Publishing random books and hoping they sell is gambling. Systematic niche research is how top KDP publishers consistently find profitable opportunities with low competition. This guide teaches the exact 5-step methodology: category mining, competition analysis, keyword opportunity scoring, profit margin calculation, and trend evaluation. No more guessing—just data-driven decisions.
⚠️ Why Most Niche Advice Fails
Generic niche lists like "publish coloring books" or "journals are profitable" are useless because:
- Too broad: "Coloring books" has millions of results—you'll drown in competition
- Already saturated: By the time a niche hits a blog list, 10,000 publishers have flooded it
- No methodology: You learn what to publish, not how to find opportunities yourself
This guide teaches the research process, not just a list of niches. Master this system once, use it forever.
The 5-Step KDP Niche Research System
Follow these steps in order. Skipping steps = publishing books that don't sell.
Step 1: Category Mining (Find Opportunity Pockets)
Goal: Identify specific sub-categories within broad niches where demand exists but competition is manageable.
How to Mine Categories on Amazon
- Start with a broad category you're interested in (e.g., "Coloring Books," "Journals," "Word Search Puzzles")
- Browse Amazon Best Sellers in that category:
amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books - Click into sub-categories 2-3 levels deep:
- Too broad: "Books › Arts & Photography › Drawing"
- Just right: "Books › Arts & Photography › Drawing › Coloring Books for Grown-Ups › Animals"
- Look for patterns in top 100: What themes repeat? (e.g., "Ocean animals," "Farm animals," "Exotic animals")
- Note bestseller rankings (BSR): Books ranked #5,000-50,000 are the sweet spot—selling well but not impossibly competitive
Example: Coloring Book Niche Mining
❌ Too Broad (Don't Stop Here):
- "Coloring Books for Grown-Ups" — 50,000+ results, top books have 10,000-20,000 reviews
✅ Profitable Sub-Niches (Drill Down Here):
- "Ocean Animals Coloring Books for Ages 4-8" — 2,000 results, top books have 200-500 reviews
- "Large Print Mandala Coloring Books for Seniors" — 800 results, top books have 150-300 reviews
- "Swear Word Coloring Books for Adults" — 1,500 results, top books have 300-800 reviews
Key Insight: Niche down until you find categories with 500-5,000 results and top books with 100-500 reviews (not 10,000+).
Amazon BSR Decoder: What the Numbers Actually Mean
Best Seller Rank (BSR) is the single most important metric in KDP research, yet most publishers misunderstand what the numbers translate to in actual daily sales. Here is a practical decoder for the Amazon Books store in 2026:
| BSR Range | Estimated Daily Sales | What This Means | Opportunity Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1,000 - #5,000 | 10-50 sales/day | Top performer. Strong, proven demand in this niche. | High demand, but likely high competition. Look for ways to differentiate. |
| #5,000 - #20,000 | 3-10 sales/day | Solid seller. Consistent revenue generator. | Sweet spot for entry. Enough demand to be profitable, competition is often manageable. |
| #20,000 - #100,000 | 1-3 sales/day | Moderate seller. Earns steadily but not a blockbuster. | Good for low-content books with low creation cost. Multiple books in this range build solid income. |
| #100,000+ | Less than 1 sale/day | Slow seller. May only sell a few copies per week or month. | Proceed with caution. If ALL top results in a niche are 100K+, demand may be too low. |
📊 How to Use BSR in Practice
- Ideal niche profile: Top 5-10 books have BSR between #5,000-#50,000 — enough demand to profit, not so competitive you cannot break in
- BSR fluctuates daily: Check BSR across multiple days or use tracking tools for a 30-day average rather than a single snapshot
- Category matters: BSR #10,000 in "Books" is different from BSR #10,000 in a sub-category — always look at the overall Books BSR for accurate sales estimates
- Seasonality effect: Gift-giving niches (planners, cookbooks) spike in Q4 — their BSR in November does not reflect year-round demand
Step 2: Competition Analysis (Assess Difficulty)
Goal: Determine if you can realistically compete in this niche based on bestseller rank, review counts, pricing, and book quality.
