Your 10 Biggest Questions Answered (Plain & Simple)
You create simple books (journals, planners, activity books) and Amazon prints them when ordered.
1. Do I need a certificate?
No. You need to create useful, properly formatted interiors.
Can you make a lined journal or a prompt book that looks clean? That’s your skill.
What to do instead:
- Create a 100-page lined journal interior in Canva.
- Follow Amazon’s template exactly.
- That’s your first book.
2. What’s the minimum I need to spend?
$0. Amazon KDP is completely free.
- Canva is free for interiors.
- Amazon KDP account is free.
- You only pay if you order author copies (optional).
Warning: NEVER pay for expensive courses. Everything is free on YouTube.
3. How do I describe what I do?
DON’T say: “I’m a KDP publisher.” (Customers don’t care)
Your books should speak for themselves: “Lined Journal for Women” “Gratitude Prompt Book” “Baby’s First Year Memory Book”
Find niches:
- Guided journals (prompts for anxiety, gratitude, goals)
- Theme journals (gardening, reading, cooking logs)
- Activity books (mazes, word searches for kids)
- Low-content books (lined, dotted, blank pages)
4. Where do I find my VERY first client?
Your customers find YOU on Amazon.
- Amazon search is where people look for journals/planners.
- Your job: Optimize your book title, description, and keywords so they find it.
- No marketing needed initially—just proper Amazon listing.
5. How much do I earn?
You earn royalties based on price minus printing cost.
Example: Book costs $3 to print. You sell for $9.99. Amazon takes ~$3. You earn ~$4 profit per book.
First goal: Earn $2-4 profit per book. Sell 2-3 books per day = $150-300/month.
6. What does creating a book look like? Step-by-step
Project: “Create Gratitude Journal”
- Design in Canva: Use Amazon’s exact trim size (6″ x 9″ is popular).
- Create interior: 120 pages with daily gratitude prompts (date, 3 things I’m grateful for, etc.).
- Design cover: Use Amazon’s Cover Creator (free) or Canva.
- Upload to KDP: Fill in details, set price (Amazon suggests price range).
- Publish: Takes 72 hours to go live on Amazon.
- When ordered: Amazon prints and ships, you get royalty.
7. How do I handle payment safely?
Amazon handles everything automatically.
They collect payment, print books, ship, handle returns, and deposit royalties to your bank monthly. Completely hands-off payment system.
8. What’s the #1 beginner mistake?
Using copyrighted content or images.
Don’t use characters, famous quotes, or images without commercial licenses. Create original content or use properly licensed elements.
Canva Pro tip: Many elements are for commercial use. Check licenses.
9. How do I know if I’m good enough?
You’re good enough if:
- You can create a clean, properly formatted interior.
- Your cover looks professional (not homemade).
- You can identify a specific niche/target audience.
Test: Would you buy your own book? Does it look like something you’d see in a store? If yes, publish it.
10. What’s the next step?
Create series and expand niches.
After one gratitude journal sells, create: anxiety journal, mindfulness journal, goal-setting journal.
Research what’s selling in your niche and create variations.
Your Action Plan:
- Today: Create 10-page sample interior for a journal in Canva.
- Tomorrow: Open Amazon KDP account (free).
- This week: Publish your first simple journal at break-even price to test.