KDP Colouring Books: Market Analysis & Trends

Okay so the colouring book market on KDP is honestly still pretty solid but it’s way different than it was like 3-4 years ago. I was just looking at my sales dashboard yesterday while my cat was walking across my keyboard and I noticed something interesting about seasonal patterns that I’ll get to in a sec.

First thing you gotta understand is that there are basically three tiers of colouring book publishers right now on Amazon. You’ve got the mega sellers who’ve been there since 2015-2016, they own like half the first page results for “adult coloring books” and similar broad terms. Then there’s the middle tier which is where I sit mostly, we’re doing specialized niches and getting decent monthly sales. And then there’s everyone who jumped in during 2020-2021 pandemic boom thinking it was easy money and most of them are making like $40 a month.

The broad market stuff like “mandalas” or “flowers” is basically sewn up unless you have a massive ad budget. I tried launching a general mandala book last March and even with decent reviews it just sat there. But here’s where it gets interesting…

Niche Analysis That Actually Matters

The niches that are working RIGHT NOW based on what I’m seeing in my own sales and from other publishers I talk to:

Swear word colouring books – yeah I know everyone says this is saturated but specific subcategories still work. Like instead of generic “swear word coloring book” you go for “snarky nurse coloring book” or “teacher stress relief swear coloring.” I’ve got one in the teacher niche that does $300-500/month consistently. The key is pairing the swear words with a specific profession or identity.

Mindfulness and anxiety-focused – but you can’t just slap “anxiety relief” on a generic mandala book anymore. You need to actually design patterns that work for that purpose. Repetitive patterns, geometric designs, stuff that actually creates that meditative effect. I have one that’s specifically marketed for “busy moms” and uses simpler designs that you can finish in 10-15 minutes. That completion aspect matters psychologically.

Pop culture adjacent stuff – you obviously can’t do trademarked characters but you CAN do generic fantasy themes, cottage core aesthetics, dark academia vibes. I launched a “dark academia aesthetic coloring book” in September and it’s doing surprisingly well with the BookTok crowd. You just gotta be careful with your keywords and descriptions.

Oh and another thing – pet-specific colouring books are still moving. Not just “dog coloring book” but like “corgi mom coloring book” or “crazy cat lady patterns.” The more specific the better.

Seasonal Trends You Need To Know

So this is gonna sound weird but I actually track my sales in a spreadsheet where I colour-code different seasons and I’ve noticed some patterns that aren’t obvious.

January-February is HUGE for anxiety/wellness colouring books. New year’s resolution energy, people trying to be healthier, all that. My wellness-focused books do probably 40% better these months.

March-April you see a bump in nature themes and spring stuff but honestly it’s not as dramatic as you’d think. Easter-themed is tricky because the window is so short.

Summer (June-August) is actually slower overall but travel-themed and portable-size books do better. I have a “small purse-size” colouring book that sells way better in summer months.

September-October is back-to-school season and also when people start thinking about holiday gifts. This is when teacher-themed and profession-specific books spike.

November-December is obviously the big one. Holiday themed books need to be up by early October though, not November. I learned that the hard way in 2021 when I uploaded a Christmas colouring book on November 15th and it barely got traction.

Wait I forgot to mention – Valentine’s Day is actually a decent seasonal opportunity but you need the books up by mid-January. Romance themes, couples activities, that sort of thing.

Design Trends That Are Actually Selling

Okay so funny story, I was watching this Netflix show about design (can’t remember the name) and it made me rethink how I was approaching complexity in my books.

The trend RIGHT NOW is actually toward SIMPLER designs, not more complex. Like 3-4 years ago everyone wanted these super intricate mandala patterns with a million tiny details. Now? People want designs they can actually finish. I’m talking bigger sections, clearer lines, designs that take 20-30 minutes not 3 hours.

Single-sided printing is basically mandatory now. Yeah it costs more in production but people expect it and they’ll mention it in reviews if you don’t do it.

Page count sweet spot is 50-100 pages. I used to do 30-page books to keep costs down but they feel too thin. My 80-page books perform better even though the royalty is slightly lower because of production costs.

Book size – 8.5×11 is still the standard but I’m seeing more interest in 8.5×8.5 square format, especially for certain niches. The square format photographs better for Instagram which matters more than you’d think for marketing.

Design Quality Standards

You can’t just grab public domain images and trace them anymore. I mean you CAN but you won’t make sales. The quality bar has gone way up. Your lines need to be clean, the composition needs to be intentional, the difficulty level needs to be consistent throughout the book.

I use a mix of creating designs myself in Affinity Designer and working with designers on Fiverr for some niches. For Fiverr designers expect to pay $5-8 per design minimum if you want decent quality. Those $20 for 50 designs packages? Yeah those are all traced public domain stuff that everyone else is using too.

Keyword Research Reality Check

Everyone talks about keyword research but here’s what actually matters for colouring books specifically…

Amazon’s algorithm for books is different than for physical products. Long-tail keywords matter MORE for books. So instead of targeting “coloring book” you want “coloring book for adults stress relief nature” as a phrase.

The 7 keyword boxes in KDP – use all of them but don’t repeat words unnecessarily. Amazon is smart enough to mix and match. So if you put “adult coloring book” in one box and “stress relief patterns” in another, you’ll show up for “adult coloring book stress relief” too.

Backend keywords that work for me:

• Specific niches + “coloring book” variations (colouring, coloring, color)
• Occasion keywords like “gift for mom” “birthday present”
• Competitor brand names (controversial but it works – just don’t use trademarked names)
• Alternative terms like “mindfulness activity” “art therapy”
• Demographics like “women” “teens” “seniors”

Your title and subtitle are MORE important than backend keywords. I frontload the main keyword in the title and use the subtitle for secondary keywords and benefits.