Key Metrics to Analyze
Open 10-20 top books in your target sub-niche and record these data points:
| Metric | Where to Find It | What You Want to See |
|---|---|---|
| BSR (Best Seller Rank) | Product details section | #5,000-50,000 = good demand #50,000-200,000 = moderate demand Over #200,000 = weak demand |
| Review Count | Below title (e.g., "4.5 out of 5 stars, 324 ratings") | 100-500 reviews = competitive but achievable 1,000-5,000 reviews = very competitive 10,000+ reviews = avoid (established monopoly) |
| Pricing | Listed price on product page | Consistent pricing ($9.99-14.99 for most low-content) Avoid if top books are priced at $5.99 or less (race to bottom) |
| Cover Quality | Thumbnail image | Amateur covers = opportunity to outcompete with professional design All pro covers = harder to stand out |
| Page Count | Product details (e.g., "Paperback: 104 pages") | Standard for niche (don't publish 50 pages if competitors have 100+) |
| Publish Date | Product details | Mix of recent (2024-2026) and older books = healthy, active niche All books from 2019-2021 = dying niche |
Scoring System: Is This Niche Winnable?
Rate each factor on a 1-5 scale (5 = best for you):
- BSR: 5 = Most top 20 books ranked #5K-30K | 1 = Most under #100K
- Reviews: 5 = Under 500 reviews | 1 = Over 2,000 reviews
- Cover Quality: 5 = Many amateur covers | 1 = All pro covers
- Pricing: 5 = Consistent $10-15 pricing | 1 = Price war under $7
- Recency: 5 = Many 2025-2026 books | 1 = Mostly pre-2021 books
Total Score Interpretation:
- 20-25 points: Green light—publish here!
- 15-19 points: Yellow light—possible but requires excellent execution
- Under 15 points: Red light—move on to another niche
Professional Covers Beat Amateur Competition
Stand out in competitive niches with AI-generated covers that look better than 80% of competitors.
Create Winning CoversStep 3: Keyword Opportunity Scoring
Goal: Find specific keywords within your niche that have search volume but low competition.
How to Find Keywords
- Amazon Search Autocomplete (Free):
- Type your niche into Amazon search: "ocean animal coloring book"
- Amazon suggests completions: "ocean animal coloring book for toddlers," "...for kids," "...for adults"
- These are real searches with demand—Amazon wouldn't suggest them otherwise
- Competitor Keyword Mining:
- Look at titles of top 20 books in your niche
- Extract repeated keywords: "large print," "easy," "relaxing," "stress relief," "seniors"
- These are proven keywords that drive sales
- Publisher Rocket (Paid Tool - $97 one-time):
- Enter seed keyword (e.g., "mandala coloring book")
- Get search volume estimates, competition scores, and related keywords
- Worth the investment if serious about KDP (pays for itself after 2-3 book sales)
Keyword Opportunity Formula
For each keyword, calculate the Opportunity Score:
Opportunity Score = (Search Volume / 1000) × (1 / Number of Competing Books)
Example 1: "large print coloring book for seniors"
- Search Volume: 8,000/month
- Competing Books: 1,200
- Score: (8000 / 1000) × (1 / 1200) = 0.0067
Example 2: "ocean coloring book"
- Search Volume: 12,000/month
- Competing Books: 8,500
- Score: (12000 / 1000) × (1 / 8500) = 0.0014
Higher score = better opportunity. Target keywords with scores above 0.005.
Step 4: Profit Margin Calculation
Goal: Ensure the niche supports profitable pricing after accounting for printing costs and Amazon's royalty structure.
KDP Royalty Math
Amazon pays you 60% of list price minus printing costs.
Example: 8.5×11 Coloring Book, 104 pages, Black & White Interior
- List Price: $12.99
- Amazon's 60% Share: $12.99 × 0.60 = $7.79
- Printing Cost: ~$3.65 (varies by page count and trim size)
- Your Royalty: $7.79 - $3.65 = $4.14 per sale
To calculate for your book: Use Amazon's Royalty Calculator
Pricing Sweet Spots by Niche
- Coloring Books (8.5×11, 50-100 pages): $9.99-14.99 (royalty: $3-5)
- Word Search / Puzzle Books (8.5×11, 100-150 pages): $8.99-12.99 (royalty: $2.50-4)
- Journals / Planners (6×9, 100-120 pages): $7.99-11.99 (royalty: $2-3.50)
- Fiction Paperbacks (6×9, 200-300 pages): $12.99-16.99 (royalty: $3-5)
- Non-Fiction (various sizes, 150-250 pages): $14.99-24.99 (royalty: $4-8)
Red Flag: If competitors in your niche are priced under $7.99 and you can't match that price profitably (due to printing costs), skip this niche. Price wars destroy margins.
Step 5: Evergreen vs. Trend Evaluation
Goal: Distinguish between sustainable niches (evergreen) and temporary fads (trends) to decide publishing strategy.
Evergreen Niches (Long-Term Passive Income)
Characteristics: Consistent demand year-round, not tied to specific events or fads.
