If you are a writer, chances are high that you’ve stared at your blinking cursor or a blank sheet of paper and wondered where to start. There are so many ways to begin a story and sometimes, the options seem to make the choice that much more complicated.
Thankfully, low-content books are an option for you. In fact, you can sell low-content books on Amazon and there are a variety of options for you. Your next book doesn’t need to be 50,000-100,000 words to be considered an actual manuscript.
You can write a book without spending months typing hundreds or thousands of words a day, and even bring in revenue. Does this sound too good to be true?
In this article, we talk about the different types of low-content books to sell on Amazon. If you want to get a book out there but don’t have time to write thousands of words, creating a low-content book could be just the right step for you.
There are many options for you to choose from, but we discuss:
Planners
Journals
Food Log
Exercise Log
Guest Book
Recipe Book
Writing Prompt
Drawing Prompt
One-Line-A-Day
Adult Coloring Books
You can be an author and write multiple books without ever going over several thousand words. Let’s break down varying types of low-content books you can create.
#1 – Planners
Whether you are Type A, Enneagram 3, first-born, or break personality molds and simply enjoy being organized, writing a low-content planner may be the way for you to put your next book into the world.
Let’s say you started a career in graphic design but want to transition to writing. Creating a planner may be a great place for you to start. You get to design what the inside looks like without worrying about writing much if any, prose.
#2 – Journals
Journals are another great way to ease into the publishing world. By nature, journals are mostly filled with blank pages for the purchaser to fill with their own thoughts. Designing a journal from a writer’s perspective could help boost your sales.
Publishing a low-content journal is a great start to your writing journey and can also help other writers.
#3 – Food Log
Maybe you work a day job as a personal trainer, or perhaps you are simply a health-conscious creative wanting to inspire those around you.
A food log presents you with the opportunity to both share your passion for food and exercise as well as writing.
#4 – Exercise Log
Similar to a food log, an exercise log is a way for buyers to record their workouts. A log, whether food, exercise, or any other type of log, should be minimal in nature and allow space for the individual to log their specifics.
#5 – Guest Book
Wedding season, anyone? A guest book has a very low word count but can be created in various ways. You can also write a myriad of guest books following a similar template but change the occasion.
#6 – Recipe Book
A great recipe is hard to pass up whatever season you find yourself in. Writing a recipe book will entail a higher word count, but this type of book is still considered low-content. Pages will likely boast quite a bit of white space.
#7 – Writing Prompt
For all the creatives out there, making your own writing prompt book can be as exciting as drafting your first story. What prompts you to write? Create your top writing prompts, and then put yourself in your audience’s shoes.
What could prompt your target customer to write? How can you help them think outside the box? Broaden their usual writing style or try a new genre? Writing prompts are highly creative but extremely low-content.
#8 – Drawing Prompt
A drawing prompt remains on the creative spectrum but takes a bit of a different route. You may find inspiration to write this type of book if you recently read a book on art, traveled to new locations, or are an artist yourself.
Take your time coming up with just the write drawing prompts, and don’t forget to order them in a way that engages your reader. Low-content and high-content books follow the same rule: Put the reader first!
#9 – One-Line-A-Day
One-line-a-day is essentially a hybrid between blank journals and writing prompt books. As a writer, you likely appreciate the craft of writing but also understand the difficulty of sitting down to write.
Creating a one-line-a-day book can help keep other writers writing even while reminding you of the power writing holds.
If you write even one line daily, you will be 365 lines closer to a completed journal or first draft. One line may not feel like much, but cumulatively it adds up.
#10 – Adult Coloring Books
Coloring books may be known as a child’s pastime, but if art is revered as such an honorable talent, we should not slight adult coloring books.
There are a variety of ways to create an adult coloring book, and because you are the author, the method you choose is entirely up to you. While this type of book treads the line between what is and is not considered a low-content book, adult coloring books are popular and a viable option.
#11 – Create Your Own
If you are a writer you are creative and your creativity does not need to be confined to the plank page. If the above ten options did not pique your interest or you have a different idea, consider going off book (no pun intended).
Create your own type of low-content book. You do not need to follow norms but can create a new subgenre and do so with passion and enthusiasm. Just because someone else hasn’t created a subgenre doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done.
Take creative liberties and don’t be afraid to share your passion in unconventional ways. You never know what type of low-content book will resonate with your audience.
Getting Started On Your Low-Content Books
Now that you have a myriad of options, it’s time to put pen to paper and get to the creative part. Brainstorming is still part of the writing process, even for low-content books.
Just because your book will have fewer words does not mean you should throw it together and hope for the best. Ask yourself the following questions before starting your writing process:
- What do I want the reader to take away from this?
- How can I uniquely engage my reader?
- What perspective do I bring that is helpful?
- What journey can my book take the reader on?
Sometimes less is more. Regarding low-content books, be very careful of your word choice, which phrases you keep, and what you cut. Readers expect minimal content when they purchase the above type of book:
- Give your readers what they expect by being sparing with your words.
- Present your readers with new opportunities by fully immersing yourself in the creative process.
- Take your audience on a journey by mapping out your process.
And last but not least, surprise your reader by giving them more than they expected—not necessarily more words, but more passion, creativity, heart, and care. You will win your readers, they will respect you, and you will challenge yourself creatively.
