Most Profitable Amazon KDP Niches – Top 10

Kindle Direct Publishing through Amazon allows users to upload books of various kinds and sell them on Amazon. This type of self-publishing is very attractive for people looking to make “passive” income for a few reasons: Anyone can do it, and Amazon handles production, shipping, and customer service. But if you’re going to stand out and get sales you’ll need to find a profitable KDP niche to publish in.

If you’re looking for a niche that can make money in, you’re in the right place. Today, I’ll be going over the top 10 most profitable amazon KDP niches. I’ll also show you how to do research and what to look for when you look into these niches yourself.

From low-content books like journals and notebooks to high-content like novels, I’ve got you covered. If you play your cards right, you can make money in any of the niches below. That said, some require varying amounts of upfront work and preparation, and each has its pros and cons. So, let’s get right in and see what’s what.

Disclaimer

There is no magic recipe for success on Amazon KDP. It’s also not a get-rich-quick scheme or even “passive,” at least at first. Like most other ventures, KDP requires hard work, research, trial and error, and a desire to make quality products.

If you’re willing to put in the effort to find your niche and then to create good books, you, yes you, can make money with KDP. Sometimes, even a lot of money. With that out of the way, I must also say that I am not a financial advisor of any kind.

The info below is what I’ve learned through personal experience, my own research, the research of content creators on the topic, and data that can be found Amazon. I’ll do my best to back up my picks with data, however, you should also do your own research if you want to succeed on KDP.

How To Find Profitable Amazon KDP Niches

A potentially profitable niche comes down to supply and demand. You want to make a book that people want to buy. This is demand. You also want to find something with low completion so that customers will buy your book, and not someone else’s.

High demand + low available supply = Profit potential. So, how do you do research the supply and demand? On a basic level, it’s pretty simple. Let me show you.

Gauge The Demand

The only tool you’ll need is a free Google Chrome extension called DS Amazon Quickview, which you can download by clicking the link there. This extension let’s you see how well products on Amazon are selling. This is how we’ll gauge the demand of the niche.

Now, open the US version of Amazon and search something broad. Let’s say, “animal coloring book.” Thanks to the extension, you’ll see the best seller ranking (BSR) underneath most results. The lower this number is, the more the book is selling.

As a general rule, if you can find three results on the first page of results that have a RSR of below 300, 000, the niche is considered to have pretty good demand. In this particular search we do find that on the first page, as you can see here:

Each of these books are on the front page of the search results and have a BSR well under 300, 000. These numbers don’t really lie. We now know for sure, that people are buying animal coloring books on Amazon. Demand: Check.

Determine The Competition

Animal coloring books are selling, but would you have a chance to land your book on page one and get sales? To figure this out we simply look at the number of results for what we searched. So, scroll up to the top of the page (on the left) and check how many results showed for “animal coloring books.”

We have 30, 000 results, which is a lot. It’d be quite hard to land on the first page (which is about 48 results) in a sea of 30k books, especially as a beginner. The number you want to shoot for for “supply” is 1000 or less. This is where nicheing down, comes into play.

Narrow The Search

Animal coloring books is a broad term and therefore has a ton of results. Regardless of what you search, you’ll notice some little sub-catogories. In this case, baby animals, wild animals, farm animals, etc. Start to search into these sub-niches and look at the number of results.

By adding “farm” to the search, we now have 2000 results—much better but still not 1000 or lower. So, you repeat the process again. Choose a different variable or find a way to refine “farm animal coloring book” even further—something like “farm animal coloring book kids 4-8” or “farm animal coloring book for boys,” for example—until you hit a low enough supply and focus on that.

Top 10 Most Profitable Amazon KDP Niches

We now know how to find the supply and demand of KDP niches on Amazon. But still, the profitability of a niche depends on various factors, including your writing skills, marketing efforts, and, above all else, the quality of your book.

Full-length novels stand to make more than a journal. But writing a good book (or paying someone else to) is much harder than making a small journal. So, keep that in mind. A “low effort, lower yield” book is not a bad thing. It’s just a matter of how much time, effort, budget, and skill you have to put into your book.

