To make money on Amazon KDP, you must:

1. Pick a category that isn’t oversaturated.
2. Study your competitors.
3. Reel in your readers with your book cover.
4. Lock them in with what is written on those pages.
5. Have a marketing plan in place.

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is the easiest way to publish an eBook. It’s also one of the most lucrative ways to make money writing and publishing eBooks, especially if you’re just starting. KDP authors who are just starting make around $150 to $300 per month. More advanced and experienced writers earn up to $20,000 monthly.

Selling books on Amazon might sound like a smart idea because of the number of users it has. However, keep in mind that you will also have to face tough competition. Believe it or not, the easy part about Amazon KDP is setting up your account, writing your book, and publishing your work. You can make money with Amazon KDP in under 24 hours, as long as you have a book that is published.

However, Amazon KDP is tough. You face fierce competition and a lack of control over customer service. It's also hard to find a fresh topic because of the influx of books being published every day. Creating a book that sells is harder than one might think. You risk competing with thousands of other writers and authors. Some topics and categories are very saturated. There’s also no guarantee that people will buy your book or even read it.

This article will show you the five steps to make money on Amazon KDP in 2024. Additionally, we will reveal the common mistakes that publishers make while trying to make money on Amazon KDP. It also discusses whether Amazon KDP is a profitable venture for you. Lastly, we will introduce a business model. It has less competition and can provide passive income each month.

1. Pick a category that isn't oversaturated.

One of the biggest pitfalls in picking a topic is focusing on a well-known category or book idea. For example, if you decide to write a self-help book on "gratitude practices," you're entering a highly saturated market. Popular books like The Gratitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan and The Magic by Rhonda Byrne have already covered this topic extensively. It makes it challenging for a new book to gain attention. In fact, focusing on an oversaturated category or book idea is one of the biggest KDP pitfalls.

Picking a popular topic inevitably opens up a variety of issues such as oversaturation and intense competition. If you’re planning to write about a topic that everyone knows about, what’s stopping thousands of other writers from doing the same thing?

Unless you can outperform thousands of other writers in an oversaturated niche, pick a topic that isn’t too prominent, and then make it stand out. Keep in mind that choosing a topic is one of the most important aspects of selling a book. 

Here is a list of the five best-selling book genres on Amazon:

Here are the five least competitive genres on Amazon:

You also have to be careful not to publish books under these categories on Amazon KDP:

2. Study Your Competitors.

Studying your competitors is by identifying your direct competitors—those offering similar products or services to the same target audience. Once identified, research their strengths and weaknesses by reviewing their marketing strategies, customer reviews, pricing models, and product features. Failing to analyze the competition puts you at risk of getting stomped on and left behind.

Here are a few reasons why studying your industry rivals will benefit your Amazon KDP business:

3. Reel in Your Readers with Your Book Cover

The cover is the most important part of a book because it is the first thing the customer sees. If your cover cannot captivate your customers and reel them in, how do you expect them to even open your book at all?

When constructing a killer book cover, you must consider three things:

4. Lock Them in With What’s Written on Those Pages

Just like the entrée in a five-course meal, what’s written inside those pages will most definitely be the main attraction of your book. 

Here is a step-by-step guide to help you write the content of your book:

Doing this helps you quickly absorb the topic and allows you to familiarize yourself with the subject even before you write.

This also lessens the time you need to spend doing research while writing, which increases efficiency and productivity. 

Drafting lets you proofread for spelling and grammar errors and fix them. These errors usually appear in the first draft. They should be fixed before publishing the final copy. Once you’ve finished drafting the final version, all that’s left is to publish your book on Amazon KDP.

5. Have a Marketing Plan in Place 

Once you’ve published your book, you can either wait for people to take notice of it, or you can be proactive and market it yourself.

If you have the money for it, you can definitely use Amazon Advertising to promote and market your book on the Amazon platform. 

However, if you prefer not to put up any money, there are two ways you can advertise your book for free.

Amazon makes it possible for authors and publishers to put keywords that will help their books become more discoverable. 

With the help of keyword research and SEO tools such as Google Trends and Ahrefs, you can find the best keywords that will help your book generate more traffic and potential sales.

3 Common Mistakes Publishers Make While Making Money on Amazon KDP

1. Quantity Over Quality

Once you understand how the Amazon KDP business model works, it’s very enticing to create as many books as you can. Publishing multiple books might create a steady income. However, it would only work if people bought and read them.

Keep in mind that having as many books as you can will not guarantee that the money will start coming in. Neglecting the quality of each book you make is tantamount to failure. No one will buy a book if the author rushes it, writes it poorly, and constructs it badly. Instead, focus on writing a well-researched, creatively designed book.

