The Harsh Truth About Why Your KDP Coloring Book Isn’t Selling
You’re not alone if you uploaded a coloring book to Amazon KDP, waited weeks, and watched your sales stay stuck at zero. You’ve probably asked yourself: “What am I doing wrong?” The temptation is to blame Amazon’s algorithm, but more often than not, the issue starts with the book itself. Let’s talk about why most KDP coloring books don’t sell—because the answer isn’t always what you think.
1. Your Niche Is Oversaturated… Or Nonexistent
Take a search through Amazon right now for “flower coloring book.” You’ll get thousands of hits. Now search “triceratops riding a skateboard coloring book.” Fewer hits, right? That tells you something.
A vague or generic niche won’t help your book stand out. Most creators wrongly assume that targeting a broad keyword like “relaxing coloring pages” will attract everyone. In reality, it attracts no one. Buyers are specific. A parent isn’t looking for just any coloring book—they’re looking for something their child will be obsessed with for more than five minutes.
The fix? Niche down, then niche down again. “Cute animals” is too broad. How about “Dogs engaging in everyday life” instead? Specificity gets attention.
2. Your Cover Looks Like It Was Made in MS Paint
This one stings, but let’s be honest. If your cover doesn’t grab attention in half a second, you’ve lost the sale. People do judge books by their cover—especially on Amazon where yours is a thumbnail next to ten others.
Common mistakes include:
- Pixelated or low-quality images
- Text that blends into the background
- Fonts that are hard to read or look like clipart from 2003
You don’t need Photoshop skills to fix this. Tools like Canva or AI Book Cover Prompts can help. Use bold fonts, simple graphics, and color palettes that don’t scream “I made this in a panic at 2am.”
3. You’re Not Researching Before You Create
Imagine spending hours drawing dogs doing yoga, only to find there’s zero search traffic for “dog yoga coloring book.” This happens more than you’d think.
Start with research, not the other way around. Use tools like Amazon’s autocomplete feature, or even better, tools like KDSpy or Publisher Rocket. Type in coloring book ideas and see what pops up—those are actual searches people are making.
Also check the BSR (Best Sellers Rank) of similar books. A BSR under 200,000 means the book is selling at least a few copies a week. Look for patterns. What themes are doing well? How old is the competition? Are there gaps you can fill?
4. Your Interior Pages Are Boring or Repetitive
You’ve seen them: 50 pages of the same mandala with slightly different line thickness. That’s not creative—it’s lazy. Buyers notice.
Coloring is about engagement. If your target audience is kids, you need variation, maybe even storytelling through the illustrations. If your audience is stressed-out adults, your hand-drawn floral design better not look like something whipped up from a stock vector pack in two minutes.
Think about adding features like:
- Color testing pages
- Cute quotes alongside images
- Bonus pages at the end
- Puzzles or mazes in kids’ books
Give people a reason to think, “Wow, this is worth $6.99.”
5. Your Keywords Still Suck, Even After Research
Amazon’s search engine doesn’t work like Google’s, and using the wrong keywords can hurt you. If your subtitle says “The most inspiring and fun coloring experience for children ages 5-9!” you’re wasting valuable space.
Use that subtitle slot to include relevant keywords someone might actually type into Amazon. Think like the customer. Keep it simple: “Cute Halloween Coloring Book for Kids Ages 4-8” does way more heavy lifting than fluffy words.
Also, don’t waste backend keyword space with single words like “book” or “coloring.” Focus on long-tail keywords. People aren’t typing “book.” They’re typing “dinosaur monster truck coloring book.”
6. You’re Not Promoting At All
The sad reality: uploading a book to KDP isn’t a marketing plan. It’s a listing. That’s it. And unless you got real lucky with timing or an SEO goldmine, you’re likely buried under 1,000 other books.
You can start small. Set up an Instagram or Pinterest page and post sneak peeks. Contact coloring influencers on YouTube or TikTok. Run a cheap Facebook ad focusing on your niche. Join KDP forums and engage—not spam, actually engage.
Want to go a little rogue? Tape a QR code to your car that goes to your Amazon book page. You never know.
7. You’re Only Making One Book
Coloring books sell better in groups. If a customer likes one, they might want the rest. Creating a mini-series (like holiday themes, animals, or fantasy creatures) builds brand recognition. More importantly, it increases your chances of repeat purchases.
Also, Amazon often recommends other books “by this author.” If you only have one listing, you’re not taking advantage of that built-in promo system.
Wrapping It Up, Without the Fluff
Most coloring books fail because they try to appeal to everyone and end up impressing no one. The good news? You don’t need to be a professional artist or marketer to fix that.
Start by picking a better niche. Make your book look professional. Research before you draw your first line. Add value with details people notice. And yeah, don’t forget to actually tell people it exists.
Coloring books aren’t passive income magic. But with real effort and better planning, you can actually see sales without guessing what went wrong every month.
