Using AI to Create a Kids KDP Coloring Book From Scratch - MidJourney

Paul Marles
6 Apr 202322:35

TLDRThe video script outlines a step-by-step guide on creating and publishing a children's coloring book using AI technology on the KDP platform. It highlights the ease and efficiency of generating images with AI, the process of setting up the book's interior and cover in Canva, and the importance of a commercial license for the images. The tutorial also covers the specifics of formatting, pricing, and publishing on Amazon, emphasizing the potential profitability of such a project.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 Creating a children's KDP coloring book is a fun and profitable venture, with successful examples selling thousands of copies monthly on Amazon.
  • 📈 The video outlines a step-by-step process for creating and publishing a coloring book using AI for image generation and Canva for design.
  • 🖼️ MidJourney is the AI platform of choice for generating coloring book images, with a basic plan available at $10/month that includes a commercial license.
  • 📐 The book dimensions are set to 8.5 x 11 inches, with bleed considerations making the actual design size 8.625 x 11.25 inches.
  • 🖌️ Custom prompts in MidJourney, such as 'Tyrannosaurus Rex in a jungle, cartoon style, thick lines, low detail, and no shading', guide the AI to create desired images.
  • 📚 The interior of the book is created in Canva, with 80 pages designed for optimal coloring experience, followed by a blank page to prevent bleed-through.
  • 📄 Downloading the book interior as a PDF prepares it for upload to the KDP platform, where it can be formatted and reviewed for publishing.
  • 🌟 The book cover is also designed in Canva, utilizing a vivid, colorful prompt in MidJourney and following the template provided by the KDP platform.
  • 📝 Adding text and design elements to the cover, such as a title, subtitle, and age recommendation, enhances the book's appeal and marketability.
  • 📈 KDP's dashboard allows for the input of book details, such as title, subtitle, author name, description, keywords, categories, and pricing.
  • 🚀 The final step involves publishing the book on Amazon, with a potential 72-hour wait before the book is live and accessible to customers.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    -The main topic of the video is the process of creating and publishing a children's KDP coloring book using artificial intelligence.

  • Why are coloring books a good choice for authors and publishers?

    -Coloring books are a good choice because they are fun to create and have been observed to sell extremely well on platforms like Amazon, with some examples selling thousands of copies per month.

  • Which platform is used for publishing the coloring book?

    -The coloring book is published on Amazon via the KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) platform.

  • What are the dimensions of the book being created?

    -The book is going to be 8.5 inches by 11 inches, with each page having a bleed, making the actual size of the pages 8.625 inches by 11.25 inches.

  • How many pages will the book have?

    -The book will have 80 pages.

  • What is the pricing strategy for the book?

    -The book is priced at $6.99 per copy.

  • What software is used to create the interior and cover of the book?

    -Canva is used for creating the interior and cover of the book, and MidJourney is utilized to create the images for the coloring book.

  • What is the significance of the commercial license with MidJourney?

    -The commercial license is important because it allows the user to sell products featuring the images created with MidJourney, which is essential for a book intended for sale.

  • How does the user ensure the images have the desired style and detail?

    -The user provides MidJourney with specific instructions, called a prompt, detailing the type of image, the subject, the style (like cartoon), and the desired line thickness and detail level.

  • What is the process for creating the cover of the book?

    -The cover is created using a template from the KDP platform and customized with a chosen image and text using Canva. The user also ensures that all elements fit within the safe area defined by the template.

  • How long does it take for the book to appear on Amazon after publishing?

    -It can take up to 72 hours for the book to appear on Amazon, sometimes longer during busy seasons like Christmas.

  • What are some tips for increasing the book's discoverability?

    -Using relevant keywords in the title and subtitle, adding a detailed description, and selecting appropriate categories can help the book be discovered more easily on Amazon and through Google search.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Creating a Kids' KDP Coloring Book with AI

The video begins by introducing the process of creating and publishing a children's coloring book using artificial intelligence. The creator is impressed by the quality and speed at which AI can generate images for the book. The video aims to guide viewers through the entire process, from start to finish. The creator emphasizes the commercial success of coloring books on Amazon, using an example of a bestseller to illustrate the potential profitability. The plan is to publish the book through Amazon's KDP platform, with specific details about the book's size, page count, and pricing. The tools used for this project are Canva for design and MidJourney for creating AI-generated images. The first step involves setting up the book's interior pages in Canva, accounting for bleed and aspect ratio, and selecting the appropriate page size.

05:03

🖌️ Uploading and Designing Coloring Book Pages

This paragraph details the process of uploading and designing the coloring book pages using the images created with MidJourney. The creator instructs viewers on how to upload the downloaded images to Canva and adjust them to cover the pages completely. The video also explains the need for blank pages to prevent bleed-through from coloring tools. The process is repeated for all 80 pages, and the creator then demonstrates how to download the entire project as a PDF file, which will be ready for upload to KDP. The focus is on efficiently creating a complete set of coloring book pages that are ready for publishing.

10:04

🌟 Crafting the Book Cover with Canva and MidJourney

The creator shifts focus to designing the book cover, which is crucial for attracting potential buyers. Using MidJourney once again, the creator generates a vivid, colorful image suitable for the cover. The chosen image is then uploaded to Canva, where the creator uses a book cover template downloaded from the KDP platform to ensure the correct dimensions. The video walks through the process of customizing the cover with the chosen image, adding text for the book title, and ensuring that all elements fit within the safe zone defined by the template. The creator also shares tips on selecting fonts and colors to make the cover visually appealing and professional.

