Welcome back for another deep dive.
This time we're going to be checking out this whole world of low content books and how people
are making passive income with them online.
You know, like journals and notebooks and things like that.
Specifically, we're going to look at how to create and sell these books on Amazon KDP.
Our guide for this is going to be a YouTube video by Monique Hinton.
It's called Make $4,500 a month passive income selling books online, no writing required worldwide.
Yeah, it's really interesting to see how popular this whole business model has become.
Monique in the video is really enthusiastic about it.
She really lays out like a step-by-step roadmap.
So we're going to kind of break down the key elements from the video, but we're also going
to go a bit deeper into some of the nuances and maybe some of the challenges that you
might face if you try to do this yourself.
Yeah, for sure.
It is pretty amazing to see just how much the demand for these personalized journals
has kind of like exploded recently.
It seems like everybody wants a specific journal for everything these days.
You know, you've got prayer journals and dream journals and gratitude journals and...
Oh yeah, absolutely.
It's really tapping into something, I think.
People really want to organize their thoughts and track their progress, maybe express themselves
creatively too.
It really ties into all those big trends, the whole self-improvement movement, mindfulness,
all that.
And I think another thing that makes it really appealing, especially for people who are maybe
looking to earn some extra income, is that there's not really a high barrier to entry.
You don't have to be some great novelist or even, you know, a poet or anything like that
to create these books.
Right.
Yeah, it's very accessible to, I think, a wide range of people.
So let's dive into the process a little bit.
Monique uses a tool called Book Bolt to actually design her books.
From what I understand, it provides templates and design elements.
It even helps you to find copyright-free images.
It seems to really streamline a lot of the technical stuff, you know?
You can design your covers, format the interiors of the books, and even, like, prepare your
files so that they're ready to be published on Amazon KDP.
And speaking of Amazon KDP, maybe not everybody listening is familiar with what that is.
It's basically Amazon's self-publishing platform, so anybody can upload and sell their books
through it.
Ah, okay.
Yeah, that's a good point, actually.
Not everybody might know what KDP is.
So essentially, Amazon handles all of the printing, the shipping, the customer service,
all of that.
And you, as the creator, you get a percentage of each sale.
So it's kind of like having your own online bookstore without having to deal with all
of the overhead.
Exactly.
It really simplifies a lot of that logistical stuff.
But even though tools like Book Bolt can handle the technical side, you still need to make
some smart decisions about your book.
And one of the most important things is keyword research, because that's how people are going
to find your book on Amazon in the first place.
Right.
It's like, you know, if you're trying to set up shop in a busy marketplace, you need to
make sure that you're using the right signage to attract customers.
Yeah, exactly.
If you don't use the right keywords, it doesn't matter how amazing your journal is.
No one's going to be able to find it.
It'll just get lost in a sea of other books.
Monique mentioned a really interesting example in her video, didn't she?
She did, yeah.
She said that the keyword prayer journal for women was getting tons of searches each month,
and people who were finding books with that keyword, they were buying them, so lots of
sales each month.
But she also pointed out that it's a very competitive keyword.
There are a lot of books that are already using that phrase.
Right, so that kind of raises the question then.
How do you go about finding the right keywords for your book?
Well, Book Bolt has a built-in keyword tool, which is helpful.
It shows you how many people are searching for a particular keyword.
So you can get an idea of how much competition there is, but it's also important to think
outside the box a little bit, see if you can find some niche keywords that maybe aren't
as competitive, but that still have a decent number of people searching for them.
So for example, instead of just prayer journal for women, you could target prayer journal
for nurses or prayer journal for new moms.
Oh, I like that.
I like those examples a lot.
It's about getting really specific and understanding who your target audience is.
Exactly.
You're not going to be broad, but you also don't want to be so niche that nobody is ever
going to search for your book.
Yeah, you've got to find that balance.
It's like a little bit of a balancing act, and that's where the research and a bit of
creativity come into play.
It's almost like being a detective.
You're like trying to uncover these little hidden gems in the marketplace.
Speaking of standing out in the marketplace, let's talk about cover design, because you
could have the best keywords in the world.
But if your cover doesn't grab people's attention, you're not going to click on your book.
Oh, yeah.
Cover is super crucial.
It's the first thing people see, right?
So it needs to be eye-catching, and it needs to tell people what your book is about just
by looking at it.
