Publish a coloring book on Amazon KDP
A coloring book is one of the most approachable books a first-time publisher can make: black-and-white interior, one drawing per page, and a full-color cover. The technical side — trim size, bleed, margins, single-sided layout — is where most people stall, and it is entirely learnable. These three guides take you from blank page to a published book on Amazon, in the order I'd read them.
I write these as an early educator in the Pacific Northwest who publishes her own coloring books through KDP — the numbers here are the ones my own books are built to.
Read in this order
- 1How to Make a Coloring Book for Amazon KDP, Start to Finish
The whole path: planning pages for your age group, the interior specs, the cover, the upload steps, and what you earn per sale.
- 2Best KDP Coloring Book Size and Margins: The Exact Numbers
The reference sheet: 8.5 × 11, the bleed math, safe margins, the gutter table, and exact pixel dimensions at 300 DPI.
- 3How to Format Single-Sided Coloring Pages for Amazon KDP
The marker question: blank-verso layout, what it costs per copy, and when double-sided is the smarter choice.
Quick reference
| Trim size | 8.5 × 11 in portrait · 2550 × 3300 px at 300 DPI |
| Bleed | 0.125 in if art touches the edge (page becomes 8.625 × 11.25 in) |
| Safe margin | Keep content ≥ 0.5 in inside the trim |
| Pages | Minimum 24, always even · interior prints B&W on 60# white paper |
| Printing cost | $0.85 + $0.012/page — 52 pages ≈ $1.47 per copy |
What this looks like in print
Little Ballerinas Coloring Book — a real book built to these exact specs and in print on Amazon: bold outlines, one subject per page, everything half an inch inside the trim.
Related reading
- What it really costs to self-publish a children's book
- KDP trim sizes for storybooks (the square 8.5 × 8.5)
- How to publish a class book with your students
Or skip the formatting entirely
Bamm Coloring Book Builder handles everything in these guides — trim, margins, single-sided layout, the wraparound cover, and a print-ready PDF. Build and preview your coloring book free; pay $19 one time to download ready-to-go KDP files. You publish to your own account and keep every right and royalty.
Make a coloring bookLast reviewed 2026-07-11. Amazon KDP specifications can change — confirm current requirements before publishing.