15:08

📄 Finalizing the Book Cover and Preparing for KDP

The paragraph describes the final steps in creating the book cover, including adjusting the transparency to ensure that all elements are within the safe zone of the cover template. The creator emphasizes the importance of avoiding any cut-off text or images during the actual printing process. Once the cover is complete, the creator guides viewers on how to download it as a PDF file. The next step is to upload both the interior pages and the cover to the KDP platform. The video provides a brief overview of the required information for the book's metadata, such as title, subtitle, author name, description, and keywords, highlighting the importance of these elements for discoverability and sales.

20:12

🚀 Publishing the Coloring Book on Amazon KDP

The final paragraph covers the process of publishing the coloring book on Amazon KDP. The creator guides viewers through the steps of creating a new paperback on the KDP dashboard, entering the book's title, subtitle, author name, and other relevant information. The video explains how to upload the manuscript and cover files, use the Previewer tool to check for any errors, and set the book's pricing. The creator also discusses the importance of selecting appropriate categories for the book to reach the right audience. The paragraph concludes with the creator publishing the book and noting that it may take up to 72 hours for the book to appear on Amazon. The creator encourages viewers to explore further resources for detailed guidance on publishing and offers congratulations to those who have completed their first coloring book.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡KDP

KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing, which is a platform by Amazon that allows authors and publishers to publish their books directly to the Kindle marketplace. In the context of the video, KDP is the chosen method for publishing the coloring book, highlighting its significance as a self-publishing tool that enables creators to reach a wide audience through Amazon's extensive distribution network.

💡Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn like humans. In the video, AI is used to create high-quality images for the coloring book, demonstrating its capability to generate creative content efficiently. The use of AI in this process underscores the technological advancements in content creation and their application in the publishing industry.

💡Canva

Canva is an online graphic design platform that offers a wide range of tools and features to create visual content, from simple designs to complex graphics. In the video, Canva is utilized to design the interior pages and the cover of the coloring book, showcasing its versatility and user-friendliness as a design tool for publishing purposes.

💡MidJourney

MidJourney refers to a specific AI software mentioned in the video that is used to generate images based on the user's prompts or instructions. It is an example of AI being used in a creative process, where it can produce customized visuals for projects like coloring books. The use of MidJourney in the video highlights the role of AI in enhancing creative output and productivity.

💡Commercial License

A commercial license is a legal permission that allows the user to use a particular product, in this case, AI-generated images, for commercial purposes such as selling a product. The video emphasizes the importance of having a commercial license when using AI tools like MidJourney to create content for a coloring book that will be sold, ensuring legal compliance and protection of the creator's rights.

💡Prompt

In the context of the video, a 'prompt' is a set of instructions given to an AI software, like MidJourney, to guide the creation of specific images. The prompt is a critical component in the AI image generation process as it communicates the desired characteristics of the output, such as the subject, style, and other design elements.

💡Bleed

In printing and publishing, 'bleed' refers to the extension of the actual content or images beyond the trim size of a page, ensuring that there is no white border around the final printed material. The video mentions setting up pages with bleed when creating the coloring book in Canva, which is a standard practice in book design to maintain the continuity and quality of the images across the pages.

💡Royalty

Royalty refers to the payment made to an author or creator for each unit of their work sold. In the context of the video, the royalty is the income generated per book sold on Amazon, which is a crucial factor for creators when considering self-publishing options. The video provides an example of calculating potential earnings based on the royalty rate and bestsellers rank, illustrating the financial aspect of publishing a coloring book.

💡Cover Template

A cover template is a pre-designed layout that serves as a guide for creating the cover of a book. It includes specifications such as dimensions, bleed, and safety areas to ensure that the cover design is correctly formatted for printing. In the video, the cover template is downloaded from the KDP platform and used in Canva to design the book cover, highlighting its importance in achieving a professional and market-ready appearance for the published book.

💡Publishing Rights

Publishing rights pertain to the legal permissions and authorizations required to publish and distribute literary or artistic works. In the video, the creator confirms owning the copyrights and holding necessary publishing rights, which is a fundamental step in the publishing process to avoid legal issues and protect the creator's intellectual property.

Highlights

The video demonstrates the process of creating and publishing a children's KDP coloring book using artificial intelligence, showcasing the high-quality images and speed of creation.

Coloring books are highlighted as fun to create and highly profitable products on Amazon, with an example book selling between 9,000 to 18,000 copies per month.

The plan is to publish an 8.5x11 inch, 80-page book on the KDP platform, priced at $6.99.

The process is divided into three steps: creating the book's interior, designing the cover, and uploading the content to the KDP platform.

Canva and MidJourney are the software tools used for designing and image creation, with the basic plan for MidJourney costing $10 a month.

Instructions for MidJourney, called 'prompts', are used to generate specific images for the coloring book, such as a 'Tyrannosaurus Rex in a jungle' with a cartoon style and thick lines.

The importance of having a commercial license for the images is emphasized, which is obtained through the paid plan of MidJourney.

A detailed explanation of setting up the page size in Canva, including accounting for bleed, is provided.

The video includes a step-by-step guide on how to upload and arrange images downloaded from MidJourney into Canva for the coloring book's pages.

The process of creating a book cover using a vivid, colorful image from MidJourney and customizing it in Canva is described.

Instructions for downloading a book cover template from the KDP platform and using it in Canva are provided.

The video demonstrates how to add text, shapes, and design elements to the book cover in Canva, including ensuring all elements fit within the template's safe zone.

A guide on uploading the book's interior and cover to the KDP platform, including tips on filling out the book's metadata, is included.

The importance of keywords, categories, and pricing strategy for the book's success on Amazon is discussed.

The final step of publishing the book on Amazon and waiting for it to appear is explained, with an expected time frame given.

The video concludes with encouragement for beginners and a prompt to subscribe for more tutorials on book publishing.