related niches.
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Repurpose designs or content across multiple books to save time.
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Monitor which books sell best and create follow-ups.
See more inspiration: 5 Passive Income Ideas That Actually Work for Digital Creators to explore other ways to complement your KDP earnings.
Example: A beginner published a series of low-content journals for students: daily planner, weekly planner, and study log. Together, these books earned over $400 in the first month.
Final Tips to Succeed on KDP
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Quality over Quantity: A few well-designed books often outperform many mediocre ones.
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SEO Optimization: Use relevant keywords in titles, descriptions, and categories to increase discoverability.
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Learn from Competitors: Analyze top-selling books for format, style, and pricing.
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Test Different Niches: Don’t stick to one niche if it doesn’t sell. Experiment with multiple categories.
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Be Patient: Sales usually grow over time. Consistency is key.
Conclusion
Making your first $100 on Amazon KDP is a realistic and achievable goal for beginners. By choosing a profitable niche, creating high-quality content, designing attractive covers, and promoting your books, you can start earning passive income on Amazon.
Consistency, learning, and patience are your best allies. Over time, your first $100 can grow into $500, $1,000, or even more, especially if you continue publishing more books and expanding your digital presence.
Explore More:
Amazon KDP offers beginners a low-risk, high-potential path to earn passive income online. Start small, learn as you go, and your digital publishing journey can become a reliable online business in 2025 and beyond.
