How to publish a coloring book on Amazon KDP (step by step)

1. A coloring book is not a low-content book

KDP's Low-Content Books page says a low-content book has minimal or no content on the interior pages. Those books are generally repetitive, and designed to be filled in by the user. The same page says this does not typically include activity books, such as puzzle books or coloring books, which generally do not feature repetitive content on each page.

Notebooks, planners, journals and blank sheet music are the low-content examples. Coloring books sit with puzzle books, novels and children's books under "Not Generally Low-Content." KDP notes there can be exceptions. Identical blank pages are not the same book as different drawings.

Leave the Low-content box unchecked unless your pages really are repetitive. KDP says a low-content book will be rejected if you do not check that box, or if you check a different one. Checking it on a coloring book of different drawings tells Amazon the book is something else:

• Low-content books do not require an ISBN, and they are not eligible for the free KDP ISBN.
• A paperback that is not low-content does need an ISBN. KDP's ISBN and imprint page says eBooks and low-content books are the only formats where an ISBN is optional. KDP can assign a free paperback ISBN, or you can use one you bought. A free KDP ISBN "can only be used on KDP," and the imprint appears as "Independently published."
• Low-content books cannot be a series, and Expanded Distribution is not supported for them.

If you might sell the paperback outside Amazon later, a free KDP ISBN will not travel with you. Our guide to where else an AI-written book can be sold covers that choice. Shadow Writer does not supply ISBNs.

2. Publish it as a paperback, not a Kindle book

KDP's Guide to Kindle Content Quality says some books are not well suited to the Kindle format. That includes any book whose main purpose is to let the reader write or color on the pages. Coloring books are on the list, with puzzle books and blank journals. KDP says those books may be rejected or removed, and that they are better as a physical book.

A Shadow Writer coloring book will be built that way. When coloring books launch on shadowwriter-ai.com, they'll be print-only. There will be no EPUB and no Kindle file to upload. The pages will be black-and-white line art, at 24, 32 or 48 pages, in one of two trims: 8.5 by 8.5 inches, or 8.5 by 11 inches. Coloring books are coming soon to Shadow Writer AI. When they launch, you'll make one from a picture book or comic you already finished, or from a short topic you type. The drawings will be generated, so the AI questions later in this guide apply to every page, not only the cover.

Coloring books are coming soon to Shadow Writer AI. When they launch, they'll be a paid book type. If you still need the account and the tax interview, the guide to publishing an AI book on KDP walks through the Bookshelf. An ebook-only store is not a home for this paperback.

3. Set the paperback to match the file

Print Options is where you choose ink, paper, trim, bleed and cover finish. The file and the form have to match. KDP's paperback submission guidelines say the interior must be single pages, not a two-page spread, and that images should be at least 300 DPI.

Trim size

The trim, bleed and margins page lists paperback sizes. 6 by 9 inches is the usual US size and the form's default. A large trim is more than 6.12 inches wide or more than 9 inches tall, and printing costs differ. When coloring books launch, Shadow Writer will offer two large trims. With black ink on white paper, each allows 24 to 590 pages: 8.5 by 8.5 inches, and 8.5 by 11 inches. Select the trim the file uses. KDP rounds the page count up to an even number, and the file is already even.

Bleed

Bleed lets art pass the cut line so the trim does not leave a white edge. Covers always need bleed. Interior bleed is optional, only on a PDF, and if one page needs it the whole file does. White margins mean no bleed: the page size is the trim, and the top, bottom and outside margins are at least 0.25 inches. With bleed those margins are at least 0.375 inches. An 8.5 by 11 inch book with bleed is 8.625 by 11.25 inches. For 24 to 150 pages the gutter is at least 0.375 inches. When coloring books launch, Shadow Writer files will have white margins and no bleed, so set the form to no bleed. A mismatch here is a common rejection.

Interior ink

Print options are black ink on cream, white or groundwood paper, or color ink on white paper. Use color ink only when pictures should print in color. KDP says color costs more, and after publication you cannot switch between color and black ink. Line art is black ink. When coloring books launch, the Shadow Writer file will be black ink on white paper, so choose white. Order a proof before you publish. A later paper change can change the spine, so check the cover again.

Single-sided pages, as a design choice

KDP prints both sides of the sheet. There is no single-sided setting. Leave the back of each drawing blank so a marker does not show through. When coloring books launch, Shadow Writer will do that: a title page, a copyright page, then each drawing and a blank back. That is 11 drawings in 24 pages, 15 in 32, and 23 in 48, all within the 24-page minimum. The blank backs count. Do not delete them, and do not add further empty pages. Excessive blank pages are a common file failure, and different drawings still keep the book out of the low-content column.

