11 Most Profitable Kindle Niches and Categories

Get ready to dust off that old manuscript, because it’s time for the most profitable Kindle niches and categories. If you are hoping to self-publish an ebook then you will definitely want to take note of these segments.

There is a great debate still raging among book people as to what the ideal format is. Hardcover, paperbook, or ebook? Honestly, they all have their place. I prefer hardcover books, but I see how practical ebooks can be–why carry one book with you when you can carry 100?  Plus, with an eReader like Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)‘s Kindle, no one on the subway can judge you for the fact that you’re diving back into The Babysitters Club, or whatever literary choices you have decided to make for yourself as an adult.

Hardcover books are classic. It is difficult to improve on the feeling you get pulling a story off a piece of paper with your eyes. Letting it swirl around in your imagination like ice in lemonade. The weight of a book reminds you that you are actually doing something–there is substance behind the style of the prose. That is representative of the knowledge or simply the experience you will have earned through the act of reading. Then of course, there’s that unmistakable smell of…nostalgia?, that book lovers enjoy. In short, books are cool.

However, getting an actual book published is harder than ever, which is why there’s clearly a market for ebooks. If you plan to write and self-publish a book, it is certainly a lot easier and more cost-effective to e-publish. In 2011, when Lulu reported that the number of published ebooks soared by 20%, outdoing its printed counterpart, the digital publishing industry has officially boomed. But in an article written this year by Simon Jenkins of The Guardian, he argued that not only is print making a comeback, but that it never really went away.

Based on what we’ve seen though, there is room for everyone at the table. Except for magazines–those have to sit on the couch. They know why. Although ebook sales plummeted in 2015, ebooks from small and medium publishing houses and even indie authors are still on the rise. But because the market is saturated, it has become hyper-competitive.

Therefore amateurs who would like to self-publish must ask themselves certain questions usually reserved for publishing companies. “Who is the audience for your book?” Truly, whether you’re an independent writer dipping his or her toes into the literary waters, or are more established and planning to send a book proposal to a publishing company–you need to know that you have people who would want to buy your book in order to generate sales. Especially in the case of the latter. Publishing companies are run by writers and editors themselves, who certainly care about good narratives and interesting topics, but they are a business more than anything. They need to earn in order to sustain their business.

It is imperative that you know what the most profitable Kindle niches and categories are if you want to become successful as an author. The internet is home to thousands of bloggers and indie authors offering different techniques on how to reach the most profitable Kindle niches and categories on Amazon. According to K-Lytics, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s sales listings fluctuate by as much as (+/-) 25% in a 24-hour period, so looking at the bestseller list alone can be misleading if you want to know the most profitable kindle niches and categories. There are other factors to consider.

K-lytics has put together a comprehensive report as a result of its evaluation of the 30 Amazon Kindle ebook categories based on 5 criteria:

1. Sales Volume

Ø Sales Rank of Top 20 Titles

Est. Sales per Day per Top 20 Title

Sales Rank of No. 1 Bestseller

Est. Sales per Day of No. 1 Bestseller

2. Rank Momentum

Rise/Drop in Top 20 Titles Ø Sales Rank

Rise/Drop of No. 1 Best-seller Sales Rank

3. Price Realization

Ø Price of Top 20 Titles

Lowest Price among Top 20 Titles

Price Change of Top 20 Titles vs. Prior Month.

4. Competition

Number of Titles

Change of Number of Titles vs. Prior Month

5. Effort

Ø Page Length (100 = shortest)

The data gathered based on those criteria above were then computed and they came up with a weighted index where 100 = best; 1 = Worst. Here then is the list of the 11 most profitable Kindle niches and categories, beginning on the next page.

Since you presumably like reading and writing, you might be also interested in education. If that’s the case, check out our list of the 7 Most Profitable Jobs in Education as well–you never know when you might want or need to change careers (you know, if the whole writing thing doesn’t work out).

11. Arts & Photography

They aren’t just for decorating anymore. Art books contain great information difficult or impossible to find elsewhere–whether you are a scholar, artist, hobbyist or all of the above, these books have something to show you. Clearly, the image quality and curation of these ebooks are super important; the overall aesthetic of the book must also meet a high standard in order to compete. 

10. Sports & Outdoors

The more time we spend behind a desk the more interesting the outdoors become to a good portion of office workers. Of course, there are also the lifelong adventurers who have always known what is just dawning on some; that nature is good for the soul. There has been an uptick in the popularity of survival shows which belies an overall yearning for greener pastures. And by pastures we mean forests and other tracts of wilderness. 

9. Science & Math

STEM or Science, Technology, Engineering and Math is in the midst of a 5-10 year boom, particularly for younger kids, as there are new programs popping up for children as young as two years old. This couldn’t be better, and the hope is that it will inspire more and more kids, and especially girls, who have historically been a small minority in these fields, to continue with these subjects long after they’ve stopped playing with Legos.

8. Self-Help

No matter what you think of Oprah’s many guests throughout the years, no one can deny the $10 billion (in the U.S) self-help industry. There is no shortage of people trying to seek help in their own time and at their own pace. If you can use a DIY blueprint to build your own trinket or other item, then you should certainly be able to use the same kind of blueprint to understand yourself better, build your confidence, or whatever you need to work on.

7. Business & Money

Everyone wants to get rich quick. I mean I’d settle for getting rich slowly as long as I end up diving into a vault of gold coins like Scrooge McDuck one day. There are popular books written by financial gurus with detailed methodologies and cases to prove their theories. Remember to keep things practical and connected to the widest audience possible without watering down the subject–think of it as pop economics. And now, let’s see what else we have in our list of most profitable Kindle niches and categories.

6. Romance

We are halfway through the most profitable Kindle niches and categories at the sassiest item yet. Everyone loves love. Well not everyone, but lots of people (okay, lots of women). This is why romance books will always be in style! 

5. Science Fiction & Fantasy

Comic-con, the Stars franchises, both Trek and Wars, blockbuster movies about trucks and mutants–science fiction is big business. I mean, they brought back X-Files for crying out loud. This is clearly a good time to write about science fiction or fantasy. 

4. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Spooky stories work well. Just look at how many different iterations of Sherlock Holmes we have experienced. As a kid, I watched all of Alfred Hitchcock’s movies that my dad’s friend taped off cable (which we didn’t have) on VHS. People are willing to go to great lengths to enjoy a thriller.

3. Reference

Merriam and Webster know what they’re talking about (and they have a pretty interesting Twitter account). But seriously, no matter what people are interested in, they need to know how to spell it. Reference is always relevant.

2. Comics & Graphic Novels

The Walking Dead, Arrow, Agent Carter, Jessica Jones, The Flash, Gotham, Daredevil, Supergirl–these are just some of the TV shows that were originally graphic novels. This genre has had A LOT of crossover success in the past 5-10 years and it shows no signs of stopping.

1. Literature & Fiction

Everyone wants to have something to talk about at Book Club. Because unlike Fight Club, the first rule of Book Club is to talk about it!  That’s why great fiction remains popular. When you write a story people can connect with or at least sink their teeth into, then your sales will likely come alive as well.

Hopefully you enjoyed the 11 most profitable Kindle niches and categories. Now, get back to writing your masterpiece!

Disclosure: None