How I Turned a $5 PDF into a $64,000 Best-Selling Series (And How You Can Too!)

Apr 20, 2025

Creating and selling planners on Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) can be an excellent source of income, but sometimes the process feels overwhelming—especially when you're designing everything from scratch.

After spending countless hours on AI generators and graphic design, I discovered a simple, efficient method that saved me both time and energy, and generated substantial income.

Here's how I turned a single $5 PDF from Etsy into a best-selling planner series, making over $64,000:

Step 1: Do Reverse Research on Etsy

Instead of the traditional approach of starting your research on Amazon or Book Bolt, begin by exploring Etsy.

Visit Etsy and search for planner PDFs.
Look for comprehensive bundles that include multiple planners like daily planners, health trackers, financial planners, and more.
Identify PDFs that offer multiple niches or categories.

Tip: I’ve compiled a helpful list of some excellent Etsy items you can purchase and resell on KDP, available on my free stuff page.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Planner Series

Step 2: Confirm Demand on Amazon

Once you've identified a promising PDF, it's crucial to validate demand on Amazon:

Head to Amazon and search for similar planners (e.g., "daily planner," "health planner").
Use the KDP Spy free plugin to analyze bestselling books in your chosen niche.
Sort by "estimated revenue" to verify profitability.

Example: I found simple, bound planners generating tens of thousands in sales—confirming significant market potential.

Step-by-Step Creation Process:

Step 1: Purchase Your PDF

Buy a PDF from Etsy that includes various planner sections for around $5.

Step 2: Customize the Planner Using Canva

Upload the purchased PDF to Canva.
Duplicate the original file for each niche you want to create (e.g., Health Planner, Financial Planner).
Delete unnecessary pages, keeping only those relevant to each specific niche.
Duplicate pages as needed to reach your target length (100 pages works well).

Step 3: Create Your Book Cover

Design a simple, clean cover in Canva.
Ensure your cover matches the style and branding of bestselling planners.
Download the front cover separately as a PNG to include in your final upload.

Step 4: Format Your Planner Using Book Bolt

Open Book Bolt and start a new project.
Set specifications (size, page count, color options).
Upload your planner pages, ensuring alignment and formatting.
Check guidelines carefully—consistency matters, especially if creating a series.

Tip: Consistency across your series makes it easy for customers to purchase multiple planners together.

Step 5: Publish and Price Your Planner on KDP

Enter detailed descriptions and keywords (you can use ChatGPT or Bookbolt for keyword optimization).
Set competitive pricing: around $12.95 for paperbacks and $27.95 for hardcover versions to match market standards.
Publish both paperback and hardcover versions to maximize sales.

Step 6: Order Author Copies for Quality Control

Purchase author copies of your hardcover editions to inspect quality.
Adjust any necessary details before fully promoting your books.

How to Maximize Your Earnings:

Create a series: Once you've created one planner, duplicate the process across other niches.
Cross-promote: Suggest that customers buy multiple planners within the series.
Collect feedback to continuously improve and expand your series based on real customer insights.

Ready to Start?

Check out my comprehensive Getting Started on KDP course—a step-by-step guide with a 3-day full refund policy. I'm always striving to improve, so whether you love the course or see room for improvement, your feedback is greatly appreciated!

Don’t forget to visit my free stuff page for helpful resources and links to PDFs you can use to jumpstart your own KDP journey!

Good luck, and happy publishing!