Niche research is an essential step for anyone looking to publish a coloring book on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). The process of finding the right niche for your book can mean the difference between success and failure as an author. We will discuss the importance of niche research, how to conduct it, and some tips on selecting the best niche for your coloring book. Already have a niche in mind? Check out our step-by-step guide to start creating and selling coloring books today.
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First, let’s define what we mean by “niche.” In the context of publishing, a niche refers to a specific topic or audience that your book targets. For example, a niche for a coloring book might be “dinosaur coloring book for kids” or “mandala coloring book for adults.” The key is to find a niche that is specific enough to appeal to a particular audience, but broad enough to have enough potential readers.
Why is Amazon KDP niche research important?
Niche research is crucial because it allows you to identify the market demand for your book. By understanding your target audience, you can create a book that appeals to them and meets their specific needs. Additionally, by focusing on a specific niche, you can differentiate your book from others in the marketplace and make it easier for readers to find. There are millions of books on Amazon. Your book can easily get lost if your topic is too broad. Conversely, if your topic is too narrow, people might not be searching for it. It’s essential to find the sweet spot between too broad and too narrow for your topic.
5 steps to conduct Amazon KDP niche research
- Decide on a general niche: Use ChatGPT to help you come up with some ideas
- Focus on a specific audience
- Look for a gap in the market
- Keyword research: Use SPT’s free Huge Amazon Search Suggestion Expander tool
- Competitor Analysis: Use SPT’s KDP/Amazon BSR & Keyword Research SEO Tool
1. Decide on a general niche
You can use AI to help you with this. For example, ask ChatGPT to write a list of coloring book niches for you. The bot will come up with a list of general niches. From there you can ask the bot to be more specific about a niche you are interested in, like I did in the example below. Asking the bot to elaborate can really help to niche down further. For example, instead if I want to create a fantasy coloring book, I might just focus on fairies. Once you have the broad idea that you want to go with, you need to consider the audience for your coloring book.
2. Focus on a specific audience:
Identify the specific group of people who will be most interested in your book and tailor your content to their needs. Consider not only the topic of your coloring book, but also the demographic of your audience. Consider -things like age, sex, and even race. People often search for phrases like Coloring Books for ages 9-12 or Coloring books for girls. They also look at the cover to determine if a book is right for them. For example, if you were shopping for a coloring book for a teenage African American girl, you likely won’t choose a coloring book that has nothing but Caucasian princesses on the cover.
3. Look for a gap in the market:
Identify a niche that is underserved and create a book that fills that gap. This speaks to my point above. I noticed when I was doing my research that there were lots of Caucasian princesses, but other races weren’t represented as often. So I did a coloring book for minorities, and it ended up being one of my best sellers! However, you want to make sure that there is enough demand for your niche to make it worth your while. If you do an Amazon search for your targeted audience and Amazon doesn’t prepopulate the search field with what you are looking for, it’s likely that not many people are searching for that phrase. Which brings me to my next point: Keyword research.
4. Keyword research:
To see if the niche is viable, type the niche into Amazon’s search bar. You don’t want to compete with too many other coloring books, so look for niches that have 1,000 or fewer results. If you’ve found a niche you like, but there are too many competitors… you can the Self Publishing Titan’s (SPT) Huge Amazon Search Suggestion Expander Chrome extension to narrow down your niche further. As the name suggests, it expands your search phrase and gives you even more search suggestions. It’s great because the algorithm only generates results that customers are actually searching for, so you know there is demand for those keywords. This can help you narrow your niche. For example, instead of creating a “fantasy coloring book”, you can create a “fantasy coloring book for kids 9-12”. By narrowing your niche, you stand a better chance of showing up in the search results when people type in that specific phrase. Keyword research is also imperative for creating the perfect title, subtitle, and backend keywords.
Learn more: BEST AMAZON KEYWORD RESEARCH TOOL FOR KDP FREE
5. Competitor analysis:
Look at the coloring books that are currently ranking well in your niche and take note of their titles, descriptions, and keywords. This will give you an idea of what’s working in the market and what you need to do to compete. You can use SPT’s KDP/ Amazon BSR & Keyword Research SEO tool to get a niche score. This free chrome extension tells you how competitive a niche is by giving it a numerical score. Scores 50 and above are great niches because they have fewer competitors. You want to avoid niches with scores less than 40, as it will be too difficult to rank for the first page on Amazon.
In conclusion, niche research is an important step for anyone looking to publish a book on Amazon KDP. By understanding your target audience and identifying a specific niche, you can create a coloring book that meets the needs of your readers and stands out in the marketplace. Once you’ve decided on your niche, you can start creating and selling your coloring book today.
