How to Sell Coloring Books on Amazon
Updated By the ColorCraft team6 min read
Short answer
To sell coloring books on Amazon, publish them as print-on-demand paperbacks through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). It costs nothing upfront, because Amazon prints each copy when it sells and takes the printing cost from your royalty. The coloring books holding strong ranks are usually specific ones, so check the niche first, then price at $9.99 or more if the book can carry it, which pays $3.15 a copy on a 100-page book.
Key takeaways
- KDP prints on demand, so there is no inventory and no upfront printing bill.
- Check the niche before you make the book. It is the decision that matters most.
- Pricing at $9.99 instead of $9.98 lifts the royalty on a 100-page book from $2.15 to $3.15.
- You get 3 categories and up to 7 keywords. Use them for what your title doesn’t say.
- KDP allows 2 new titles per format a week, so quality beats volume.
- If you use AI art, KDP requires you to disclose it during setup.
Can anyone sell coloring books on Amazon?
Yes. Anyone with a KDP account can publish a paperback. KDP prints on demand and subtracts the printing cost from your royalties, so you don’t pay upfront or hold stock. How much it costs to publish on KDP has the full picture.
AI-made pages are allowed, but KDP requires you to disclose them when you set up the book. Can you sell AI coloring books on KDP? covers the rules.
Which coloring books sell?
Specific books sell better than general ones. Searches like “bold and easy coloring book” or “dinosaur coloring book for kids” come from someone who knows what they want, and a small publisher can show up for them. “Adult coloring book” is much harder.
When we checked Amazon US in November 2026, bold and easy coloring books read as Strong, and dinosaur coloring books as Open: only 16 of 25,800 books with those words in the title sold well, but 5 from the last year held a good rank, all self-published. Among publishers on paid ColorCraft plans, animals, cute and cozy themes lead what they make.
Those readings will change. The skill that lasts is checking for yourself: how to find KDP niches walks through it.
How do you sell a coloring book on Amazon, step by step?
Check the niche
Search Amazon for the phrase a buyer would type, and confirm several paperbacks hold a strong sales rank, including recent ones from small publishers.
Make the book to match
Match the page count and trim size buyers expect in that niche, and print on one side of each sheet so ink doesn’t bleed through onto the next picture.
Write the title and subtitle
Put the theme in the title and the audience in the subtitle, for example large print, for adults, or ages 4 to 8.
Set up the listing
Write the description, choose 3 categories and enter up to 7 keywords that your title doesn’t already cover.
Set the price
Check what the top books charge, then compare your royalty on both sides of $9.99.
Upload and review
Upload the interior and cover PDFs to KDP, answer the AI question honestly, check the previewer and submit for review.
Watch and repeat
Track the book’s rank over weeks, ask early readers for honest reviews, and build a series around what sells.
The interior and cover have to meet KDP’s print specs. Our guides cover trim size, bleed and margins and spine width and cover size, and how to make a coloring book for KDP follows one book from start to finish.
How should you price a coloring book?
Start with what the top books in your niche charge, then look at the royalty. On Amazon.com, KDP pays 50% at $9.98 or less and 60% at $9.99 or more, minus printing. That one cent matters:
| List price | Royalty rate | Printing cost | You earn per copy |
|---|---|---|---|
| $7.99 | 50% | $2.84 | $1.16 |
| $8.99 | 50% | $2.84 | $1.66 |
| $9.98 | 50% | $2.84 | $2.15 |
| $9.99 | 60% | $2.84 | $3.15 |
| $10.99 | 60% | $2.84 | $3.75 |
| $12.99 | 60% | $2.84 | $4.95 |
Selling at $7.99 earns $1.16 a copy, so a cheap price needs far more sales to match a $9.99 book. If your niche sits below $9.99, that’s useful to know before you start. Try your own numbers in the free royalty calculator.
What makes a coloring book listing work?
- A cover that reads at thumbnail size. Most buyers see it the size of a postage stamp.