Pricing Strategy That Works

Okay so I just tested pricing last week and here’s the deal. The sweet spot for most colouring books is $6.99-$8.99.

Under $6.99 and people assume it’s low quality. Over $9.99 and you’re competing with established brands who have hundreds of reviews.

I price my 50-page books at $6.99, my 80-100 page books at $7.99 or $8.99 depending on the niche. Premium niches (like professional-specific books) can handle $8.99-$9.99 easier.

Here’s something most people don’t think about – your production cost varies by page count obviously but also by whether you use white paper or cream. Cream paper costs slightly more but it’s easier on the eyes and feels more premium. For colouring books I always use white though because the colours show up better.

The royalty calculation on KDP is 60% of list price minus production costs. So an 8.5×11 book with 100 pages costs about $3.65 to produce. If you price it at $8.99, you make about $1.74 per sale. That adds up but you need volume.

Competition Analysis Method

This is gonna sound obvious but most people don’t actually DO it properly. Here’s my process:

Search your main keyword on Amazon. Look at the first 20 results. Open each one in a new tab (yeah it’s tedious). Check:

• Their BSR (Best Seller Rank) – under 100k is good, under 50k is great, under 10k means they’re killing it
• Number of reviews and average rating
• Price point
• Page count (it’s in the product details)
• Look inside feature – check their actual design quality
• When it was published (older books with good BSR means sustained demand)

If the top 10 results all have 500+ reviews, that niche might be too competitive. If they have under 50 reviews each, there’s opportunity.

I use a tool called Publisher Rocket sometimes for keyword research but honestly you can do most of this manually. The free Chrome extension “KDP Spy” or “DS Amazon Quick View” shows BSR right on the search page which saves time.

Launch Strategy That Actually Moves The Needle

Okay so when you first publish a colouring book, Amazon gives you a little honeymoon period where they test it. This is like the first 2-4 weeks. You need to maximize this window.

What I do:

• Have at least 3-5 friends/family buy it in the first week (yeah I know, but it works)
• Post in relevant Facebook groups if allowed (there are tons of adult colouring enthusiast groups)
• Run a small AMS (Amazon Marketing Services) ad campaign, like $5/day for 2 weeks
• If you have an email list, tell them about it

The goal is to get to 10 reviews as fast as possible. Books with 10+ reviews convert WAY better. After that you want to get to 50 reviews, then 100.

Don’t do review swaps or buy reviews. Amazon cracks down on that and it’s not worth losing your account. Just include a note at the end of your book asking for a review.

Amazon Ads For Colouring Books

AMS ads work differently for books than for other products. Here’s what I’ve learned spending probably $15k on ads over the years…

Sponsored Product ads are your main tool. Start with automatic campaigns to let Amazon figure out what works. After 2 weeks of data, pull the search term report and see what actually converted.

My typical structure:

• One auto campaign at $0.35-$0.45 bid
• One manual campaign targeting competitor ASINs (specific books similar to yours)
• One manual campaign with keyword targets

Budget at least $5/day total across campaigns. Less than that and you won’t get enough data.

The ACOS (advertising cost of sale) that makes sense depends on your royalty but generally you want under 50% ACOS for it to be profitable long-term. So if you make $2 per sale, you want your cost per sale under $1.

Wait I should mention – ads work better once you have some organic reviews. If you have zero reviews, ads are gonna struggle because people won’t convert.

Content Strategy Inside The Book

This matters more than people realize. The first 2-3 pages should be your BEST designs because that’s what shows in the Look Inside preview. Put your most engaging, attractive designs there.

Include a “this book belongs to” page at the front. People like that personalization aspect.

Test pages work well – include one or two test pages where people can try different colouring tools to see how they work with the paper.

At the back, include a page asking for a review with simple instructions. Also promote your other books if you have them. I get probably 20% of my sales from people who bought one book and then checked out my author page.

Red Flags And Mistakes To Avoid

Don’t use copyrighted images or characters even if you “modify” them. Disney will find you eventually.

Don’t use AI-generated colouring pages without heavily editing them. They have this weird quality that people can spot and you’ll get called out in reviews. Plus Amazon’s getting stricter about AI content.

Don’t stuff keywords unnaturally in your title. “Coloring Book for Adults Relaxation Stress Relief Mindfulness” looks spammy. Make it readable.

Don’t launch a colouring book with less than 30 pages. People feel ripped off.

Don’t use thin paper quality in the preview – always select the standard white paper option.

Where The Market Is Headed

Based on what I’m seeing, the market is shifting toward more specialized, identity-based colouring books. Like instead of “adult coloring book” it’s “millennial woman self-care coloring journal” or whatever.

Hybrid products are growing – colouring books that also have prompts, journaling spaces, affirmations. Pure colouring books still work but the hybrid approach can justify higher prices.

The pandemic boom is over so overall market size is probably down 20-30% from peak but it’s stabilized. The people who stuck around are serious colouring enthusiasts who buy multiple books per year.

International markets are underexploited. If you can publish on Amazon UK, Germany, France, etc you can basically double your income with the same books. I finally set this up last year and wish I’d done it sooner.

Subscription models outside of KDP are becoming a thing where artists offer new colouring pages monthly through Patreon or similar. That’s more work though and you need to build an audience first.

The market for kids colouring books is different and honestly more competitive because of licensing issues and lower prices. I mostly stick to adult colouring books where the margins are better and you don’t have to worry as much about age-appropriateness.

That’s basically everything I wish someone had told me when I started with colouring books. It’s still viable if you’re strategic about niches and quality but you gotta be realistic about competition and effort required.