What Are Low Content Books? (And How to Make Money with Them)

If you've been hanging around the Amazon KDP space for a while, you've probably heard the term thrown around a lot.

But what are low content books, exactly?

A low content book is a print-on-demand book that has little to no written text. Popular low content book types include journals, planners, notebooks, puzzle books, and coloring books. You design the pages, upload the book to Amazon KDP, and Amazon handles all the printing and shipping for you.

I stumbled upon low content books in 2021 when I was looking for a side hustle to start.

And little did I know:

They would end up being a lifesaver when I was later laid off from my tech job.

I've since made over $160K publishing low content books on Amazon KDP.

In this post I'm breaking down what low content books are, the most popular types, real examples, and how to make money publishing them on Amazon KDP.

Alright, let's get into the post.

Low Content vs. Medium Content Books: What's the Difference?

In the world of low content book publishing, you will also hear the term "medium content book", so let me clear that up quickly.

Low content books have minimal or no text. Some examples include:

• Blank notebooks and journals
• Lined journals 
• Journals with Prompts
• Graph paper notebooks
• Logbooks
• Planners

Medium content books have more structure and written content. Examples include:

• Coloring books
• Activity books
• Puzzle Books
• Workbooks
• Joke Books
• Short story books
• Children picture books
• Cookbooks

Both can make you real money on Amazon which is why I publish both. 

But:

Medium content books tend to command higher prices and get fewer returns, so these days I focus on selling these more.

Types of Low Content Books (With Real Examples)

Here's a look at the most popular types of low content books selling on Amazon KDP right now: 

1. Journals

Journals are the bread and butter of the low content book world.

From gratitude journals to prayer journals to mental health journals this category is evergreen, huge, and constantly growing.

The key to making a journal that sells versus one that doesn't is niching down so your journal speaks to one specific person.

2. Planners

People are obsessed with buying low content books like daily planners, weekly planners, meal planners, budget planners to stay organized.

Planners do especially well as gifts and around the new year and can make the perfect low content book to cash in on as a passive income stream.

3. Puzzle Books

Puzzle books are some of my top sellers right now on Amazon.

These include books like: word searches, crossword puzzles, sudoku, and activity books.

These sell year-round, appeal to a massive audience (kids, seniors, adults, teachers), and are some of my best-performing titles. 

4. Notebooks

Lined notebooks, dot grid notebooks, composition notebooks are simple low content books to create but steady sellers. 

Niche them down (nursing school notebooks, left-handed notebooks, notebooks for teachers) and you can carve out a solid corner of the market.

5. Logbooks and Trackers

Reading logs, habit trackers, fitness trackers, expense journals, mileage logbooks are all examples of best sellers in the logbook niche. 

These are incredibly niche-able and buyers are usually very intentional about their purchase. 

6. Coloring Books

Adult coloring books have had a massive comeback, especially bold and easy ones.

Coloring books sell well on Amazon and help with stress relief, mindfulness, and creative expression are all big time sellers right now. 

Kids coloring books also do incredibly well as gifts.

Ready to Publish Your First Low Content Book?  The Gratitude Journal Jumpstart Kit gives you a done-for-you Amazon-ready interior, 3 Canva cover templates, a step-by-step publishing guide, and 21 hot-selling niche ideas — everything you need to publish this weekend. Grab the Gratitude Journal Jumpstart Kit for $7 →

Why Do People Love Publishing Low Content Books?

Honestly? A lot of reasons. Here's why the low content book model is such a popular side hustle:

• Little to no writing required - you're designing pages, and creating a cover for your books and that's pretty much it.
  
  
• Low startup cost — you can sign up for a free KDP account and use Canva for free to design your books.
  
  
• No inventory — Amazon prints and ships everything
  
  
• Truly passive — a book you publish today can earn royalties for years
  
  
• Scalable — once you learn the process, you can publish multiple books a month
  
  
• No experience needed — if you can use Canva and are willing to learn the process of publishing books, you can build a real business.

As I mentioned previously: 

I got started with KDP back in 2021 after searching for different passive income streams to start.

I was looking for a way to create income that didn't require trading hours for dollars and low content books were exactly that.

Can You Actually Make Money with Low Content Books?

Yes! But let me keep it all the way real with you:

Low content books are not a get-rich-quick scheme.

The people making consistent money with this business are treating it like a business.

They are showing up consistently, doing niche research, publishing consistently, constantly learning and focused on building a brand versus selling one-off books.

I went from crickets to $7K, $11K, and even $25K+ months and now over $160K and counting since I started publishing low content books on Amazon.

But that didn't happen overnight.  

It came from learning what actually works, being consistent, and focusing on building book brands instead of one-off random titles.

The good news:

The learning curve is not steep. If you have a good niche and a solid product, you can start seeing sales in your first few weeks.

How to Get Started with Your First Low Content Book

Here's the simple version of how the process works:

• Pick a niche — In this process you need to determine: Who is your buyer? What do they need? This is the most important step.
  
  
• Design your interior — Use Canva or a done-for-you template to create your pages. The Puzzle Book Jumpstart Kit and Gratitude Journal Jumpstart kits have done for you interiors that will help you create books faster.
  
  
• Design your cover — Your cover is your #1 sales tool on Amazon. Make it count. If you're not good with cover design, learning to use AI for book cover design is definitely a plus or using done for you puzzle kits or journal kits will speed up production time.
  
  
• Upload to KDP — Create a free account at kdp.amazon.com and follow the upload steps.
  
  
• Publish and optimize — Set your keywords, price, and categories strategically.
  
  
• Repeat — Build a series of books in the same niche to maximize your visibility and also cross sell your books.

The biggest mistake beginners make is skipping the niche research step and jumping straight into design.

But trust me when I tell you this: research first, design second. Always.

You don't want to waste time creating a book that nobody is looking for or wants.

What Tools Do You Need to Create a Low Content Book?

The good news is for creating and selling low content books, you don't need much.

Here's a list of recommended tools:

• Canva (free or Pro) — for designing your interior pages and putting your cover together
  
  
• Amazon KDP — free to upload and publish your books
  
  
• BookBeam or Publisher Rocket — for niche and keyword research (optional but helpful)
  
  
• AI Tools (ChatGPT/Claude AI) - for more professional book cover designs and layout suggestions

You can literally start for free.

Canva has a solid free plan and KDP costs nothing to publish. The only investment upfront is your time.

Once you start making money from your business, I recommend upgrading to Canva Pro to get access to more helpful features.

Final Thoughts: Is the Low Content Book Model Right for You?

If you're looking for a side hustle that:

• Doesn't require a huge upfront investment
• Can run on autopilot once you set it up
• Lets you be creative without being a professional designer
• Has real income potential if you're willing to put in the work

…then yes, the low content book model is absolutely worth exploring.

It's worked for me, it's worked for hundreds of people I've taught, and it can work for you too.

The best way to get started is to just pick one type of low content book, do your niche research, and publish your first one.

Start Here — Pick Your Kit and Publish This Weekend. Just getting started? Grab the Gratitude Journal Jumpstart Kit or Puzzle Book Jumpstart Kit for just $7 — both come with done-for-you templates, covers, and a step-by-step publishing guide. Pick the one that excites you most and go from there. Check out the Gratitude Journal or Jumpstart Kit — Puzzle Book Jumpstart Kit to start your publishing journey.

What Has Your Experience Been with Publishing and Selling Low Content Books?

I would love to know from you guys, are currently publishing and selling low content books on Amazon?

If so, what has your experience been so far.

Thanks for reading.