- A title that says what it is. Our free book title generator gives you title and subtitle ideas to start from.
- A description that names the buyer. Say who it’s for, how many pictures it has and whether pages are single-sided.
- Categories that fit. KDP lets you choose 3, and may change one that doesn’t.
- Keywords that add something. KDP keywords and categories for coloring books explains what to enter.
How does ColorCraft help you sell a coloring book?
You can do all of the above by hand with free tools. ColorCraft puts it in one place. Niche Research checks the niche and turns the top-ranked books into a spec: price, page count and what a copy would earn.
From a report, Start a coloring book asks for your angle, then carries the research into the book so Paige, the book agent, can make the pages to that spec.
When the book is done, the listing assistant drafts a KDP description and 20 ranked keyword ideas to copy over.
Mini, Starter and the free trial (a card is required to start it) include 3 searches in total. Creator includes 30 a month, Professional 100 and Studio 300. The 7-day free trial (a card is required to start it) includes 40 pages, enough for a complete 24-page book. Trial downloads are watermarked previews; the print-ready file comes with a plan (from $9/month), or you can unlock a single book for $24.
What happens after you publish?
Expect a slow start. A new book has no reviews and little history, so give it weeks before you judge it. Rank jumps around at low sales, and what BSR means helps you read it without over-reacting.
Because KDP now allows 2 new titles per format a week, plan a series rather than a flood: one book that works, then related books for the same buyer. Selling coloring books is a real business for some people and a small side income for many. Nobody can promise what a book will earn, so start with one.
Frequently asked questions
Do coloring books sell on Amazon?
Some do. Specific coloring books with a clear audience can hold strong ranks, while most titles sell very little. In one check in November 2026, only 16 of 25,800 books with “dinosaur coloring” in the title sold well, so the niche and the book’s quality matter a great deal.
How much money can you make selling coloring books on Amazon?
Per copy, a 100-page 8.5 × 11 book at $9.99 earns $3.15 on Amazon.com after printing. Total income depends on how many copies sell, which varies enormously, and no one can promise a figure.
Do I need to buy copies or pay upfront?
No. KDP prints each copy when it’s ordered and subtracts the printing cost from your royalty. You can order proof or author copies if you want them, at the printing cost plus shipping.
Can I sell AI-generated coloring books on Amazon?
Yes, as long as you follow KDP’s content guidelines and tell KDP the content is AI-generated when you set up the book. You are responsible for what you publish, including avoiding characters and brands you don’t own.
What size should a coloring book be?
Most coloring books on Amazon are 8.5 × 11 inches, which gives room for detail. Check what the top books in your niche use and match the page count buyers expect.
Sources
- KDP: Paperback Printing Cost
- KDP: Paperback Royalty
- KDP: Content Guidelines (AI-generated content)
- KDP: Categories
- KDP: Create a Book (title creation and submission limits)
- KDP: How much do proof or author copies cost?
Last checked: . Policies, specs and rates were checked against these pages; KDP changes them from time to time, so confirm on KDP before you publish.
Make your first book with ColorCraft
Paige drafts and draws the pages, the cover generator builds the KDP wrap, and the Listing Assistant writes the description. Start a 7-day free trial and make a whole book.
Start your free trial7-day free trial · Card required · Plans from $9/month · Cancel anytime
Trial downloads are watermarked previews. The print-ready file comes with your plan, or unlock one book for $24.
Related guides
- How to Find KDP Niches, Step by Step
A step-by-step way to check a KDP niche by hand or with Niche Research, with four real examples.
- How to Make and Publish a Coloring Book on Amazon KDP
End-to-end tutorial: theme, interior pages with Paige, blank backs, cover wrap, listing, bleed export and the KDP upload screens.
- KDP Coloring Book Royalties: What One Sale Pays
Royalty = rate × list price − printing cost; 60% from $9.99 on Amazon.com, 50% below. Worked examples for coloring books and picture books.