Unleash the Cash Flow: Effortlessly Sell Journals on Amazon and Make Bank
One passive income stream that has been getting a lot of attention is selling journals on Amazon. How do you publish a low-content book on Amazon?
May 2 2023, Updated 9:33 a.m. ET
The idea of making money without doing much work is an attractive one. That’s why there are tons of videos on YouTube and TikTok about different ways to earn passive income.
One passive income stream that has been getting a lot of attention lately is creating and selling journals on Amazon. YouTuber Monique Hinton’s video “Make $4,500 a Month Passive Income Selling Books Online” has over 1.4 million views.
So, what kind of journals can you sell on Amazon and how do you go about listing one? Keep reading for all the details.
On TikTok, Valerie Thompkins (@authorvaleriethompkins) has gotten 1.4 million views on her video tutorial about selling journals on Amazon. Thompkins says she makes $3.58 on every $9.99 journal she sells.
Here's how to sell journals on Amazon.
If you're looking for a way to "make money in your sleep" as Thompkins says, selling journals on Amazon may be a side gig you want to look into. Journals are considered “low-content” books because they have little to no content on their interior pages, so you don’t have to worry about writing anything. Examples of low-content books include journals, notebooks, planners, and similar books.
There are benefits to selling journals on Amazon.
Anyone can publish a low-content book on Amazon through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). There are several advantages to selling journals on Amazon, such as:
They are easy to create.
There is little to no cost to get started.
Amazon prints and ships the products for you.
You'll need these skills to sell journals on Amazon.
You will need some skills to help you create journals that people will want to buy. You’ll need to know how to use Canva or another design tool to create the cover of your journal.
You’ll also need to know something about keyword research, so you know what potential buyers are searching. Placing keywords in your product title and description can help buyers find your journal. There are a few free Google Chrome Extensions that can help you find the right keywords to use.
Huge Amazon Search Suggestion Expander can help you find a ton of suggested Amazon search keywords. The KDP/Amazon BST & Keyword Research Tool can help you determine which keywords in that huge list may be best.
Some journal creators use BookBolt to design the interior pages of their journals, while others use Canva to create both the cover and interior of the journal.
Follow these steps to get started selling journals on Amazon.
Once you’ve designed your journal and downloaded PDFs of your design, you’ll need to open an account with KDP.
To create your low-content book on KDP, click “Create” and select whether you want the journal to be paperback or hardcover. Your journal will then need a book title, subtitle, and description, all of which incorporate the keywords you are focusing on.
You enter your name as the author, including the names of any contributors, and then indicate that you own the copyright. KDP also asks you for keywords and categories for your journal to help people find it.
All commercial books have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) that identifies them. However, low-content books aren’t required to have an ISBN, so you can choose to publish without one or select your own identifying number.
You can choose what type of interior paper you want and whether the cover finish should be matte or gloss. Upload your PDF artwork, set your pricing, use “Launch Previewer” to ensure everything looks good, and click “publish.”
Don’t expect to get rich quick selling journals on Amazon.
After you’ve gone through the steps and published your journal, you can sit back and collect the proceeds from Amazon, which are paid out monthly. However, you may not earn tons of money by selling journals on Amazon unless you have several journals available and a marketing strategy to promote them.