Publishing your first book on Amazon sounds big and scary, right?
But here’s the plot twist: Amazon KDP makes it so simple that you don’t even need to write a full book to get started.
It’s a platform where anyone can upload a design, hit publish, and reach readers worldwide. No warehouses, no printing machines, no chaos.
That’s why beginners often start with easy low-content and medium-content books. Think notebooks, journals, planners—simple tools people use every day.
You’re not writing a novel. You’re creating something helpful, clean, and quick to produce.
And the best part? Starting costs almost nothing. If you’ve got a laptop, an idea, and a bit of curiosity, you’re already halfway there.
Many creators earn passive income from books they made in a single afternoon.
So yes, KDP can feel like a cheat code. And you’re about to learn exactly how to use it.
What Makes a Book “Easy” to Create on KDP?
Minimal writing required
Easy KDP books cut the heavy lifting of long-form writing. Instead of pages of prose, you add simple repeating elements like lines, prompts, or blank space.
That means you skip writer’s block and focus on structure. A gratitude journal needs a few prompts, not a novel. A sketchbook needs zero words.
Less writing equals faster launch and fewer edits.
Simple formatting
Simple interiors keep formatting headaches far away. Think consistent margins, clear line spacing, and predictable headers.
No complicated chapter styles or footnotes. Use single-column layouts and standard trim sizes.
KDP accepts PDFs, so export clean files from your editor, and you’re good. Simple formatting reduces preview errors and saves time.
Repetitive layouts
Repetition is your secret weapon. Pages repeat the same structure, so you design once and copy many times.
A planner page, repeated 100 times, is easier than 100 unique pages. This also makes quality control quick — fix one page, fix the whole book.
Repetition keeps production predictable and cheap.
Fast production and publishing
Easy books move from idea to live listing in hours or days. Templates speed things up. You simply plug in a cover, upload the interior, and publish.
KDP’s interface walks you through pricing and rights step-by-step. You don’t need an ISBN headache or a printer on speed dial.
Fast production lets you test ideas and iterate quickly.
Low barrier for design skills
You don’t need to be a pro designer to sell. Basic tools and pre-made assets get you 80% of the way.
A clear cover, readable fonts, and tidy spacing beat fancy-but-confusing layouts. If you can drag, drop, and crop, you can create a marketable book.
Start small, learn as you go, and upgrade skills later.
Easiest Amazon KDP Books to Create (Top Picks)
1. Notebooks
Notebooks are the bread and butter of KDP. They’re easy, fast, and perfect for beginners. You’re basically creating lined pages and a clean cover.
No plot twists. No character arcs. Just simple, functional pages people use every single day.
Why they’re easy
Notebooks require almost no writing. A lined interior can be duplicated across the entire book. You design one page, copy it 100 times, and call it a day.
It’s the closest thing to “plug-and-publish” KDP offers.
Popular niches and styles
Notebooks sell best when they speak to a specific group. Teachers, students, writers, pet owners, or even gamers.
Funny quotes also work well, especially the slightly sarcastic ones everyone loves. You can go cute, classy, minimal, bold… there’s room for everyone.
Design tips
Keep lines evenly spaced. Watch your margins so text doesn’t get swallowed by the spine. And keep your cover simple and readable.
A clean title, a strong color, and maybe a small graphic often outperform loud designs. Less chaos, more clarity.
2. Journals
Journals are like notebooks with personality. They guide the user a little, but still stay simple enough for beginners.
Think of them as “notebooks with a mission.”
Gratitude journals
These are popular because they’re uplifting and easy to make.
Add short prompts like “Today I’m grateful for…” and repeat throughout the book. People love daily reflection.
Wellness journals
These help users track mood, sleep, meals, or habits. The layouts stay simple but feel purposeful. Great for anyone interested in self-improvement niches.
Niche-focused journals
Fitness, pregnancy, travel, and budgeting — each niche adds a simple twist to the layout.
Instead of reinventing the wheel, you tailor a generic structure to a specific audience.
Tips for adding prompts without heavy writing
Use short, simple questions. Keep prompts repetitive so the book stays easy to produce.
And use whitespace intentionally because it makes the pages look cleaner without extra work on your end.
3. Coloring Books (Beginner Level)
Coloring books might sound intimidating at first, but beginner-level styles are surprisingly simple.
Users aren’t judging your drawing skills because they just want clean line art they can color in.
Simple line-art styles
Bold outlines with minimal detail are perfect for beginners. Think doodles, geometric shapes, cute animals, mandalas, or simple objects.
Using AI or basic digital tools
You can generate simple illustrations using beginner-friendly software or AI tools. Just make sure you legally own the rights to use the images.
If you prefer manual design, even Canva has plenty of line-art elements.
Niches that sell well
Kids’ coloring books, stress-relief mandalas, holiday themes, inspirational quotes, and cute animals always perform well.
The simpler the concept, the broader the appeal.
4. Logbooks
Logbooks are the “organized friend” of the KDP world.
They help users track specific things, and they’re incredibly easy to design because each page follows the same structure.
