Recent advances in technology mean that it has never been easier to publish a book, and there are a variety of platforms and processes that are designed to make this as smooth and simple as possible – and Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is one of the most popular options.

We took a closer look at using KDP with low-content books – does this really work, and can it offer you a profit? Read on for all the information you need to know!

What Is KDP?

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (or KDP) is an online publishing platform that allows authors to upload their e-books directly to Amazon’s servers, where they will be made available to readers around the world. It has become increasingly popular among self-publishers due to its simplicity and ease of use.

Publishing on KDP offers several advantages, and these include no upfront fees or costs when you publish your book, and you will not have to pay any publishers fees or agency costs.

You can also sell your book anywhere, and have access to a global market at the touch of a button.

How Does KDP Work?

When you first create a new account on KDP, you’ll be asked to select a category for your book.

This determines what kind of reader your book will appeal to. For example, if you’re writing a romance novel, you might opt for Romance, Fiction, or Literature.

Once you’ve selected your category, you’ll be able to add keywords to describe your book. These keywords will help search engines find your book, so it’s important to include relevant terms here.

After your keywords are selected, you’ll be given the option to set a price point for your book. This is the amount you’re prepared to accept for each copy sold.

The next step is to upload your book file. You can either upload a Word document or PDF, or you can take advantage of the built-in editor to make some changes before uploading.

After you’ve uploaded your book, you’ll need to fill out your profile information. This includes details such as your name, email address, and bio.

The last thing you need to do is to review your book. This involves checking off whether you want to allow readers to download your book for offline reading, and whether you want to offer your book for sale in different countries.

Once you’ve reviewed your book, you’ll be ready to start selling!

What Is A Low-Content Book?

A low-content book contains minimal if any, content on the interior pages – the aim here is for the reader to fill in most of the pages themselves.

The main benefit of publishing with low-content books is that you don’t have to spend money on editing, proofreading, formatting, or distributing your book, as there is minimal content to worry about. Instead, you can focus on writing more books, and leave the rest up to Amazon.

Some of the most common types of low-content books include:

Journals

Journals are among the most common types of low-content books. They contain little text on the inside pages, but instead, encourage the reader to write their own journal entries.

Planners

Another popular type of low-content book is the planner. These are essentially blank notebooks where the user writes notes and appointments throughout the year.

Calendars

Similar to planners, calendars are also blank notebooks where users write down events and dates.

Travel Guides

These are similar to journals, except they’re designed specifically for travel. Users write down places they visit, and other useful information.

A key element to consider before publishing a low-content book is what kind of price point you should set. There are two ways to go about this:

Low Content Books And ISBNs

One of the key differences between regular books and low-content creations is the ISBN – this stands for International Standard Book Number.

It’s an alphanumeric code used by publishers to identify individual copies of a book, and it’s usually printed on the back cover.

Low-content books can be published without an ISBN, and this is because they aren’t considered to be ‘real’ books, and so ISBNs are not strictly necessary.

However, many people prefer to use an ISBN when publishing low-content books, as it allows them to track sales and profits easily, and Amazon KDP does give authors the chance to create their ISBN for a low-content book.

This will allow you to use the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon, offering potential customers a chance to take a sneak peek at the contents – this can be a great incentive to make the sale.

If you opt for your own ISBN, you can also select whether you would like your cover to be uploaded with or without a barcode – selecting the “Publish without an ISBN” option, or failing to provide a unique barcode, will result in Amazon automatically adding a barcode to your back cover.

This will consist of a 2″ x 1.2″ white box in the bottom right-hand corner – this will cover any images that appear here, so bear this in mind when publishing.

It is also important to note that transparency codes will not be available for a low-content book if the book is published without an ISBN.

A transparency code is a small square image that appears on the front page of a book and is used to show how much of the book has been read.

If you publish a low-content book without an ISBN, then Amazon will not display a transparency code on your book.

Can I Make Money From A Low-Content Book?

So, can you really earn money from a low-content book? There are a number of factors that can impact this, and these include:

Your Niche

The niche you choose will have a significant impact on the amount of money you can expect to make from a low-content book.

Do your research, and make sure that there is demand for the subject you are choosing – this will ensure that you have a steady stream of captive customers, and are more likely to make some serious cash.

Amazon Price

Another factor that will affect your earnings is the price point you set for your book. If you’re planning on selling your book for $0.99, then you may find that you don’t make very much profit.

On the other hand, if you plan on setting a high price, then you could potentially make a lot of money. The key is to find the balance between charging too much, and just not enough, and this can be a tricky seesaw to navigate.

Your Marketing Strategy

Your marketing strategy and launch strategy will have a huge impact on your ability to make money from a low content creation.

You need to make sure that you pitch your marketing correctly, and that you get the word out about your new book. This will allow you to reach the maximum audience possible, which will increase your chances of making money.

Final Thoughts

As we’ve seen, there’s no one size fits all solution when it comes to creating a low-content book. It’s up to you to decide what works best for you, but hopefully, this guide has given you some food for thought, and you will be well on your way to making a profit in no time.