Starting a side hustle is an exciting and fulfilling way to bring in extra income, and selling books on Amazon is a fantastic option for those looking to make money from home.
In 2025, selling low-content books (such as journals, planners, and notebooks) is particularly popular and provides a great opportunity to earn around $5000 monthly.
Best of all, it requires little to no upfront investment, making it perfect for people who want to dive into the world of online sales without breaking the bank.
What Are Low-Content Books?
Low-content books are books that require minimal writing or creative input. They typically consist of blank pages or simple designs that users can personalize. Examples include:
- Journals – A daily log with space for writing
- Planners – Organizers for schedules and tasks
- Notebooks – Plain or lined pages for taking notes
- Activity books – Puzzles, games, and other interactive formats
These types of books are in high demand, as people look for tools to help them organize their daily lives or express themselves creatively.
Why Choose Low-Content Books?
One of the biggest advantages of selling low-content books on Amazon is the low barrier to entry. Unlike traditional publishing, where you need to invest in printing and inventory, low-content books are digital products. That means you don’t have to worry about stock or fulfillment. Here are some more reasons to start:
- Low Investment: You don’t need a large upfront investment to get started. Tools like BookBolt allow you to create and design books with minimal cost.
- Scalable: Once you understand the process, you can create multiple books and sell them to a global audience. As your portfolio grows, so do your sales.
- Passive Income: After publishing your books, they can sell continuously without your direct involvement. This allows you to build a steady stream of passive income over time.
Amazon’s platform, combined with the rise of self-publishing, has created an ideal opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs to tap into a massive marketplace without needing any prior experience. If you want to start a profitable side hustle in 2023, selling low-content books is a solid path to explore.
Understanding the Market for Low-Content Books
Before diving into the creation of your books, it’s essential to understand the market dynamics. Doing so ensures that you are designing books that people actually want to buy, which will increase your chances of success.
- Amazon’s Bestselling Categories: One way to get started is by looking at Amazon’s best-selling lists to identify popular types of low-content books. You’ll find that planners, journals, and notebooks are consistently high on the lists. These are categories with consistent demand.
- Niche Down for Success: Competition can be fierce in broader categories, so it’s important to find a niche that you can target. For example, you might design a journal specifically for cat owners or a fitness planner for women. By focusing on a specific audience, you increase your chances of success.
Researching the market before creating your first book will help you avoid competing in overly saturated markets and will give you the insight needed to select profitable niches. Tools like BookBolt (which we will discuss later) are fantastic for doing this research and discovering what’s currently trending.
The Power of BookBolt in Your Side Hustle
If you’re serious about selling low-content books, you need the right tools to create, design, and market them. BookBolt is one of the most popular platforms used by sellers in the low-content book space. BookBolt provides all the necessary tools to help you with the entire process – from research and design to publishing and marketing.
You can start using BookBolt with a free trial for three days, which gives you full access to the platform’s features. Once you’re ready to take things more seriously, you can choose from affordable membership plans, starting at just $10 per month. The advanced plan at $20 per month offers even more tools for those looking to scale quickly.
Step-by-Step Guide to Starting Your Side Hustle: Setting Up for Success
Now that you understand the potential of selling low-content books, let’s walk through the steps you’ll need to follow to start your side hustle. By the end of this guide, you’ll have everything you need to create your first book and publish it on Amazon.
Step 1: Conduct Market Research
The first and most important step is understanding your audience and what’s selling. Research is crucial for success in any business, and low-content books are no exception.
- Explore Amazon Bestsellers: Amazon’s bestselling list for low-content books is a great place to start. This will give you an idea of which book types are trending. Look at different genres, such as planners, journals, and notebooks, and pay attention to the design elements (colors, themes, cover styles) that are most popular.
- Use BookBolt’s Research Tools: BookBolt has built-in tools that allow you to research popular niches and analyze the competition. You can explore the Amazon categories, view bestselling books, and get keyword suggestions. This data helps you identify gaps in the market where competition is low, giving you a better chance of standing out.
- Determine Your Niche: Once you’ve explored the market, think about what specific niches you can tap into. For example, instead of just creating a general planner, you could create a planner specifically designed for students or entrepreneurs. By narrowing your focus, you can cater to a specific audience’s needs and stand out in the marketplace.
Market research isn’t just about identifying a good product to sell; it’s also about understanding your audience and their buying habits. Having this knowledge allows you to position your products effectively and build your brand.
Step 2: Sign Up for BookBolt
After completing your research, it’s time to get started with creating your low-content books. BookBolt is a fantastic tool for new creators, as it offers everything you need to design, publish, and even track the performance of your books. Here’s how you can start:
- Create an Account: Sign up for a BookBolt account at BookBolt’s official website. You can start with the free 3-day trial to explore the platform’s features and get a feel for the tools.
- Choose Your Membership Plan: Once you’re comfortable, you can choose between the Basic plan for $10/month or the Pro plan for $20/month. The Pro plan offers more features, including design elements, additional templates, and research tools.
BookBolt is user-friendly and perfect for beginners, making the whole process of creating and publishing books smoother and faster. The platform will help you from start to finish, from brainstorming your first book idea to uploading it on Amazon KDP.
Now that you’ve done your research and signed up for BookBolt, it’s time to start creating your low-content book. In this section, we’ll break down how to use BookBolt’s tools to design your book, upload it to Amazon, and get it ready for sale.
Step 3: Create Your Book with BookBolt
Once you’re logged into BookBolt, you’ll be ready to start creating your book. Here’s a step-by-step guide to using the platform’s features effectively:
1. Choose a Book Type
BookBolt offers various templates for different types of low-content books, including journals, planners, notebooks, and activity books. Select the one that fits your idea. If you’re a beginner, we recommend starting with a simple journal or notebook.
