I Tried Selling AI-Generated Coloring Books on Amazon (It Worked)

Introduction

We've all watched those sensational YouTube videos where we're promised that we'll make more money than Elon Musk and Warren Buffett combined using just a flip phone with both hands tied behind our back while we're scuba diving in Thailand. While I truly believe that there are going to be mind-boggling ways to make money with AI over the next few years, there's also going to be a ton of time wasters. This article is part of a series where we test some of the most promising ideas to see how legitimate they actually are. In this particular article, I test the idea of selling coloring books made entirely by AI on Amazon print-on-demand with a total project budget of $ 30.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Finding a Niche

To avoid competing with thousands of other coloring book creators, I used a software named BookBolt, which helped me find a niche with low competition but decent demand. The initial research revealed some intriguing niches such as "color my butt coloring book," but I ultimately decided on several promising niches:

Mandala style ocean animal adult coloring book
Trucks
Bible stories
Animals
Unicorns
Outer Space

I chose "mandala style ocean animal adult coloring book" as the primary niche because of its potential for low competition and decent demand.

Step 2: Generating AI Images

For generating images, I used MidJourney, an AI image generator. The initial attempts were far from perfect, but after tweaking the prompts and upgrading to MidJourney's advanced version, I finally managed to create suitable images for the coloring books. We settled on prompts like "mandala style seahorse coloring book, thin crisp lines, simple kids, black and white" to achieve our desired outcome.

Step 3: Assembling the Book

With images ready, the next step was to create the actual book using BookBolt. BookBolt simplified the entire process by offering templates and tools to create the book quickly. I was able to add text, import images, and even design a cover using AI-generated images. The process proved to be remarkably easier than expected.

Step 4: Uploading to Amazon KDP

The final step was uploading the book to Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), which was straightforward. I signed up on kdp.amazon.com, uploaded the manuscript and cover, and set the pricing. Amazon handles printing and shipping, taking a cut from each sale, leaving me with approximately $ 1.50 per unit sold at a price of $ 5.99.

Results

The moment of truth arrived when I published my book and waited for sales. Within 24 hours, I got my first sale, which was exciting. Over the next 30 days, I sold about 30 books, averaging around four books on good days. Although the profit margin isn't high, the returns are completely passive, and scaling this up seems very feasible.

Final Thoughts

Creating AI-generated coloring books and selling them on Amazon KDP turned out to be not only viable but also extremely fun. It felt rewarding to create something that kids and adults could enjoy. I plan to continue refining my process and scaling up the number of books available.

If this side hustle piques your interest, I recommend giving it a go. Subscribe to my updates for more tutorials and guides as I continue to explore and share more of these unique money-making experiments.

Keywords

AI-generated coloring books
Amazon KDP
MidJourney
BookBolt
niche market
passive income
print-on-demand

FAQ

1. What software did you use to generate AI images for coloring books? I used MidJourney, an AI image generator, to create the images for the coloring books.

2. How did you find a low-competition niche for coloring books? I used BookBolt, a software designed for researching and finding good ideas for low and medium content books.

3. What platform did you use to publish and sell the books? I used Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) to publish and sell the books.

4. How much can you expect to make per book sold? Depending on the pricing, I make around $ 1.50 per book sold at $ 5.99.

5. How long did the entire process take? The whole process, from generating images to publishing, took less than a day.