Coloring books are a hot topic with adults who are rediscovering the stress relief benefits of this activity. This trend is creating opportunities for POD publishers on Amazon KDP to make their mark in this popular niche. However, to get noticed among the many titles already available, you will need to produce a beautifully designed coloring book that stands head-and-shoulders above the rest.
Meg Cowley shares her tips for producing a stunning coloring book that will attract and delight your readers.
One of the most important things to consider when designing your coloring book is the layout. How you organize the images will determine the flow and ease of use for your customers. For example, if you’re publishing a mandala coloring book, you might want to arrange the designs in order of increasing complexity so that users can warm up with easy patterns before tackling more difficult ones. Another important consideration is the balance between white space and the design. White space refers to the unmarked areas around and between your designs, and a careful balance of white space can help soothe your audience’s minds and encourage relaxation.
Once you have your images arranged, the next step is to clean up the print-ready files using a graphics editing program such as Adobe Photoshop (expensive) or Affinity Photo ($70). This is where you’ll need to sharpen up the contrast by brightening up the whites and darkening down the blacks, so that the design will appear crisp and clear and easy to color in.