These templates are pre-sized for Amazon KDP, ensuring that your book will meet the print requirements.
2. Design Your Book Cover
The cover is one of the most critical parts of your book. It’s the first thing potential customers see, and a well-designed cover can make all the difference in attracting buyers. Fortunately, BookBolt makes it easy to create an eye-catching cover.
- Use BookBolt’s Design Tools: BookBolt offers drag-and-drop design tools that are beginner-friendly. You can either use their pre-designed templates or start from scratch to customize your cover.
- Keep It Simple & Professional: Your cover doesn’t need to be overly complex. In fact, minimalist designs often work best for low-content books like journals and planners. Make sure to include readable fonts and high-quality images.
3. Design the Interior Pages
The next step is designing the interior pages of your book. For low-content books, the interior is often just lines, grids, or other simple structures, but there are still ways to make your design stand out.
- Use Pre-Designed Pages: BookBolt provides a variety of pre-made interior templates, so you don’t have to start from scratch. You can choose from lined pages, grids, or planners, depending on the type of book you’re creating.
- Customize for Your Audience: You can make the interior more engaging by adding personalized elements. For instance, you might want to include motivational quotes, monthly planners, or checklists to add value and make your book more appealing.
Once you’ve designed the interior, you can preview the pages to ensure everything looks good. Don’t forget to check margins and spacing to ensure that the design is clean and readable.
4. Export Your Book
Once you’re satisfied with your cover and interior design, it’s time to export your files for publishing on Amazon KDP.
- Format: Export your book in PDF format, as Amazon KDP accepts PDF files for both interior and cover uploads.
- Color Mode: Make sure to select RGB color mode to ensure your book has high-quality, vibrant print results.
BookBolt makes it easy to download the necessary files, so you’ll be ready to upload them to Amazon KDP.
Step 4: Publish Your Book on Amazon KDP
Once you’ve created your low-content book, it’s time to publish it on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). This is the platform where you can upload your book and make it available for sale on Amazon. Here’s how to do it:
1. Create a KDP Account
If you don’t already have a KDP account, you’ll need to sign up at Amazon KDP. The process is simple and free, but you’ll need to enter some personal details, including your bank account information for receiving payments.
2. Upload Your Book
After logging in to your KDP account, you can start the process of uploading your book. Select the “Paperback” option for your book type and follow the prompts.
- Enter Book Details: Fill in the details about your book, such as the title, author name, and a compelling book description. Be sure to make the description engaging, as it will help convince potential buyers to purchase your book.
- Upload Cover & Interior: Upload the cover and interior files that you exported from BookBolt. KDP will provide you with a preview tool to check how your book will look when printed.
3. Set Your Pricing
Pricing your book can be tricky. You don’t want to underprice it, but you also don’t want to set the price too high and scare away potential customers.
- Research Prices: Browse through Amazon to see how similar books are priced. Most low-content books like planners or journals are priced between $7 to $20. Consider your target audience and niche when setting the price.
- Set Royalties: KDP allows you to choose between two royalty options: 35% or 70%. The 70% royalty option is typically available for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99. Books priced higher than $9.99 generally fall under the 35% royalty rate.
Once you’ve set the price, you can move on to the final steps of publishing.
4. Finalize and Publish
Before publishing, KDP will prompt you to review your book’s details. Double-check the information and ensure that everything looks good. Once you’re ready, hit “Publish”, and Amazon will begin processing your book.
- Review Time: It usually takes up to 72 hours for Amazon to review and publish your book. Once it’s live, it will be available for purchase worldwide.
Step 5: Marketing Your Book for Maximum Visibility
Now that your book is published, the next step is to market it effectively. Simply uploading your book to Amazon isn’t enough to guarantee success. Here are some strategies to help you get noticed and drive more sales:
1. Leverage Social Media
Social media is a great way to reach potential customers and showcase your books. Create accounts on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, and use them to promote your books.
- Instagram: Share images of your book covers, inside pages, and any relevant content that would attract your target audience. Use hashtags related to your niche to get your posts in front of more people.
- Facebook & Pinterest: These platforms are perfect for creating community-driven content. Join Facebook groups or start a Pinterest board with related content, such as journaling tips or daily planner suggestions.
By building an online presence and engaging with your audience, you can increase awareness and drive traffic to your Amazon listings.
2. Run Promotions & Discounts
To boost your book’s visibility on Amazon, consider running occasional promotions. Amazon KDP allows authors to offer limited-time discounts or even run free promotions. These can increase your book’s exposure, boost reviews, and help you climb the bestseller ranks.
- Free Promotions: Amazon allows you to offer your book for free for up to five days in each 90-day KDP Select period. Free promotions can attract reviews and get your book in front of a larger audience.
3. Collect Reviews
Reviews play a huge role in convincing potential buyers to purchase your book. After people buy your books, encourage them to leave reviews.
- Engage with Customers: Reach out to customers via social media or email (if you have an email list) to ask for honest reviews.
- Giveaways: Offering free copies in exchange for reviews is a common tactic used by self-published authors to gather feedback and build credibility.
Conclusion
Selling low-content books on Amazon is a fantastic side hustle in 2023. With the help of tools like BookBolt, you can quickly create, design, and publish your books, making them available to a global audience. Once you’ve set up your books, effective marketing and promotion can help you reach your financial goals. Whether you’re looking for passive income or a full-time business, the opportunity to earn $5000 or more per month by selling low-content books is real and achievable.
Ready to start your side hustle today? The world of Amazon self-publishing is waiting for you! Don’t hesitate to explore tools like BookBolt and follow these steps to make your low-content book business a success.