Remember, quality is the most important factor for success. That said, armed with our research knowledge, let’s get into the most profitable KDP niches in no particular order.

10. Low/No-Content Books

A low or no-content book has minimal text or “content” to produce. Instead, they often provide structured templates for users to fill in, e.g., journals, planners, or logbooks. The upside to these niches is that they can be produced quickly and at a low cost. However, they appeal to a broad audience and can generate steady sales when you find the right sub-niche.

Here are a few sub-niches that I find have decent numbers:

• “hard word search books for adults”
• “relaxing memory games puzzle books for adults”
• “draw and write journal for boys”
• “cleaning schedule and checklist”

9. Self-Help and Personal Development

This niche caters to people seeking to improve their lives. There’s a constant demand for books on topics like motivation, productivity, and relationships. If you can create quality books in these niches you can establish yourself as an authority and build a brand, which can be very good for profits.

That said, quality self-help books aren’t easy to create compared to other niches. Not only is it “high content,” but you’ll need someone with knowledge in the sub-niche. Of course, you can outsource some of these tasks if you have the budget. I prefer to stay on this genre’s “lower content” side.

Here are a few sub-niches that I find to have great numbers right now:

• “adhd organization book”
• “life coaching for autism”
• “self-regulation books for kids”

8. Fiction For Kids/Teens

High-content novels and short stories are a tough nut to crack. By the numbers, all of the major genres are pretty saturated. Granted, if you wrote a banger of a book, it’s possible to succeed in broad genres like horror, sci-fi, and romance. But it’s much easier said than done.

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Instead, I like to find the very unique and specific niches of storytelling and go after those. Here are four very niched-down fiction genres that have the numbers we mentioned above:

• Young adult lgbtq contemporary fantasy series
• greek mythology books for kids
• spooky ghost stories for kids 8-10
• spooky fact book for kids

7. Hobby And Crafts

People are always looking for practical advice, and books on hobbies and crafts are always popular. Topics like gardening, DIY crafts, coin collecting, and music books all do well when they offer valuable information.

That said, here are four profitable hobby and craft sub-niches in which you can make money in September 2024. If you are knowledgeable about certain things, put that knowledge to work for you.

• crochet plant pattern books
• sewing clothes for beginners book
• ancient herbal remedies

6. Religious And Spiritual

The lesser-known aspects of ancient religions and spiritual practices can be a goldmine. From the forgotten rituals of forgotten gods to the hidden teachings of well-known faiths, this niche offers a wealth of unexplored knowledge.

Here are a few profitable Amazon KDP niches in this category. Each one has excellent numbers in the BSR and less than 1000 results to compete with.

• pagan holidays book
• tantric yoga
• atheist bible guide
• native american religious traditions

5. Coloring Books

For many people, coloring books are synonymous with KDP, and for good reason. When you find the right niche and make a good book, they sell like crazy. They’re not as easy to make as YouTube videos would have you believe, but they can be worth the effort.

If you’re artistic and want to take a crack at the coloring book niche, here are some specific topics to look into.

• insect coloring book for toddlers
• monster truck coloring book
• space coloring book for kids

4. Business and Entrepreneurship

Aspiring entrepreneurs and would-be investors are always looking for guidance. Books on business strategy, marketing, and personal finance can do well if you can write them and be legitimately helpful. The possibilities are endless with this niche but here are three that have good numbers at the moment.

• how to budget for beginners
• how to sell on eBay 2024
• taxes for dummies 2024 edition

3. Cookbooks

Cookbooks are popular gifts and are enjoyed by people. I’ve tipped my toes into this category as a publisher, and unique recipes and good photography make a cookbook. This may not be the best niche if you’re not into cooking. However, it can be fun to do if you have a culinary passion.

After some research, here are the best cookbook niches on Amazon KDP at the moment:

• 2024 Mediterranean Diet Air Fryer Cookbook
• 2024 keto diet cookbook for beginners
• plant-based slow cooker cookbook

2. Art and Design

Books on art, design, and crafts, appeal to a creative audience. High-quality images and informative content can attract a dedicated readership. This overlaps a lot with hobby books on drawing practice and similar things.

