I think coloring books have a branding problem.
Say "publish a book" and people imagine a memoir, a business book, a children's story, maybe a novel.
Say "coloring book" and suddenly it sounds like the little side product you make after the real book is finished.
I think that is backwards.
For the right author, entrepreneur, ministry, educator, or children's brand, a coloring book can be one of the smartest publishing products you create.
Especially when you understand what you are actually buying.
You are not just creating pages to color. You are creating reusable visual intellectual property.
And that opens up far more possibilities than most people realize.
A Coloring Book Does Not Need a 30,000-Word Manuscript
Let's start with the obvious advantage.
You do not necessarily need to write a traditional manuscript.
The concept can begin with:
A character.
A theme.
A city.
Affirmations.
Bible verses.
Career exploration.
Historical figures.
Travel.
Fashion.
STEM.
Natural hair.
Dance.
Entrepreneurship.
A cultural celebration.
A children's-book world you already created.
The illustrations carry much of the product.
That can make a coloring book an unusually accessible way to enter publishing when your strongest idea is visual rather than text-heavy.
But "simple to understand" should not be confused with "generic."
A good coloring book still needs a concept.
It needs an audience.
It needs art people actually want to interact with.
And ideally, it should have a reason to exist beyond:
People like coloring.
The Best Coloring Books Give Someone a Reason to Choose This One
This is where strategy comes in.
There are thousands of coloring books.
So "a coloring book for adults" is not an idea.
"A travel coloring book featuring Black women exploring destinations around the world"?
Now we have something.
That is what our client Ashley N. Company created with Travel-ish.
A coloring book built around young dancers?
That is what Kristine Smith created with Let's Dance.
Different audiences.
Different purposes.
But both have a concept stronger than:
"Here are some pictures. Color them."
Your topic should tell me who this is for.
Because specificity gives you something generic coloring books do not have: a reason to buy yours instead of anybody else's.
And Then There Is the Part I Think Authors Underestimate: The Art
Custom illustration can be one of the biggest investments in children's publishing.
And once you have paid to create strong original artwork, I want that art working as hard as possible.
Not disappearing into one book forever.
A set of original illustrations may be able to support:
A coloring book.
A children's book.
Activity sheets.
Printables.
Educational materials.
Marketing graphics.
Event materials.
A journal.
A website.
Merchandise, depending on the rights and artwork.
You should not create all of those just because you can.
But the underlying point matters:
An illustration is an asset.
And when you own the appropriate rights to that asset, it can potentially have more than one job.
That is where a coloring book becomes much more interesting from a business perspective.
One Set of Art Can Become Two Books
This is one of the reasons we deliberately built our coloring-book service the way we did.
We can create the custom black-and-white illustrations for the coloring book, then, in the right kind of project, color and format those same scenes into a full illustrated children's book.
Same visual world.
Same characters.
Same underlying artwork.
Two separate publishing products.
Our current package is built specifically around that model: the standard coloring book includes up to 24 custom black-and-white illustrations, and clients with an appropriate story or text can add a children's-book version using the same artwork.
That is what I mean by making intellectual property work harder.
You are not commissioning two completely unrelated sets of illustrations.
You are asking:
How many useful products can this one creative investment responsibly support?
This Works Especially Well When You Already Have a Brand
Imagine you are a children's author and readers already love your character.
Why send them out to buy some unrelated coloring book?
Give them yours.
Now the child is spending even more time inside your world.
They are choosing the character's clothes.
Coloring the house.
Recreating the scenes.
Interacting with the story instead of simply reading it.
That matters.
Or imagine you run a ministry.
Your coloring book could reinforce the scriptures or themes you teach.
An educator could build one around STEM careers.
A travel brand could create destinations.
A city organization could celebrate local landmarks.
A dance school could create a product featuring different forms of dance.
A hair brand serving children could build an affirmation coloring book around hair, confidence, and self-image.
