A few weeks back, I wrote about my challenge to make £2,000 a month with a Dad Joke Book.

Since then, I've dived headfirst into research, experimented with designs, and hit a few decision-making roadblocks.

Turns out, writing a joke book is the easy part—doing the keyword research, deciding how to manufacture and distribute, and all the marketing headaches that make things tricky.

I haven't launched the book yet (duh), but I'm still. Plenty has happened behind the scenes, so here's a look at where I'm at, what's working, and what's making me question whether or not this was actually a good idea in the first place.

Keyword Research: Finding the Goldmine

Since I'm not just writing this for fun (although let's be honest, it's pretty fun), I wanted to make sure the book actually has a chance of selling. That meant keyword research.

I've been using Book Bolt to analyse KDP trends and Ahrefs to dig into broader keyword volumes. Here are some of my findings:

• "Dad joke book" is the main key term and is of course incredibly competitive, but the long-tail phrases like "funny dad joke books & dad jokes for every day" have lower competition with decent search volume. I'm undecided whether to try and go for the main term, or hope I can succeed by targetting a slightly longer tail term.
• There's a market for themed joke books (e.g., gamer dads, sports dads, even "worst dad jokes" and "best worst dad jokes you've never heard" as a specific niche). If this initial book is successful, then I'll probably branch off into the subsections as well.
• Physical books definitely outsell Kindle versions. This would be because of the "gift" element of it. Low effort Father's Day / Christmas gifts here we come!

What I'd Do Differently: I should have done a bit more research in terms of competition and when peak sales times are. I know I'm going after major holidays but outside of that, the books still sell great for things like birthdays. It's an evergreen niche, but whether I can reach my £2,000 goal is yet to be seen.

Writing the Jokes: AI vs. Human (and the AI Disasters)

AI understands half of what makes a dad joke work but then loses momentum and over-explains, or just completely misses the mark.

Example:

AI-generated joke: "Why did the dad bring a ladder to the bar? Because he wanted to reach the top shelf... of respect."

Or worse:

AI-generated joke: "Why did the dad go to space? Because he wanted to find his 'dad-tellite connection.'"

I rest my case.

I stuck with good old-fashioned human humour. The dilemma that I have is that I was never a wordsmith; humour and ASD/ADHD make jokes something something.

I'll end up telling three side-stories, over-explain why the joke is funny, and then miss the punchline or stumble my words entirely.

So I've used a hybrid approach to tackle this problem. Most of the jokes come from personal experience, some are classic twists, and others have been "field-tested" on my kids (who are brutally honest critics).

What I'd Do Differently: I'll still use AI for brainstorming prompts, but joke-writing? 100% human from now on.

The Printing Dilemma: Covers, Layouts & Printers

My wife has given me a few different cover designs, but we're still working on the final look. The biggest dilemma? Choosing between KDP vs. self-publishing.

• Amazon KDP: Easy, print-on-demand, no upfront costs, no ISBN faff, but lower profit margins and limited control over quality.
• Self-publishing via a printing company: Higher upfront costs, way better margins, I can do bulk orders for giveaways or local sales, ISBN costs, and better quality control.

For now, I'm going with KDP for testing. If it sells well, I'll switch to a small print run. If it doesn't, at least I won't be left with a garage full of unsold joke books mocking me. I've been in touch with ImprintDigital and I'm waiting to hear back on their rates.

What I'd Do Differently: I probably should have settled on a format first... and researched the most popular book size formats before spending hours tweaking different layouts. Apparently A5 is not "the standard" book layout...

Illustration: AI vs. A Talented Wife

The book needed some fun visuals, and while AI-generated images were an option, they tend to make characters look like nightmare fuel. If I wanted a horror joke book, AI would be perfect.

Thankfully, my wife took over all the artwork duties (as my artistic ability is worse than my 5-year-olds), and the result is fantastic—proper hand-drawn charm that AI just can't touch.

What I'd Do Differently: Absolutely nothing. Marrying an artist was a stroke of genius on my behalf, *cough*.

The Next Steps: What's Left to Do?

Here's what's still on my plate before launch:

✅ Finalise the book layout & formatting

✅ Decide between KDP and self-printing (or both)

✅ Get the cover just right

✅ Set up the Amazon listing & marketing strategy

Ideally, I want this ready before Father's Day, since it's prime time for dad-related gifts.

Final Thoughts: Would I Recommend Doing This?

It's been a learning curve. Writing the book was easy—getting it to market is the real challenge. But if you're thinking about doing something similar, it's absolutely possible and if you've got basic design skills, or are technically minded then this entire process, while somewhat tedious is quite exhilarating.

Would I do it again? Yes—but smarter. If you're thinking of doing the same, let's compare notes. Drop a comment, share this with a fellow dad, or sign up for updates—I'll be posting the final launch breakdown soon.