2. Focusing Only on a Single Aspect of Your Book

It's easy to love a catchy title or great cover art. However, be careful not to spend too much time on just one part of your book. Your book is composed of multiple elements that work together to tell a story. Putting a lot of effort into one aspect and ignoring the others is a recipe for disaster.

For example, if you have a killer title but the content of your book does not appeal to your audience, how do you expect them to keep reading? But if your book's content is great but your title fails to grab attention, how will you catch your reader's interest and make them turn the pages? From the title to the epilogue, every part of your book is equally important.

3. Relying on the KDP Platform Too Much

The KDP platform is not what’s going to guarantee your success - it’s you. Unless you plan to apply for the KDP Select program, you can use other platforms with Amazon KDP. You can start your own website and publish your books there. This allows you to fully customize what you want people to see. You can include your bio, accolades, contact details, and other key info.

You can also use the power of social media to your advantage. Facebook and Twitter are good places to promote your books. Using Amazon KDP is a good idea. However, if you want to grow your audience quickly, don't rely only on KDP.

Is Amazon KDP Profitable? 

Yes, Amazon KDP is profitable as you can receive up to a 70% royalty for book sales. Those who write their own book from scratch and design their own digital artwork can keep this full 70% as profit. According to the Amazon website, KDP offers royalty rates of around 35% to 70%, making it a very profitable business.

If you’re an Amazon KDP beginner, follow these steps:

• Create an Amazon account on the KDP webpage.
• Pick a niche to focus on.
• Once you have chosen which topic to write about, you can either write the book yourself or hire a ghostwriter to work for you.
• Input your book details (title & subtitle, description, names of authors, categories, and age ranges).
• Set your desired prices.

And that’s it! You’ve officially published your first book on Amazon KDP. You can upload as many books as you want on Amazon KDP. There are no limits on the number of books you can publish. However, there is a limit to the number of drafts you can have on your account, which is set at 500.

Amazon KDP also only requires a minimum page count of 24, which makes it easy to finish and release books regularly. Fast forward to today - you don’t even have to write the books yourself to make money on Kindle Direct Publishing. With the rise of platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork, you can simply hire someone to do the writing for you. All you have to do is handle the publishing and marketing.

How Much Does It Cost to Publish a Book To Make Money on Amazon KDP? 

It costs nothing to publish a book to make money on Amazon KDP. Publishing a book on Amazon is free. However, how much it costs to publish a book on Amazon depends on what you decide to outsource. You may spend anywhere from $50 to $1,000+ on ebook-related costs like marketing, content creation, and graphic design. 

A Reddit editor claims her client publishes 45K-word KDP books. He spends $6,000 per book to outsource tasks like alpha reading, editing, cover art, and ads. 

How Long Does It Take to Make Money on Amazon  KDP? 

It takes 6 to 12 months to make money on Amazon KDP, generally. However, it varies by person. However, how long it takes to make money on Amazon KDP varies from person to person. For example, one Canadian Amazon KDP author on Reddit made their first sale in just two weeks after publishing 11 of their books on the platform. 

However, another Amazon KDP author on Reddit claims they haven't broken even on their Amazon KDP investment after four years on the platform. 

Can You Make Money on Amazon KDP Without Writing? 

Yes, you can make money on Amazon KDP without writing by providing reviews for Amazon KDP books. A post on Kindlepreneur says some entrepreneurs have made money by offering detailed, insightful reviews for KDP authors. You help them improve their book's visibility and sales. Another effective strategy is creating and publishing low-content books on Amazon KDP. You can generate a steady income by publishing low-content books such as journals, planners, and coloring books. It requires minimal writing but can be highly profitable. 

Additionally, hiring a ghostwriter to write your Amazon KDP book is a viable option. As noted by Reedsy, many successful KDP authors outsource their writing to professional ghostwriters. It allows them to focus on marketing and sales strategies while still producing high-quality content. These methods demonstrate that it is entirely possible to earn money on Amazon KDP without having to write the content yourself.

Conclusion: Why Is It Easier to Make Money Through Local Lead Generation Than Amazon KDP?

It is easier to make money through local lead generation than Amazon KDP because local lead generation involves creating a website that ranks on Google using SEO tactics and allows local businesses to generate leads through your site. This method targets specific cities. It greatly reduces competition compared the global competition of Amazon KDP.

Each city offers hundreds of potential niches, making it easier to find untapped markets and opportunities. Local lead generation lets you dominate a local market. It takes less effort than competing with global authors on Amazon KDP. The tight geographic targeting helps us rank higher and attract more business.

Additionally, local lead generation requires minimal ongoing maintenance. After setting up and optimizing the website, it can passively generate leads and income. For example, websites created in 2014 still generate over $2,000 per month without any intervention. This stability and long-term passive income potential make local lead generation a more attractive and manageable online business model than Amazon KDP.