In February of 2020, I Released a coloring book.
I published my own coloring book and made a childhood dream come true. It’s probably one of the things I’ve put out into the world that I’m so proud of it, because I did not think it would be possible for a small artist like myself. Honestly, I didn’t really know what all was involved in publishing a book of any kind. I thought I had to work with a company and would have to invest a bunch of money, figure out where to keep inventory, figure out how to ship etc. And perhaps that’s the way some people still do it, but then I found out that I didn’t need a publisher and I didn’t even have to pay anything upfront to make it happen.
You can get a copy of my coloring book here https://amzn.to/448jBSP
Please note that this is an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Here’s a picture of my Goddaughter coloring her copy of the book. She’s become quite the artist and I’ve really loved seeing her creativity blossom.
I’m sure it’s not a surprise to hear me say that as a creative person, I LOVED coloring books as a kid! Sometimes I would be so obsessed with looking at the art that I wouldn’t color certain pages because I didn’t want to "mess up the art”. BTW, if you’re one of those people, I want to encourage you to COLOR IN. MESS IT UP. Don’t worry about it being perfect. :) Have fun with it. I find the actual process of coloring is quite therapeutic. Don’t overthink it, just go for it!
There are quite a few drawings in this book that are based on skaters I’ve had the chance to share the track with.
This is a page I colored using markers, prisma color pencils and a white gel pen.
One day a video popped up Youtube about publishing coloring book. I thought, oh, that would be really cool if I could do this…I kept watching and then I realized, wait, I CAN do this. Don’t overthink it, just go for it! I’ve had quite a few roller derby drawings I’ve made over the years, so why not compile them into a book?
OKAY, we got it, so spill the beans!! How did you publish this thing??
I did it through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (Amazon KDP). I had my artwork ready, then I laid it all out into a book format, then uploaded it and published it all through Amazon KDP. You can set how much you want your book to cost (this allows you to adjust how much profit you’d like to make per book sold) . Once the book is published, all you have to do it send the link to someone and they can order a copy and it gets sent right to their door or mailbox. The books get printed as they are ordered and you don’t have to keep inventory or pay anything up front. Once you meet the payment threshold, you’ll get a check from Amazon for the royalties.
As of the day I am writing this, I have sold 386 copies of this book (mostly in the US but also Canada, the UK, Germany, and Australia!) and it still makes me really happy to know that people have some of my art in their homes.
Here’s an old screenshot I found! :) I love seeing how other people colored in the skaters to fit their own team colors.
I adore this version! So fun. Thanks Pslay <3
If you want to know more about this coloring book, I made a Youtube video about it in 2020. https://youtu.be/HhMLz_JRKGQ
Let me know if you have a copy of this book! Or are you someone who’s thought about publishing your own book? Do you want to know more about Amazon KDP? Leave a comment :D
Thanks for reading!