The concept of what constitutes a book has changed significantly since the advent and widespread adoption of digital media. For example, some books can be read in one sitting or an hour in today’s world. These types of books are what we call “low-content” books. What is a low-content book? Low-content books have gained traction with writers who want to know what they’re getting before committing to a traditionally considered novel-length work.
This blog post will discuss what low-content books are as well as how you can write one today!
What is a Low-Content Book?
A low content book contains some written content, but far less than one might find in a typical or standard piece. Thus, for example, a journal with inspirational quotes on each page would have relatively little text while still containing writing sections. Similarly, the day planner, which had lists of days and months, could also qualify for this designation.
Low content books are different than standard books in that their length might be measured in hours rather than chapters. This makes them so appealing to many writers who feel the pressure of a traditional novel but want more flexibility in what they’re committing to writing long-term.
All types of books would not qualify under the “low content” designation if written out traditionally. These formats allow you to add media without having to write extensively about each point. It’s an easy way to create your own sort of reference guide!
10 Examples of Top Low-Content Books
There are lots of examples of low-content books that you can write today. Some of them include the following:
- day planner
- journal
- planner for creativity and spirituality
- millionaire business plan
- personal development workbook
- an instant guide to what matters most in life
- inspiration book of quotes
- book of affirmations and mantras
- a funny inspirational book for women to keep hope alive
- inspiration journal with words that inspire the soul
Anyone could write any of these types of books today, and you could probably do it in an hour or less. If you want more ideas, check out my list of 25 low-content book niches.
10 Steps to Writing Your First Low-Content Book
Writing (and publishing) a low content book isn’t that difficult. It just takes some planning and time. But, if you follow the steps outlined below, you’ll have a low content book ready for publishing in no time!
Think of What You Love to Do
The first step is to think about what you love to do. What are your interests? For example, if you enjoy cooking or gardening, a recipe book might be perfect for what you’re looking for in writing low content.
If that doesn’t interest you much but instead what appeals is interior decoration and home organization, then maybe that is what you should focus on.
Choose Your Book Type
Next, you’ll choose what kind of book you want to write. If it’s a cookbook, then think about what types of recipes would be most popular or what cooking methods are the ones that people struggle with and need help with the most.
But remember, there are more low-content books than just cookbooks. Research all of the different types of low content books and see if any of them stick out to you or interest you as something you would like to do.
Find Your Book Pages
Next, you’ll need to figure out what kind of pages you’ll put inside the low content book. For example, if it’s a puzzle book, you’ll need to find the right puzzle pages.
On the other hand, you’ll need to find the correct word search puzzles to include in the book if you’re doing word searches.
One good thing about low-content books is that you can usually find pages for free online to download and include yourself. However, if you can’t find the right pages, then you’ll need to move on to the next step.
Customize the Inside
Next, you will need to customize what the inside pages look like. You’ll need to think about good font size for what you’re writing and what kind of images should go on each page.
You can also add your personal touch by either including some hand-drawn illustrations or adding pictures from trips where you took photos (that’s if those are things that interest you). If not, then don’t feel pressured into doing anything other than following what’s already been done with previous low content books!
If it doesn’t work out one way, try another until something does! Remember: everything takes practice, so be patient and keep trying new styles until something clicks.
Create a Book Cover
Once you’ve got the inside down, you’ll need a cover for your book. Although you can’t use copyrighted images, there are lots of free stock photos available online that you can search through to find what works best with what it is that you’re writing.
There are a lot of different software programs you can use to make your book cover too. If you’re not a creative person, then what’s great is that some programs are available for free or at a low cost, like Canva and Pic Monkey, which can help automate the process of making your book more visually appealing!
If you want a professional-looking finish but don’t have anything in mind yet for what it should look like or what colors work best with what you’re writing about, then one trick would be looking through other books in your same category and seeing what they use on their covers. For example, if it’s a cookbook where the recipes are all different types of food dishes, then find out what color scheme those authors went with – whether orange from carrots or green from spinach – and then what images they used on the cover.
You can also get inspiration from what others do in your genre by checking out what other low-content books have done with their covers. For example, if you’re writing a home organization book, then find any low-content books about organizing items around the house or rooms of places that might be helpful for what it is that you’re trying to do with yours as well!
Format the Book
Once you have both the inside and outside of the book, you need to put the two together. You can either do this yourself or hire someone to do it for you. If you decide to hire someone, then you’ll need to find someone on Fiverr or Upwork who can format the book and then provide them with your low content pages for what you want inside.
If formatting doesn’t work out, then what’s good about creating a low-content book is that the rest of the process becomes much easier once you have an idea down in place! This means if something isn’t working one way for what it is that you’re trying to do – like getting all of those puzzle pieces together or making sure everything lines up correctly – try another until finally what works sticks!
And remember: everyone has different tastes, so don’t be afraid to go outside of what would typically seem right at first. It’s your book so make it yours.
Post the Book for Sale on Amazon
Once your book is entirely formatted how you want, it’s time to make a sale. Of course, the easiest way to do that is by posting it for sale on Amazon.
The most important thing to remember when it comes to selling a book on Amazon is that you have to be honest. This means giving the best description possible and ensuring that the images are of high quality, so people know what they’re getting into.
Another vital point of selling a book on Amazon is pricing your book competitively, which would be an average price for books in your genre. This will allow people who want your book but don’t want to pay more than necessary to take advantage of buying it and get it cheaper.
When you sell a low-content book, check for typos, errors, or anything else that might need correction before publishing the book onto Amazon.
Get Paid
Once you start selling your book, the final step is to get paid! This means what you’ll need to do is set up an account with Amazon so that they can transfer your royalties to the bank.
Repeat the Process
If you had a great experience writing your first low content book, then you’ll want to do it again! Writing low content books is what you’ll need to do if what you’re looking for is a way of making money from your book without having to spend too much time on it. If that’s what you’re interested in, then this post will hopefully help make the process easier as well, because with some programs available and tips already laid out, what else could be holding you back?
Benefits to Writing and Selling Low-Content Books
One of the reasons I love writing and publishing low-content books is that there are almost no drawbacks.
The benefits of writing and selling low content books are as follows:
First, you can work on it at your own pace. If you’re feeling inspired, write a few hours. Skip days if that’s what feels right to do so–you don’t have to commit to anything long-term or make any promises about what kind of book you’re going to write.
You can make what you want the book’s focus to be, which means it doesn’t have to follow a particular template or pattern.
Another advantage to writing low-content books is that what you end up with doesn’t take a long time or much effort to make.
Another advantage of writing low-content books is what I mentioned before, which was what it means for the readers who are reading what you’ve written. This is because they’ll be able to get your book and read it without any undue pressure other than just having fun.
Wrap Up
There are lots of different types of low-content books out there that you can write to make some extra money. They’re easier and quicker to write than traditional books, but they still provide a valuable service because the people who need them might not have time for anything else.
You don’t even need an idea to get started — just check out this article on how to start your own! After reading through it, would you consider trying your hand at being a self-publisher? Let us know if we can help with any questions or concerns.
We look forward to hearing from you soon!
I hope this post about what is a low-content book has helped you put together your own idea of what kind of content would work for the type of low-content book that’s right for you–and as always, if there are any questions or anything else, then please feel free to reach out!