And thinking about your target audience is really important here, too.
What kind of images are they going to be drawn to?
What about fonts?
Right.
So it's not just about slapping on a pretty picture.
It's about making sure that the design aligns with your keywords in your target audience.
Exactly.
Monique actually mentioned that she found some great copyright-free images on Pixabay.
Yeah.
Pixabay is a great resource.
Tons of free stuff on there.
If you want to really make your cover stand out, it might be worth paying a professional
to design it.
A good cover can make a big difference.
People are more likely to click on it.
And ultimately, you're probably going to sell more books.
So it's an investment that could pay off big time in the long run.
That's a good point.
I think it's easy to get caught up in trying to keep costs low, especially when you're
first starting out.
But you know, investing a little bit up front can really make a difference.
Yeah.
It's like that old saying, you got to spend money to make money.
Right.
And speaking of money, let's talk about the financial side of all of this.
How much can you actually earn selling low content books on Amazon KDP?
Well, Monique shared some interesting insights into that in her video.
So let's unpack that in the next part of her deep dive.
We'll be right back.
So where were we?
Oh yeah, the financials of selling low content books.
The first thing to think about is, you know, Amazon's royalty structure.
Yeah, right.
Monique mentioned that Amazon KDP gives sellers 60% royalties, with Amazon taking the other
40%, which sounds like a pretty good deal at first, but I'm guessing there's a little
bit more to it than that.
Yeah.
You also have to remember things like printing costs, which depend on, you know, what size
book you're making and whether it's like hardcover or paperback.
Plus, there are Amazon's fees for marketing and distribution and stuff.
Right.
So it's not just a straight 60% of the sale price going into your pocket.
There's a bit more number crunching involved to see what your actual profit is.
Exactly.
Monique actually had a really good example in her video.
She figured that for a $7.99 prayer journal, her profit after all the cost was going to
be around $2.64 per sale.
Right.
So let's say you sell like 10 journals a day.
That's about $26 profit, right?
Which isn't a ton of money.
But if you can sell more, I mean, it starts to add up.
And that's the whole point of passive income, right?
You put the work in upfront to create the book, and then hopefully it just keeps making you
money even while you sleep.
It's like creating an asset that can earn for you automatically.
Yeah, that's the dream.
But I mean, there's no guarantee that it's going to be successful, right?
Oh yeah, for sure.
You can make a really great journal, do all the right keyword research, have an amazing
cover and still not sell a single copy.
True.
It's definitely competitive market.
And you never know for sure if your book is going to find its audience.
Right.
Which brings us to another important point.
Marketing.
I mean, you can't just create a book and expect it to sell itself.
Yeah.
You can't just make one of the right people.
Exactly.
Monique talked about this a bit in the video too.
Reviews are super important.
Having lots of positive reviews can make a big difference.
It makes your book seem more credible.
And people are more likely to buy something if they see other people have liked it.
Yeah, makes sense.
She recommended getting some initial reviews from friends and family just to get the ball
rolling.
Yeah, that's a good way to get started.
But what about other ways to market your low content books on Amazon?
Well, there are some things you can do on Amazon itself.
They have something called Amazon ads where you can actually run ads for your book.
And you can really target those ads to specific people who might be interested.
But social media is really important too.
Oh yeah.
You could have a Facebook page or an Instagram where you show off your journals and really
target people who would like that kind of thing.
Yeah.
That's a good idea.
You can even run ads on Facebook or Instagram.
Basically.
And don't forget about email lists.
You can offer people a free sample chapter of your journal or a discount code if they
give you their email address.
Oh, a smart.
That way you can stay in touch with them and let them know about new books you're releasing
or any special offers you have.
So it's not just advertising.
It's about like building relationships with potential customers.
Yeah, exactly.
Are there any like online groups or communities for people who are interested in creating
these low content books where they can like connect and share ideas?
Oh, definitely.
There are tons, lots of Facebook groups and forums, even YouTube channels.
It's a great way to learn from other people, see what's working for them, get feedback
on your ideas.
So you don't have to figure everything out on your own.
You can tap into that collective wisdom.
Exactly.
Now back to bookbult for a sec.
Manique mentioned that they have different pricing plans, right?
Yeah.
They have a newbie plan and a pro plan.
She uses the pro one because it has more features.
But she said that the newbie plan is perfectly fine to get started with.
