One of the best things about starting a self-publishing business on Amazon KDP is that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get started. In fact, you can start your business and create professional-quality books, from puzzles to coloring pages, using free tools and limited-time trials, if you plan ahead and manage your time wisely.
In this post, I’ll share how I started my business using free tools and trials, smart time management, and creativity to make multiple KDP books without breaking the bank. It was scary to take the plunge and get the free trials, but I’m glad I did. Jump in with me and learn how to build your KDP business using 3 free tools and trials!
Time Is Your Most Valuable Tool
When you’re using free trials like Book Bolt’s 3-day plan or Canva Pro’s 30-day access, every hour counts. The key is to go in prepared so you can make the most of your time. (Neither is an affiliate link).
Here’s what worked for me:
- Plan before you start your trial. Know exactly what types of books you want to make (puzzle books, coloring books, journals, etc.).
- Gather your ideas and word lists first. I had all my puzzle topics, word lists, and book concepts ready before activating my trial. And yes, I used AI to help me with that!
- Batch your work. Instead of designing one book at a time, I worked on multiple layouts at once. I find it helps my creativity more and I love how productive I feel.
- Watch a tutorial on how to make a KDP book either on Canva or Book Bolt, there are many on Youtube! I liked Ivy Hang’s coloring book tutorial. She really goes into depth with it.
With that approach, I was able to create five complete puzzle books during my Book Bolt trial — yes, five! It’s absolutely possible if you go in organized and focused.
Making The Most Of Your Book Bolt Free Trial
Book Bolt is a powerful tool for puzzle creation, keyword research, and cover design. But with only three days to test it, you’ll want to maximize your productivity.
Tips for success:
- Prep your puzzle ideas in advance.
Have your categories, topics, and themes ready to go, or at least ideas that you can research (like “Pop culture crosswords,” “1970s trivia,” or “holiday word searches”). - Use templates efficiently.
Have your content prepared for the template, and try using the same template a couple times to get used to it. - Download everything before your trial ends.
Save your interiors and covers so you can reuse or edit them later.
If you plan right, that short window can produce multiple high-quality interiors you can continue publishing after the trial ends.
Using Canva Pro’s Free Trial For Excellent Designs
Canva Pro offers a 30-day free trial which is plenty of time to create covers, title pages, and even book interiors.
Canva’s Magic Media (AI art generator) and Pro graphics make it easy to design coloring books, themed journals, and promotional images for your Amazon listings and other social media.
How to make the most of Canva’s free trial:
- Plan your projects before activating. Have your design ideas ready.
- Create reusable templates. Once you design a cover layout, you can duplicate it and swap out titles or colors for new books.
- Use Magic Media for illustrations. Generate unique art for your coloring pages, then refine and clean up the images for printing.
- Export and store all your work before your trial expires.
By the end of your trial, you’ll have professional-quality covers and illustrations that you can keep using long after the trial ends. With 30 days, you’ll feel much less rushed as well. I had wanted to try the Canva Pro free trial for quite some time, and I have to say, it’s been worth it to use. Pro tip: Use Canva graphics in Book Bolt! Using both these tools has been great for a beginner to KDP publishing.
Creative Fabrica: A Treasure Chest For Coloring Books
Creative Fabrica is another excellent platform that offers a free trial. It’s packed with fonts, graphics, and coloring page elements that you can use in your books. I’ve mostly used it for coloring pages, but also really like some of the fonts I’ve gotten. It has incredible graphics as well, great for other online businesses such as print-on-demand.
Pro tip:
During your trial, download everything you think you’ll use — fonts, decorative frames, icons, and outlines for coloring pages. Make sure the licenses allow commercial use (Creative Fabrica’s fonts and graphics usually do).
These assets can become the foundation of several future projects. Combine them with your Canva templates or Book Bolt interiors, and you’ll have a powerful creative toolkit ready to go.
Smart Time Management For Free Tools and Trials
Here’s how to make sure you get the most out of your limited free trial periods:
- Make a plan before you start.
Write down what you want to accomplish with each tool. - Set a daily goal.
For example, “Finish two puzzle book interiors today” or “Design three covers this week.” - Work in focused blocks.
Use the Pomodoro technique (25 minutes of focus, 5-minute break). You’ll get more done in less time. - Organize your files.
Create folders for interiors, covers, and assets so you can reuse them later. - Keep learning while you work.
Watch quick tutorials on YouTube for Book Bolt, Canva, or Creative Fabrica shortcuts — it’ll save time and improve your designs. Trust me, some of those tutorials are well worth it!
The Power Of Free Trials and Tools For New KDP Creators
Starting your self-publishing journey doesn’t require fancy equipment or expensive subscriptions. That’s what I was worried about, and hesitant about when I first wanted to dive into this. But I went for it and found what matters most is creativity, consistency, and planning.
With smart preparation, I was able to use:
- Book Bolt’s free trial to make 5 puzzle books
- Canva Pro to design beautiful covers and coloring pages
- Creative Fabrica to gather art and fonts for future projects
If you use your free tools and trials strategically, you can easily create your first few books at zero cost and start building your KDP catalog right away. In fact, one of those puzzle books I created at zero cost is becoming my bestseller!
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to spend a lot of money to get started with KDP. You just need time, focus, and a willingness to learn.
The free tools available today, from AI design to book creation software, give independent creators like you everything you need to build a self-publishing business from scratch.
So take advantage of those trials, plan your projects, and get to work — your next KDP bestseller might only be one free trial away!