Examples:
- Sudoku puzzles for seniors
- Gratitude journals
- Recipe organizers
- Budget planners
- Drawing tutorials for kids
How to verify evergreen: Use Google Trends
- Go to trends.google.com
- Search your niche keyword (e.g., "mandala coloring book")
- View 5-year trend: Flat or slowly growing line = evergreen | Huge spike then crash = fad
Trending Niches (High Risk, High Reward)
Characteristics: Sudden surge in demand tied to news, pop culture, or seasonal events.
Examples:
- Fidget toys coloring books (2017-2018 fad—dead now)
- Among Us activity books (2020-2021 peak—declining)
- Bridgerton-themed journals (Netflix show hype—temporary)
- Holiday-specific planners (December spike, dead by February)
When to Publish Trends vs. Evergreen
| Factor | Evergreen Strategy | Trend Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Time Investment | Worth spending 1-2 weeks on quality | Speed matters—publish in 2-5 days max |
| Portfolio % | 80% of your catalog should be evergreen | 20% max—diversify risk |
| Expected Lifespan | 2-5+ years of sales | 3-12 months of sales |
| Competition | Moderate, consistent over time | Low initially, floods within weeks |
| Pricing Power | Stable, can maintain $10-15 pricing | Erodes fast—price drops as competition grows |
Recommendation: Build your income foundation on evergreen niches. Chase trends only if you can publish within days of spotting the opportunity (before saturation).
Research Done, Now Create Covers Fast
Found a winning niche? Create professional covers in 2 minutes with our AI generator and get to market before competitors.
Start Creating CoversFree Research Tools (No Budget Required)
You do not need expensive software to conduct effective niche research. These free tools provide most of the data you need to make smart publishing decisions:
- Amazon Search Suggestions (Free, instant):
- Type your niche keyword into the Amazon search bar and note every autocomplete suggestion
- These are real customer searches with proven demand — Amazon only suggests terms people actually search for
- Try variations: add "for," "with," age groups, and descriptors to discover long-tail sub-niches
- DS Amazon Quick View (Free Chrome extension):
- Displays BSR directly on Amazon search results pages — no need to click into each listing
- Quickly scan 20+ books in a niche to identify sales patterns and demand levels
- Also shows ASIN numbers for competitor targeting in ads later
- Google Trends (Free, essential for validation):
- Search your niche keyword at trends.google.com and set the range to 5 years
- Flat or rising line = evergreen demand. Spike then crash = fad (avoid)
- Compare multiple niche ideas side-by-side to pick the strongest opportunity
- Amazon Best Sellers and New Releases Pages (Free):
- Best Sellers show what is selling now. New Releases show what publishers are betting on.
- If the New Releases page is full of recent books with climbing BSR, the niche is active and growing
- Cross-reference Best Sellers with New Releases to find niches with demand but room for new entrants
- Publisher Rocket Alternative Methods (Free):
- Instead of paying for keyword tools, manually search your niche keyword + variations in Amazon and note result counts
- Fewer than 5,000 results with top books having BSR under 50,000 = strong opportunity signal
- Read the "Customers also bought" section on top books to discover related niches you might have missed
Red Flags to Avoid: Niches That Will Waste Your Time
Not every niche with low competition is worth pursuing. Some niches look promising on the surface but have hidden problems that will prevent you from making sales. Watch for these red flags:
🚫 Niche Red Flags — Walk Away If You See These
- Monopolized niches (1-2 dominant players): If the top 2 books have 5,000+ reviews each and the #3 book drops to BSR 200,000+, the niche is locked up. These dominant books have years of momentum, thousands of reviews, and likely aggressive ad spend. You cannot compete here regardless of quality.
- No demand (BSR >500K on all results): If every book in a niche has a BSR above 500,000, the topic simply does not have enough buyers. Low competition means nothing if there are zero customers. This is the most common trap for new publishers — they find an "empty" niche and assume it is untapped, when it is actually just unwanted.
- Trademarked topics: Publishing books using trademarked characters, brands, or franchises (Disney, Marvel, Pokemon, etc.) will get your book pulled and potentially your KDP account terminated. Even "inspired by" or "unofficial guide to" books are risky. Always check the USPTO trademark database before publishing.
- Medical, legal, or financial advice niches: Topics that require professional expertise (medical diagnoses, legal advice, investment strategies) carry liability risk. If your book gives incorrect medical advice, you face both Amazon takedowns and potential legal issues. Stick to general wellness, fitness, and personal finance unless you have genuine credentials.
- Price race to the bottom: If the top 10 books in a niche are all priced at $5.99-$6.99, margins are too thin to sustain advertising. You need niches where $9.99-$14.99+ pricing is standard and accepted by buyers.
