Generate AI coloring books in a weekend and sell them passively on Amazon KDP

Log into [Midjourney](https://midjourney.com) and use the web interface or a Discord server. You need 20–30 coloring book pages for a standard KDP book.

The core prompt formula for coloring pages: ``` [subject], coloring book page, black and white line art, clean outlines, no shading, no grey tones, white background, intricate detail, --style raw --no color ```

Examples that work well: - `cute cat sitting in a garden, coloring book page, black and white line art, clean outlines, no shading, white background, intricate floral details --style raw --no color` - `christmas wreath with holly berries and ribbon, coloring book page, thick clean outlines, white background, no shading, simple design for kids --style raw --no color` - `mandala with floral patterns, coloring book page, symmetrical, intricate detail, black and white line art, white background --style raw --no color`

Generate 4 variations per prompt (Midjourney default) and select the best one. For 20–25 pages, you'll run 20–30 prompts — budget about 2–3 hours for generation, selection, and iteration.

Common issues and fixes: - Too much shading → add `--no shadow, no gradient, no gray` to your prompt - Lines too thin → add `bold outlines, thick strokes` to your prompt - Background not white → add `pure white background, no texture` to your prompt

Save each selected image at full resolution (right-click → save). Do not upscale unless lines become blurry — standard Midjourney output is sufficient for KDP print quality.

Open Canva and create a Custom Size document at 8.5 × 11 inches — the standard KDP paperback trim size for coloring books. Set the resolution to 300 DPI (Canva handles this on export).

Interior page setup: - Background: solid white - Margins: 0.25 inches on all sides (required by KDP) - One illustration per page, centred - Do not add page numbers to the interior — KDP adds them automatically if you request them, but coloring books typically skip numbers

Create a single 8.5×11 template in Canva, then duplicate the page 20–30 times and drop a different illustration into each page. Resize each image to fill the page within the margin boundaries.

Adding a title page (optional but recommended): Add a first page with your book title in a clean, readable font. Keep it simple — a decorative border element (you can use one of your coloring page illustrations, shrunk to a corner frame) with the title in the centre.

Exporting the interior: Download as PDF Print (not PDF Standard). This preserves the 300 DPI quality KDP requires for clean print output. The file will be large (50–200MB) — that is normal.

The cover is the most important sales asset — it is what buyers see first in Amazon search results. A professional cover at thumbnail size is the difference between a click and a scroll-past.

KDP cover specifications: KDP provides a Cover Calculator tool at kdp.amazon.com/en_US/cover-calc — use it to get the exact pixel dimensions based on your page count and trim size. For a 30-page 8.5×11 paperback, dimensions will be approximately 6,000 × 4,500px (full wrap including spine and back).

If you want to avoid the full wrap, create just the front cover at 2,550 × 3,300px (8.5×11 at 300 DPI) and use KDP's cover creator for the spine and back.

Cover design formula: - Choose one of your best coloring page illustrations as the focal image (or generate a special cover-quality version with more detail) - Add a bold, readable title in the centre or top — use a contrasting color that pops (deep purple, navy, warm red work well against white line art) - Add a subtitle: "20 Original Designs to Color and Relax" or "30 Pages of Fun for Kids Ages 4–8" - Keep the back cover clean with a 1–2 sentence description and your author name

Export as PDF Print or high-resolution JPEG.

Go to [kdp.amazon.com](https://kdp.amazon.com) and click + Paperback.

Key fields: - Title: Include your main keyword in the title. Example: "Cute Cats Coloring Book: 25 Original Kawaii Cat Designs for Adults and Teens" - Author name: Use a pen name if preferred — it appears on the Amazon listing - Description: 150–200 words. Open with who this book is for, what makes it special, and what's included. Ask Claude: *"Write an Amazon KDP description for a coloring book titled '[Your Title]'. 150 words. Warm, approachable tone. Include who it's for, page count, and the specific niche."* - Keywords: 7 keyword phrases. Target what buyers search: "adult coloring book cats", "cute cat coloring pages", "kawaii coloring book for teens" - Categories: Choose 2 specific sub-categories under Books → Crafts, Hobbies & Home → Crafts & Hobbies → Drawing

Pricing: Set your paperback price between $6.99–$9.99. At $7.99 with a 60% royalty rate (KDP standard for paperbacks), you earn ~$1.70 per sale after printing costs. Printing costs vary by page count — KDP shows the exact royalty estimate before you publish.

Upload your interior PDF and cover, preview in the KDP previewer, and submit. KDP review takes 24–72 hours.

A single coloring book earns modest income unless you hit a viral niche or gather strong reviews quickly. The real passive income model is catalogue depth — publishing 5–10 books across related niches.

The compounding effect: each book gets discovered via Amazon's "Customers also bought" algorithm, which cross-promotes your entire catalogue. A buyer who finds your cat coloring book and loves it will also buy your dog coloring book, your nature coloring book, and your seasonal series.

A practical 30-day plan: - Week 1: Publish your first book. Start generating the next niche's illustrations while it goes through KDP review - Week 2: Publish book 2. Begin gathering your first reviews (share with friends, family, relevant Reddit communities) - Week 3–4: Publish books 3–4. Monitor which books have the best organic click-through based on early reviews

Optimising existing listings: once a book has 5+ reviews, revisit the description and keywords to improve discoverability. Amazon's A9 algorithm rewards listings that convert well — better keyword targeting + early reviews = higher organic ranking.

KDP Select (optional): enrolling in KDP Select gives you Kindle Unlimited access and promotional tools. For coloring books (which are print-focused), the Kindle Unlimited benefit is minimal — skip it unless you have a strong Kindle digital coloring edition.