From Classroom to KDP: How 16-Year-Old Dulce Carrillo Created and Published Her Own Coloring Book
While many high schoolers spent their summer relaxing, 16-year-old Dulce Carrillo was busy turning digital prompts into a published product. During this year’s summer school program, Dulce took on the ambitious challenge of designing, editing, and self-publishing her very own seaside and farm-themed coloring book now available on Amazon.
Listen to our AI-Generated Podcast:
Creating a book from scratch requires mastering a suite of modern tools, and Dulce dove headfirst into the technology:
- AI Image Generation: She leveraged AI tools including Gemini, Copilot, and ChatGPT to generate her initial image concepts.
- Image Editing: Dulce refined and polished her graphics using Photopea to ensure every detail was print-ready.
- Formatting & Cover Design: Using Canva, she organized the interior pages and built an eye-catching book cover.
- Publishing: She navigated the self-publishing world on Amazon KDP to bring the final physical product to market.
Driven by Inspiration and Creativity
When asked what inspired her to tackle such a big project, Dulce’s answer was simple yet profound. She wanted to test her own limits—to “see how far she could get it to go”—while giving back to younger children.
“I wanted to inspire other kids and give them something so they have the opportunity to color, learn about sea animals and farm animals, and just be creative,” Dulce shared.
Her dedication didn’t go unnoticed at home either. Her mother offered heartfelt support, reminding her to “keep doing what you’re doing, stay consistent, be responsible, and follow your dreams.”
Advice for Fellow Students
For other students looking to turn their ideas into reality, Dulce emphasizes that success boils down to daily effort:
“Just be consistent and do your work. Everything you learn will benefit you—just have responsibility, and eventually it’ll pay off.”
What’s Next?
Dulce isn’t stopping here. With one published book already under her belt, she plans to keep creating and may expand into writing fully illustrated children’s storybooks in the future.
Congratulations, Dulce, on this incredible accomplishment!
Get Your Copy
Support Dulce’s journey by grabbing a copy of her book on Amazon: Purchase Dulce’s Coloring Book