Putting It All Together: 3 Worked Examples
Example 1: "Large Print Word Search for Seniors" ✅ GREEN LIGHT
Step 1: Category Mining
- Path: Books › Humor & Entertainment › Puzzles & Games › Word Search
- Results: ~3,500 books in "large print word search seniors" sub-niche
Step 2: Competition Analysis
- Top 20 BSR: Average #18,000 (strong sales)
- Reviews: 150-400 (achievable)
- Pricing: $8.99-12.99 (profitable)
- Covers: Mix of pro and amateur (room to compete)
- Competition Score: 22/25—GREEN LIGHT
Step 3: Keyword Opportunity
- Keyword: "large print word search with solutions seniors"
- Search Volume: 6,200/month
- Competing Books: 890
- Opportunity Score: (6200/1000) × (1/890) = 0.0070 (excellent!)
Step 4: Profit Calculation
- Trim Size: 8.5×11, 100 pages, B&W
- List Price: $10.99
- Printing Cost: $3.45
- Royalty: $3.14 per sale—profitable ✅
Step 5: Evergreen Check
- Google Trends (5 years): Flat, consistent demand
- Aging population = growing market
- Verdict: Evergreen niche—publish and earn for years ✅
Example 2: "Among Us Coloring Book" ❌ RED LIGHT
Step 1: Category Mining
- Results: ~8,000 books (flooded after 2020 trend)
Step 2: Competition Analysis
- Top 20 BSR: Average #250,000 (weak sales)
- Reviews: 50-200 (moderate)
- Pricing: $5.99-7.99 (price war, low margins)
- Competition Score: 8/25—RED LIGHT
Step 5: Trend Check (Skip Steps 3-4, Already Failing)
- Google Trends: Massive spike in 2020, crashed by 2022
- Verdict: Dead fad—don't waste time ❌
Example 3: "Gratitude Journal for Women" 🟡 YELLOW LIGHT
Step 1: Category Mining
- Results: ~12,000 books (competitive)
Step 2: Competition Analysis
- Top 20 BSR: Average #8,000 (excellent sales)
- Reviews: 800-3,000 (very competitive—established books dominate)
- Pricing: $9.99-13.99 (profitable)
- Covers: Mostly professional (hard to stand out)
- Competition Score: 16/25—YELLOW LIGHT
Verdict:
Possible to succeed, but requires exceptional execution: Best-in-class cover, unique angle (e.g., "Gratitude Journal for Busy Moms with 5-Minute Prompts"), and potentially Amazon Ads to break through. Consider if you're experienced; skip if beginner.
Common Niche Research Mistakes
❌ Mistake #1: Stopping at Broad Categories
Publishing a generic "Coloring Book" or "Journal" is a guaranteed path to $0 sales. Always niche down 2-3 levels: "Dinosaur Coloring Book for Boys Ages 6-8 with Facts" beats "Dinosaur Coloring Book."
❌ Mistake #2: Ignoring Pricing Realities
Seeing competitors priced at $6.99 when your printing costs require $10.99 minimum = unprofitable niche. Do the math BEFORE creating content.
❌ Mistake #3: Chasing Dead Fads
A trend from 2-3 years ago is already flooded and dying. Use Google Trends to verify demand is current, not historical.
❌ Mistake #4: No Keyword Research
Creating a book without keyword research = hoping Amazon magically shows it to customers. Won't happen. Keywords drive discoverability—invest 30 minutes researching them.
Final Takeaway: Research Once, Publish Confidently
Most KDP publishers fail because they skip niche research and hope for the best. Top earners spend 80% of their time on research, 20% on creation. This 5-step system transforms publishing from a gamble into a predictable, profitable process:
- Category Mining: Drill down 2-3 levels to find opportunity pockets
- Competition Analysis: Score niches to assess difficulty (aim for 20+ points)
- Keyword Opportunity: Find high-volume, low-competition keywords (score above 0.005)
- Profit Calculation: Verify pricing supports $3-5 royalties minimum
- Evergreen vs. Trend: Build 80% of catalog on evergreen, chase trends sparingly
Master this system once, and you'll never run out of profitable book ideas. The publishers earning $5,000-10,000/month aren't lucky—they're systematic. Start researching today, and publish your first data-backed book this week.
Written by Danielle Okonkwo
Marketing & Growth Lead at KDPEasy
Danielle is a published author with 12+ titles on Amazon KDP and a former book blogger. She writes KDPEasy's guides drawing from hands-on publishing experience and years of testing what actually works in the KDP marketplace.
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