Habit trackers
Create daily, weekly, or monthly checklists. Users love structured layouts that help them stay consistent. The format repeats beautifully.
Mileage logs
These are popular for business owners, drivers, and freelancers. Keep the fields simple: date, purpose, miles, and total. It’s functional and quick to build.
Expense trackers
Perfect for budgeting. Add columns for date, item, category, and amount. Repeat the layout across the book, and you’re done.
Customer-friendly benefits
People buy logbooks because they crave structure. They want something that helps them organize life, save money, or build habits.
When your layout is clear and usable, customers appreciate the simplicity and often come back for more.
5. Planners (Simple Versions)
Planners are one of the most in-demand low-content books on KDP, and the simple versions are perfect for beginners.
You don’t need complex calendars or hyperlinked pages. Just clean layouts that help users stay organized.
Weekly planners
Weekly layouts are straightforward. Create a spread with seven boxes, add space for notes, and repeat it across the book.
People love weekly planners because they’re quick to fill in and less overwhelming than daily formats.
Daily planners
Daily planners are slightly more detailed but still beginner-friendly. Add sections like “Top Priorities,” “To-Do List,” and “Notes.”
The structure stays the same each day, making it easy to duplicate without any heavy design work.
Undated versions for reusability
Undated planners are gold for creators because they never expire. Users can start anytime, making them evergreen products.
And you avoid the headache of updating dates every year.
Minimal design = easier formatting
Minimal planners don’t need fancy graphics. Clean lines, simple boxes, and readable fonts sell just as well, often better.
The simpler the layout, the easier it is to format and the cleaner it looks in the KDP preview.
6. Activity Books (Beginner-Friendly)
Activity books add a playful twist to KDP, and many beginner-friendly activity types are surprisingly easy to create.
People love them because they’re fun, engaging, and great for both kids and adults.
Word searches
Word searches are one of the easiest puzzles to generate. You can use puzzle-making tools to create the grids in minutes.
Upload the final pages, add a simple solution section, and you’re done.
Mazes
Beginner mazes don’t need fancy designs. Maze generators can produce clean, printable layouts instantly.
Just make sure the lines are bold enough and the solutions are included.
Easy puzzle types
Crossword puzzles, number scrambles, dot-to-dots, and simple matching games are also beginner-friendly.
Focus on clean layouts and big spacing so the pages feel inviting, not cramped.
Simple ways to generate activities using tools
Tools like Puzzle Maker, Canva apps, and online generators help you build puzzles quickly.
Always double-check the rights to ensure commercial use is allowed.
Once you have your puzzles, formatting is as easy as copying them into your template.
7. Sketchbooks
Sketchbooks are the unsung heroes of KDP because they’re ridiculously easy to make and surprisingly popular. If you want something fast, this is it.
Blank interior = fastest to create
A sketchbook is essentially a collection of blank pages. No text. No prompts.
No design fuss. Just set your margins, choose the number of pages, and repeat.
Audience types
Kids use sketchbooks for doodling. Artists use them for practice. Hobbyists use them for journaling or mixed media.
There’s a wide market here, and many buyers prefer simple, uncluttered interiors.
8. Recipe Books (Guided Templates)
Recipe books are fun to make and even more fun for buyers to fill in. They’re like journals for food lovers, and they work well in gifting niches.
Provide blank spaces for user-written recipes
You don’t need to write the recipes yourself. You’re simply providing the structure.
Add fields like “Ingredients,” “Instructions,” “Notes,” and “Cooking Time.” Repeat the layout for each page.
Easy interior structure
The pages follow the same pattern from start to finish, making production quick.
Readers appreciate the consistency, and you get a clean, professional-looking book with minimal effort.
Great for gifting niches
Recipe books sell well as gifts for holidays, weddings, family events, and even Mother’s Day.
People love giving personalized cookbooks where loved ones can record their favorite dishes.
A strong cover and clean interior can make your book feel instantly giftable.
How to Choose Which Easy KDP Book to Create
Research demand
Your first step is to actually check if people want the book.
Use Amazon search suggestions, best-seller lists, and category pages to see what’s moving. Look for repeated keywords and steady sales ranks.
A small but steady demand is better than a flash-in-the-pan trend.
Remember: a hungry market pays, even for simple books.
Look for niche overlap
Combine two small niches to create something unique. Think “fitness + pregnancy journal” instead of generic fitness.
Overlap narrows competition and speaks directly to a buyer. It’s like fishing where the fish already hang out.
Niche combos also give you clearer cover and keyword ideas.
Check competition levels
Open the top listings and study them. Is the photography clean? Are interiors generic? High-quality gaps are opportunities.
If five top books look nearly identical, you can stand out with a better cover or slightly improved layout.
Don’t copy; instead, learn what sells and then make it cleaner or friendlier.
Make sample designs
Create one full sample page and one cover before committing. This shows you how long production will take and highlights formatting issues.
Test different fonts and spacing. Load the sample into KDP preview or use a PDF mockup. A quick prototype saves hours of rework later.