Okay.
Oh, and she gave a discount code.
It's Journey with the Hintons.
That'll get you 20% off.
Oh, nice.
That's really generous of her.
Now are there other tools besides bookbult that people can use?
Oh, yeah.
There are a bunch like Canva is popular for making covers.
They have a lot of templates you can use if you want to get really fancy with the design.
You could even use something like Adobe InDesign.
Okay.
So plenty of options.
You can kind of choose the tools that work best for you in your budget.
But we've talked a lot about the tools and the technical side of things.
What are some of the less obvious challenges that people might run into?
That's a good question.
One thing that comes to mind is time management.
It's easy to get carried away with designing and spend hours just tweaking things.
Right.
You've got to balance that with actually running the business side of things.
Yeah.
Setting deadlines, keeping track of expenses, marketing.
It can easily turn into a full-time job.
For sure.
So being organized is super important.
Making a schedule and setting realistic goals.
What about customer service issues?
Oh, yeah.
That's another thing to think about.
Like what if someone's not happy with their journal?
Or if there's a problem with the printing?
Right.
Because you're ultimately responsible for making sure your customers are happy.
Exactly.
So you have to be ready to deal with those kinds of things.
Yeah.
It's a good idea to set clear expectations from the beginning so that people know what
to expect.
Yeah.
Maybe even have a specific email address just for customer service inquiries.
Good idea.
And don't forget about returns and damage books.
Those are things you'll need to factor into your pricing.
Right.
So even though we've been talking about the passive income potential, it's important
to remember that it's not just a get rich quick scheme.
You've got to put in the work.
Yeah.
You've got to have a strategy.
You'd be willing to learn as you go.
Definitely not for everyone.
But if you're willing to put in the effort and be realistic about it, it can be a really
rewarding experience and potentially lucrative too.
It's about finding that balance between creativity and business sense.
Right.
It's cool to be able to create something tangible, something that other people might actually
use and enjoy.
Yeah, I agree.
And the possibilities are endless.
There's so many different niches you could explore.
And the market's always changing.
Exactly.
And that's just what the next big trend will be.
Maybe we'll find out in the next part of our deep dive.
Okay.
So we're back.
And I think we've covered a lot of ground today about this whole world of low content
books and passive income.
Yeah.
From designing the books to marketing them, even talked about some of the challenges you
might run into.
It's been pretty interesting.
What stands out to me is that you really need to be both creative and strategic with this.
It's not enough to just create a pretty journal.
You've got to understand who you're making it for.
Do the keyword research and figure out how you're going to actually get people to see
it.
And you can't just make the book and then forget about it.
You've got to be ready to deal with customers, maybe handle some returns, and just keep up
with how things change.
So it is work, but like we said, it can be really rewarding.
And if you do it right, you can make some decent money.
Yeah.
And I think it really speaks to this desire that a lot of people have to be more in control
of their income and have more flexibility in their lives.
For sure.
So many people are looking for ways to make extra money.
Exactly.
Maybe start a side hustle.
And this low content book thing seems to fit the bill for a lot of people.
It's relatively easy to get started.
You can scale it up if you want to.
And you can do it from anywhere.
Yeah.
Plus it lets you be creative.
Yeah.
It's not all just numbers and data.
You actually get to design something.
And hopefully create something that other people will get value from.
I think that's really cool.
And there are just so many possibilities with this.
You know, so many different niches you could go after.
You can make journals for writers, planners for entrepreneurs, coloring book, activity
books for kids.
And if and with print on demand, you don't have to worry about storing a bunch of inventory
or shipping things out yourself.
Amazon takes care of all that.
So you can focus on the creative part.
Exactly.
So before we wrap up, let me ask you this.
If you were going to create a low content book, what would it be?
What niche would you go for?
What would make yours stand out from all the others?
That's a good question.
I think the key is to find something you're passionate about and then see if there's a
need for it in the market.
So if you're feeling inspired, get out a notebook and start brainstorming.
Maybe try out some of the tools we've talked about.
You never know what you might come up with.
And that's about all the time we have for today.
But hey, if you're interested in learning more about low content books, there are tons
of resources out there.
Yeah.
You can go to Google Digging Online.
You'll find all sorts of stuff.
And most importantly, have fun with it.
All right, that's it for this deep dive.
Until next time.