Can You Make Money through Amazon KDP?

Early this year, one of my goals was to learn a new marketable skill. It can either be one of these 3 things–launch a kickstarter campaign, launch a book using Amazon KDP, or launch a TikTok shop. And I’m happy to say that less than a week ago, I published a book on Amazon KDP.

What is Amazon KDP?

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is Amazon’s self-publishing platform that allows authors to publish their books independently and make them available for sale on Amazon’s Kindle Store and beyond. Launched in 2007, KDP provides a straightforward and accessible way for authors, content creators, and publishers to reach a global audience without the need for traditional publishing processes.

Launching a book was never in my radar, not yet anyway. But I included it in my goals because one of my friends mentioned that Amazon KDP is a good source of passive income and she wanted to give it a try. And I’m not gonna lie, it got me intrigued.

How it came about?

With the 4th product that I launched on Amazon, I thought of adding a workbook to add more value by including tons of practice and engaging exercises. Initially, the workbook was only meant to be a FREE download that customers can get access to once they bought the product. Then I thought, since I’m already working hard on this workbook, I might as well sell a paperback option using Amazon KDP. And I did–I uploaded the same PDF file on KDP and hired someone to create the workbook cover.

To successfully publish a book, I simply have to follow KDP requirements concerning the trim size, bleed and margins and wait 3 days for it to be published on Amazon. I didn’t even have to buy a barcode or ISBN because Amazon can automatically assign one for your book. And since KDP is a print-on-demand publisher, the only cost I had was the workbook cover design fee. Yes, I did spend a lot of time proofreading the book but I had to do it anyway for the FREE download. You see, I got nothing to lose and everything to gain with this experience.

And in my honest opinion, launching a book on Amazon KDP is very easy. The process is simpler and less complicated, and the risk is almost nonexistent compared to launching a product on Amazon.

Can you make money through Amazon KDP?

The average profit margin of a book published on Amazon KDP is 40%. That is not bad at all especially since you don’t need to worry about inventory management or replenishment.

If you’re good at writing or graphic design, I encourage you to give Amazon KDP a try. Worst-case scenario, you won’t sell anything but you will learn a new skill. And best-case scenario, you sell a lot of books and generate a passive income. It’s a win-win.

Got questions or suggestions? Drop a comment or send me an email.