4. Cover and description

The paperback cover is one image: back, spine and front. KDP's width is bleed, plus the back, plus the spine, plus the front, plus bleed again. Cover bleed is 0.125 inches (3.2 mm) on every side, and anything you do not want cut off sits at least 0.25 inches (6.4 mm) in from the outside edge. Spine width depends on page count and paper, so use the submission page or KDP's cover calculator after the interior is final. Fonts should be embedded.

KDP only prints spine text on books with more than 79 pages. At 24, 32 or 48 pages, put the title on the front cover. A missing front-cover title is a listed failure. Upload the cover with or without a barcode. If you omit one, KDP places it on the back, so keep art out of that corner. Glossy or matte are both allowed.

Shadow Writer builds the wrap for the trim you chose once coloring books are available. You still upload that PDF yourself. The cover title has to match the title in KDP. Title and subtitle together must be fewer than 200 characters. The title field is the title, not a list of search phrases.

The description is what shoppers read. KDP's description limit is 4,000 characters, and HTML tags count. KDP suggests a short paragraph of about 150 words. It will not accept web addresses, reviews, prices, emojis or a string of keyword phrases. Say who the book is for and what the drawings are. Do not promise what coloring the pages will do.

5. Keywords and categories

You choose up to three categories during title setup. KDP's categories page calls them the shelves where Amazon files the book. A coloring book for young children and a detailed book for adults are not the same shelf. The metadata guidelines say an inaccurate category makes a poor shopping experience, and KDP can change one that does not fit. Categories differ by marketplace and by format, so use the print list for your main store.

Keywords are separate. KDP's keyword page lets you add up to seven words or short phrases. Search Amazon with a phrase before you keep it. Useful phrases name the subject and the reader, such as ocean animals, simple shapes or detailed flowers. Skip words already in the title, claims such as "best," words such as "new," other people's brand names, and program names such as Kindle Unlimited. The box shows its own character limit. Watch that counter.

You can change keywords, categories and the description after the book is live. Trim size and the ISBN choice cannot, so get the file settings right first.

6. Tell Amazon the pictures are AI-generated

KDP's Content Guidelines require you to inform them of AI-generated content when you publish a new book, or when you edit a book and republish it. The guidelines say:

"We require you to inform us of AI-generated content (text, images, or translations) when you publish a new book or make edits to and republish an existing book through KDP. AI-generated images include cover and interior images and artwork."

If a tool created the image, it is AI-generated even after substantial edits. You do not have to disclose AI-assisted work, which means you made the pictures yourself and only used a tool to edit or brainstorm. That is not a Shadow Writer coloring book. When coloring books launch, the drawings and the cover will be generated.

When coloring books launch, on the images question, answer yes. Name the tool Shadow Writer AI. That covers the interior pages and the cover, including the title lettering on the cover. Answer the text question from the words in the book. A coloring book is not a novel: the words are the title and the front matter, and if the tool wrote them they are AI-generated too. Translation is no, unless you translated the book yourself with another tool. Our KDP AI disclosure guide walks through the three questions, and what to do if you edit the book later.

The answer stays on Amazon's form. It is not printed in the book. You are still responsible for the content, including intellectual property rights. If you replace the cover or the interior and republish, answer again.

7. Preview, price and publish

Upload the interior PDF and the wrap cover, then page through the previewer. Each drawing should sit on its own page, the blank backs should be blank, and nothing important should sit in the gutter or under the barcode. If the previewer complains, compare trim, paper, bleed and page count with the file before you change the art.

Set the list price on the pricing page. KDP shows the printing cost and the estimated royalty there. Use that figure. No income is promised. Results vary.

Expanded Distribution can offer a paperback to other sellers and libraries. It does not guarantee acceptance or an order. KDP lists coloring books among content its distributors may not accept. Sell the paperback on Amazon, and leave that box unchecked unless you have read the page and you accept a possible removal.

When you publish, the book goes into review. The publishing guide covers which paperback details you can still edit once the book is live. KDP locks the title, subtitle and author name 72 hours after publication, so read them twice before you submit.

Where this comes from

Checked October 2026. Every Amazon rule above comes from Amazon KDP's own help pages, which we read on 19 October 2026. Amazon changes its pages, so confirm on the linked pages before you publish. Shadow Writer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Amazon.

Checked October 2026 against Amazon KDP help pages. Shadow Writer is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Amazon. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Last updated 20 October 2026.