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At the moment, anatomy art books seem to be a great place to be. If you’ve ever tried to draw a hand, a foot, or a symmetrical face, you understand why. Here are the search terms that I found for you to make money within:

• human anatomy art books
• animal anatomy
• how to draw portraits for beginners

1. Kindle Unlimited

While not a niche, Kindle Unlimited can significantly boost your earnings. By making your books available for KU subscribers, you can reach a wider audience and increase your royalty income. How does Kindle Unlimited work, you ask?

Well, it’s a subscription service that allows readers to access millions of eBooks for a flat monthly fee. As an author, enrolling your book in Kindle Unlimited can significantly boost your earnings by exposing your work to a larger audience.

There are a few other perks that can be nice, too:

• Steady Income: Kindle Unlimited pays authors based on the number of pages read by subscribers. This can provide a steady stream of income, even if your book doesn’t rank high in traditional sales.
• Experimentation: Kindle Unlimited offers a relatively risk-free way to experiment with different niches and book formats. If a book doesn’t perform well in traditional sales, it might find success through Kindle Unlimited.

To maximize your earnings from Kindle Unlimited, I suggest you consider the following:

• Book Length: Longer books tend to generate more page reads and, therefore, higher earnings.
• Engaging Content: Ensure your book is well-written and engaging to keep readers interested.
• Frequent Updates: Regularly publish new books or updates to existing ones to maintain reader interest.
• Kindle Countdown Deals: Use Kindle Countdown Deals to promote your book and attract new readers.

LivingWriter And Amazon KDP

LivingWriter is pretty well-known as the best writing app in 2024, especially for fiction. So, if you’re working on some of the “fiction for kids/teens” niche I mentioned above, LivingWriter gives you unrivaled convenience and control of your story.

The more quality books you publish, the more profit you can make. LivingWriter helps ensure that your writing is crisp and engaging and helps you stay on track to cross the finish line.

You can set daily writing goals and track your progress, get help writing more engaging characters, have your research and notes in a devoted section of the manuscript, and access various story outline templates (including AI templates) to improve your pacing and structure.

Non-Fiction Templates

While LivingWriter is a fiction writer’s dream, it also has you covered in your non-fiction. So, if you’re targeting something in the “self-help and personal development” niche, you’ll want to use LivingWriter too. There are even devoted templates for self-help authors:

Exporting And Book Covers

Let’s say you’ve found your profitable Amazon KDP niche and written your work on LivingWriter. Congrats. Now, there are two very important things to make sure you do. First, create a book cover, and second, export the finished product in the right formatting. Luckily, LivingWriter can help you with both.

We have integrated Canva directly into the software to make designing covers for your books convenient. With the click of a button, you can open Canva directly in LivingWriter and search, browse, edit, and add text to images and elements that fit your story.

With that done, all that is left to do is export your work in the correct formatting for Amazon KDP. Thankfully, LivingWriter makes this easy with an “export to Amazon manuscript” option. To do this, click “export” and select the Amazon KDP Manuscript option, which looks like this:

KDP Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much does it cost to publish on KDP? 

A:Publishing on KDP is free for eBooks. This means you won’t incur any costs for uploading your manuscript, formatting it, or making it available for sale digitally. However, if you choose to print and ship physical copies of your book, you will be charged a printing fee per book.

This fee covers the cost of printing, binding, and shipping your book directly to customers. You don’t have to pay these fees out of pocket, though. Instead, they’ll be removed from your book’s sale price.

The printing fee is calculated based on factors such as:

• Book size: Larger books typically cost more to print.
• Paper type: The type of paper used, such as white or cream, can affect the cost.
• Binding type: Different binding methods, like paperback or hardcover, have varying costs.
• Quantity: Printing larger quantities often results in lower per-unit costs.

To get an accurate estimate of the printing fees for your book, you can use KDP’s pricing calculator. This tool will provide you with a detailed breakdown of the costs based on your specific book specifications.

Q: What is the difference between eBooks and print books on KDP?