Suddenly this is not a random publishing product.
It is another way for someone to interact with the brand.
Coloring Books Also Work Differently From Traditional Books
A traditional nonfiction book asks someone to read.
A workbook asks someone to implement.
A journal asks someone to reflect or document.
A coloring book asks someone to interact visually.
That changes where and how the product can be used.
At an event.
In a classroom.
At a children's workshop.
As an activity during a conference.
Inside a faith community.
As part of a gift set.
At a vendor table.
Bundled with another book.
Included in a program.
Placed in a waiting room.
Used during a themed activity.
Sometimes the value is not simply that someone purchased a copy online.
It is that the product gives your audience something to do with your message.
But Please Don't Publish a Coloring Book Just Because It Is "Easy"
This is where I push back.
Technology has made it incredibly easy to generate pages full of things that technically qualify as coloring-book images.
That does not mean anybody wants the finished product.
A coloring book still needs taste.
Concept.
Consistency.
Strong art.
A good cover.
Appropriate print production.
And enough visual interest that someone wants to keep turning pages.
If you are publishing for children, the illustrations should feel coherent.
If you are publishing around a brand, the book should feel like that brand.
If the product is supposed to celebrate a culture or community, the visuals need enough specificity to feel intentional rather than generic.
Fast should never become the excuse for forgettable.
Do Not Start With "What Can I Color?"
Start here:
Who is this for, and why would they want this particular coloring experience?
That question will take you much farther.
A children's author might answer:
"Kids who already love my character and want to interact with her world."
An entrepreneur:
"Women in my travel community who want a relaxing product that celebrates Black travel."
An educator:
"Elementary-aged children who need to see themselves represented across STEM careers."
A church:
"Children learning the major stories and verses from this year's curriculum."
Now we can design a product.
The coloring is the format.
The concept is the product.
The Numbers Can Also Be Friendlier Than More Complex Illustrated Projects
Our current custom coloring-book package starts at $3,500 and includes up to 24 original illustrations, interior design, cover design, print-ready files, and ownership of the finished files.
At a hypothetical retail price of $20, 175 copies would equal $3,500 in gross sales before printing costs, retailer fees, taxes, shipping, or other expenses.
I emphasize gross sales because I do not want to play fake publishing math with you.
Selling 175 copies does not literally put the entire $3,500 back into your pocket.
Your actual margin depends on where and how the books are sold.
But authors also do not have to think only in one-copy Amazon sales.
If the coloring book supports an event, workshop, program, organizational order, bundle, or existing ecommerce brand, the economics can look very different.
That is the more interesting calculation.
Sometimes Your Simplest Product Has the Most Flexibility
That is what I like about coloring books.
They do not need to carry your entire body of expertise.
They do not need 50,000 words.
They do not necessarily need an elaborate narrative.
But with the right concept, they can become:
A standalone product.
A brand extension.
A children's-book companion.
An event product.
A classroom resource.
A gift.
Or the first use of illustrations that later become something bigger.
That is why I think authors overlook them.
They look simple.
And sometimes simple makes people assume low value.
But simple and strategic are not opposites.
Before You Write Another Book, Look at What You Could Illustrate
Especially if your brand is visual.
If you have:
A strong children's character.
A recognizable message.
An educational concept.
A community.
A theme people identify with.
A visual world worth exploring.
You may not need another traditional manuscript.
You may need an interactive product built around what you already have.
And if the illustrations can later become another book?
Even better.
Let's Create Art That Has More Than One Job
Our custom coloring-book publishing service starts with your concept and builds the illustrations, interior, and cover from scratch.
And when the concept supports it, we can use those same visual assets to create an illustrated children's-book companion.
One creative investment.
More than one way to use it.
Because sometimes the smartest publishing move is not creating more content.
It is getting more value from the content, and art, you create.
Have a character, a theme, or a brand worth coloring? See how our coloring book service works, or get your quote.