Start with low-risk formats
Pick notebooks, sketchbooks, or undated planners first. They’re cheap to make and easy to fix if sales are slow. Think of your first book as a pilot episode.
If it flies, expand the series. If it doesn’t, you’ve learned something valuable without burning time or cash.
Tools That Make Creation Even Easier
Canva
Canva is the Swiss Army knife for non-designers. Drag-and-drop covers, interiors, and mockups in minutes.
Use their templates to skip layout guesses and keep margins safe. Fonts and color palettes are right there, so your cover won’t look like a clown car.
Export clean PDFs that KDP accepts, and you’re almost home.
Tip: build one template and reuse it across dozens of books.
Book Bolt
Book Bolt is built specifically for KDP creators. It helps you research niches, create interiors, and design covers.
The interior generator saves hours on repetitive pages like notebooks and planners.
Their keyword and competition tools point out niches that actually sell. Use it to scale faster once you know the basics.
Creative Fabrica
Creative Fabrica is a goldmine for graphics and fonts. Buy ready-made line art, patterns, and commercial-use clipart.
This saves you from redrawing the same cute fox 50 times. Licenses are usually straightforward, but always check commercial terms.
A single high-quality asset can lift a whole cover from meh to money.
AI tools for prompts or graphics
AI speeds up idea generation and simple art creation. Use it to brainstorm subtitle ideas, write short prompts, or make basic line art you can refine.
Always verify commercial rights and clean up outputs to avoid odd artifacts. When used carefully, AI shaves hours off your workflow.
KDP’s own previewer & templates
KDP gives you tools you actually must use. Their templates ensure your bleed and margins match Amazon’s specs.
The previewer shows exactly how your book looks on screen and in print.
Catch spine issues, cut-off text, and odd spacing before you publish. Use these tools last because they’re your safety net, not your design studio.
You can then publish with confidence when the preview looks clean.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Keyword stuffing
Packing your title and description with every possible keyword is a trap. It might feel like casting a wide net, but it reads like spam.
Amazon’s algorithm and real buyers prefer clear, honest titles. Use 2–3 strong keywords naturally and support them with a helpful description.
Quick fix: write the human-friendly title first, then weave in one or two high-value keywords.
Poor interior spacing
Cramped pages scream “amateur.” If lines are too close or margins are tiny, writing becomes a chore for the buyer.
Always check bleed, gutter, and safe zones before exporting. Give readers breathing room, white space sells.
Tip: print a test page or use KDP’s previewer to catch spacing problems early.
Overused niches without uniqueness
If every top listing looks the same, you’re in a crowded field. Copying the crowd rarely leads to steady sales.
Find a small twist like a different color palette, a clearer layout, or a special subtitle.
Even tiny uniqueness can move you from “also-ran” to “actually useful.” Aim to be the nicer version of what’s already out there, not a carbon copy.
Copyright issues with graphics
Using a cute image you found online can land you in hot water. Always confirm commercial-use rights before you publish.
Free does not always mean free for selling. Buy assets from reputable marketplaces or use original art.
When in doubt, get a license or create a simple, original design yourself.
Low-quality covers
Covers are your first handshake with a buyer. A blurry image, odd fonts, or bad contrast will make people scroll past.
Invest a little time in a clean, readable cover that looks good as a thumbnail.
Strong typography and simple composition beat busy clutter every time. If your cover can’t be read at small sizes, fix it before you hit publish.
Tips for Standing Out in Crowded Niches
Unique cover styles
As we mentioned earlier, your cover is the handshake, so make it firm. Pick one clear visual idea and run with it.
Bold typography, a limited color palette, or a striking silhouette can beat cluttered artwork every time.
Think thumbnail first: does the title read at a glance? If not, simplify.
Try subtle textures or a single strong accent color to make your book pop on the search page.
Sub-niche targeting
Go deeper, not wider. “Fitness journal” is broad. “Postpartum fitness tracker” speaks directly to one person.
Narrow targeting lowers competition and raises relevance. Make your keywords and cover text speak to that tiny, hungry audience.
Adding small value elements (bonus pages, quotes, trackers)
Tiny extras turn a basic product into a keeper. Add a one-page how-to, a sample filled-in entry, or printable bonus pages.
Include a few inspirational quotes or quick tips sprinkled throughout the interior.
A simple tracker or index page adds perceived value without heavy work.
These extras create “delight moments” that make buyers leave good reviews.
Remember: small surprises keep customers coming back.
Branding your KDP shop
Think series, not one-offs. Use a consistent cover template, color family, or font across related books.
Create a clear author name or brand and use it on every listing. A tidy storefront builds trust and encourages multiple purchases.
Write a short, friendly author bio that tells people why you make these books.
Tie listings together with “more from this author” and bundle options to increase cart value.
Final Thoughts
Start simple and don’t overthink it. You don’t need a masterpiece to begin, but just a clean design and a clear purpose.
Low-content books are easy to make, but they still need care. A little polish goes a long way.
Keep testing, keep learning, and keep publishing. Some books will hit, others won’t, and that’s normal. Treat each one like a lesson, not a failure.
The more you create, the better you get, and that’s where the real magic happens!