A: eBooks are digital books that can be read on devices like Kindle, tablets, and smartphones. Print books are physical copies that can be held and read like traditional books.

Q: How long does it take for my book to be published on KDP?

A: Typically, it takes 24-48 hours for your eBook to be published on Amazon. Print books can take a few days to become available for purchase.

Q: What file formats are accepted for KDP?

A: KDP accepts various file formats, including DOCX, PDF, MOBI, and EPUB.

Q: How do I format my book for KDP?

A: KDP provides detailed guidelines and templates to help you format your book correctly. You can also use third-party formatting software.

Q: Can I publish my book in multiple languages?

A: Yes, you can publish your book in multiple languages on KDP.

This allows authors to reach a global audience and cater to readers with diverse language preferences. To select the language for your KDP book:

1. Create a new book project: Start by creating a new book project on the KDP platform.
2. Choose the language: During the book creation process, you’ll be prompted to select the language in which your book is written.
3. Confirm language: Review your selection and confirm that the language is correct.

Once you’ve selected the language, KDP will guide you through the rest of the publishing process, including formatting and metadata entry.

Q: Can I publish my book under a pen name?

A: Yes, you can publish your book under a pen name. You can also change you pen name at any time. However, if you have already published books under your old pen name, they will remain associated with that name.

You may need to create new book projects under your new pen name if you want to continue publishing under it. Your author page will be updated with your new pen name, but any reviews or ratings associated with your old pen name will remain.

Q: How can I promote my book on KDP?

A: KDP offers various marketing tools and resources, including advertising options, author pages, promotions, and social media integration.

Q: How can I get reviews for my book?

A: You can encourage friends, family, and readers to leave reviews on Amazon and participate in book review groups and forums. I also recommend you find niches that rank well with low reviews.

Remember, though, while reviews are valuable, the quality of your book is ultimately the most crucial factor. Above all, creating a well-written, engaging, and informative book will attract readers and encourage positive reviews.

Q: Can I offer discounts or promotions for my book?

A: Yes, you can offer discounts and promotions for your book through KDP. KDP offers various promotional tools to boost your book’s sales:

• Kindle Countdown Deals: Temporary discounts for KDP Select books.
• Free Book Promotions: Offer your book for free for a limited time.
• Coupon Codes: Create unique discount codes.
• Bundle Deals: Offer discounts on multiple books.

Q: How much do I earn from each book sold?

A: Your earnings depend on the price you set for your book and the royalty rate you choose. KDP offers two royalty rates: 35% for books priced between $0.99 and $9.99 and 70% for books priced at $9.99 or more.

You can use this free KDP royalty calculator with your book info to determine how much profit you’ll get per book.

Q: How often do I get paid?

A: The frequency of KDP royalty payments can vary depending on your location and payment method. While monthly payments are common, some regions or payment methods may have different payout schedules.

To get the most accurate information about your specific payout schedule, please refer to the KDP Help Center or contact KDP support directly. They can provide the exact details for your region and payment method.

Q: Can I withdraw my earnings to a bank account?

A: Yes, you can withdraw your earnings to a US bank account.

Q: Can I publish my book on other platforms besides Amazon?

A: Yes, you can publish your book on other platforms, but you may need to format it differently for each platform.

Q: Can I remove my book from KDP?

A: Yes, you can remove your book from KDP at any time. You have two similar but diffrent options:

• Unpublishing: This means your book will no longer be available for sale on Amazon. However, customers who have already purchased the book can still access their copies.
• Deleting: This is a more permanent option that removes your book entirely from the KDP platform. However, it’s generally not possible to completely delete a book if it has already been purchased by customers.

To unpublish a book:

1. Log in to your KDP account.
2. Go to your Bookshelf.
3. Locate the book you want to unpublish.
4. Click on the “Ellipsis” button (three dots) next to the book.
5. Select “Unpublish.”

You should know that once you unpublish a book, it cannot be republished under the same title or author name. If you want to make changes and republish, you may need to create a new book project. If your book has been purchased by customers, it may still appear in their libraries, even if it’s unpublished.