If you’ve just finished watching my YouTube video on creating KDP books, welcome! This blog post is designed to support you with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks. Today, I’ll guide you through creating a successful KDP book using Bookbolt for formatting. Whether you’re starting from scratch or using resell rights for existing content, you’ll find everything you need right here!
Step 1: Research & Choose Your Niche
The first step is always research. I used Bookbolt to search for trending books, typing in "ABC workbook" to find out what’s working in the market. I found an ABC tracing book that had made over $22,000. It's important to analyze what's trending, and Bookbolt helps you track those statistics easily. If you're unsure of what type of book to make, you could also explore other niches like homeschooling or fine motor skills.
Tip: Avoid worrying about copyright when using Canva by purchasing rights to content instead. This ensures you’re working with approved resources.
Step 2: Purchase Resell Rights (Optional)
If creating 100-page workbooks from scratch isn’t for you, there’s a shortcut: purchase resell rights to existing workbooks. For example, I bought the Master Resell Rights Educational Bundle for a reasonable price. This allowed me to focus on formatting and selling without having to create content from the ground up.
Pro Tip: Many sellers offer bundles with resell rights for educational materials. You can even find these bundles on Etsy!
Step 3: Start Formatting in Bookbolt
Once you have your content, head over to Bookbolt to format your book. Here’s a quick rundown of the steps:
Create a New Project: I named mine "ABC Workbook for Pre-K." Choose the size of the book (I went with 8.5" x 11"), black-and-white interior, and make sure to select no bleed.
Organize Your PDFs: Upload the PDF you’ve purchased or created. I recommend organizing everything into folders within Bookbolt to stay efficient. Once uploaded, use the PDF as a page template and insert it into the correct pages of your book.
Add Scissor Skills: For my second section, I added a scissor skills activity PDF. Again, I used Bookbolt to format this section properly, ensuring every other page was blank so kids could practice cutting.
Pro Tip: Remember to leave blank pages where necessary (like behind scissor skill pages) to avoid cutting through other parts of the book.
Step 4: Design the Cover
Creating a book cover can feel overwhelming, but don’t stress! There’s no one “right way” to make a cover. I found a pre-made template on Kittl that I customized to fit my book, ensuring the title was clear and the design appealed to both parents and kids.
Title: The title should clearly describe what’s inside the book.
Customization: I added my name and relevant details like the fact that there are fun animal themes inside the book.
Once the design was complete, I downloaded the cover in the highest DPI and uploaded it to Bookbolt for formatting.
Pro Tip: Ensure that your cover extends beyond the bleed lines so that the book’s edges don’t come out with white borders when printed.
Step 5: Upload to KDP
Now that the book is formatted, it’s time to upload it to Amazon KDP. Here’s what you need to do:
Set Up Your Book Details: Title your book appropriately. For mine, I went with something descriptive: “ABC Letter Tracing Practice for Pre-K and Kindergarten.”
Categories & Keywords: Choose the right categories for your book (e.g., Children's Activities, Education & Study) and use long-tail keywords like "preschool workbook" to help customers find your book.
Upload Your Manuscript: Don’t forget to upload the formatted interior (the “guts” of your book) and your cover file. I chose to make my book glossy, which I think works well for kids' books.
Step 6: Pricing & Publishing
Pricing can be tricky, but here’s a rule of thumb: I like to make around $1 per book, so I priced mine at $12.45, giving me a profit margin of $1.20 per sale. You can price your book higher if you want to maximize earnings, but remember that lower prices often drive more sales in the long run.
Step 7: Promote Your Book
Once your book is live, the work isn’t done! Promoting your book is crucial. You can:
Run Amazon ads.
Share on social media (TikTok, YouTube, etc.).
Reach out to local bookstores to see if they’ll carry your book.
I’ve found promoting through social media and distributing in my local community to be the most successful strategies for increasing sales.
Extra Tips for Success:
Stay Organized: Keep your files and templates in folders within Bookbolt. It will save you a ton of time!
Recheck Pages: Make sure everything is formatted correctly, especially when dealing with pages that require cutting or coloring.
Community Engagement: Don’t be shy about sharing your journey on social media and within your community. People love supporting independent creators!
Final Thoughts
Creating KDP books may seem daunting at first, but with the right tools like Bookbolt and the strategies I’ve outlined, it can become an enjoyable and rewarding side hustle. If you have any questions or want to follow these steps in more detail, feel free to refer back to this blog or check out my YouTube video.
Thank you for following along on this journey. Let me know how your book creation process goes, and I’m here to support you every step of the way!
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