You might not want to put your book in a box or a genre or a category, but you have to, because that’s how a lot of readers find their next book.
Many authors resist this categorization, and it is difficult when you first start out, but it’s a fundamental of book marketing, so you need to understand and use it for your book.
I know words like metadata, keywords, search engine optimization, and algorithms can blow people’s minds, but this side of things is an important part of being an indie author!
In this article, I’ll cover how to choose the right categories for your book, how many you can choose on Amazon, how to find the keywords readers actually search for, what not to use as keywords, and how a keyword change in my book title increased sales ten times.
Choose the right category
The category or genre reader has expectations, and if you don’t meet them, they will be disappointed, and you’ll get bad reviews.
That’s not to say that you need to follow any specific rules while you’re writing, but when you publish the book, you will have to choose which categories to use, and they need to be meaningful.
If you have a publisher, they will do this for you, but it’s best to discuss it with them anyway.
It’s important to match reader expectations and the promise of what your book delivers with what your book is actually about. There is no point having a book with a pastel romantic comedy cover in the horror category. It won’t sell, however good it is.
How many categories can you choose on Amazon?
On Amazon KDP, you choose three categories for your book directly in your KDP dashboard when you publish. Ebook, paperback, and hardback editions each have their own categories and rankings, so check them for every format.
You can no longer ask Amazon to add your book to extra categories, and you can’t use keywords to get into categories either. Amazon may place your book in other relevant categories, or change a category that doesn’t fit your book, so choose categories that honestly match what your book is about.
You can change your categories at any time from your KDP Bookshelf, and it can take up to 72 hours for the changes to show. Here’s Amazon’s current guidance on KDP categories.
The other stores and distributors, like Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play Books, and Draft2Digital, have their own category lists, often based on the BISAC subject codes used across the book industry. You’ll choose a small number when you upload, so use the same research to pick the closest matches.
How to find categories that fit your book
If you can, choose a category that fits your book and is easier to rank in.
If you’re struggling to decide, go back to your list of comparison authors and books.
Look up each book on Amazon and scroll down to the Best Sellers Rank, which shows the categories it’s shelved in and how well it’s selling. Then spend some time browsing those categories and ask:
- Do they show books like yours?
- How competitive are they?
- Are there more specific sub-categories where your book would stand out?
Some categories on the list are near-duplicates of others or have very few books in them, so always check what a category looks like on the store before you choose it.
This can be time-consuming to do manually and personally, I’d rather spend my time researching obscure artifacts in dusty museums, writing more books, or just getting on with life. Perhaps you feel that way too!
I suspect this is all too common in the indie author community, because we want to use data, but we aren’t too keen on the process for getting it or working out how to use it.
So if you’d rather use a tool to help you, check out Publisher Rocket, which helps you research categories and is also useful for keywords.
I also recommend K-lytics, which has some fantastic, reasonably priced genre reports that go into the best target sub-categories to use, as well as recommendations for comparison authors, keywords, and more.
Alex, who runs K-lytics, is an absolute data geek, and he spends his time combing the Amazon rankings and categories for insights that will help. He loves this stuff, so you don’t have to! Check out the reports at TheCreativePenn.com/genre.
Choosing the right keywords
Keywords and search engine optimization have been important for a long time in the online world, particularly for ranking on the first few pages of the search engines so that people can find you.
But these principles are also important for your book page on the retail stores. Keywords are a critical part of the metadata that helps readers discover your book.
I realize this might sound like gobbledegook, so I will explain further using the example of my non-fiction book, and also my novels, because keywords are just as important for fiction authors.
What is a keyword?
A keyword is a word or phrase that is associated with your book. It’s based on the words that people use to search online, and this is a crucial aspect, because often the language you use is not the language that your customers might use.
For example, many of us use the terms ‘indie author’ or ‘indie publishing,’ but a new author who is not yet in the community would only recognize ‘publishing’ or ‘self-publishing.’
Importantly, a keyword is not just one word, and that is critical to remember as you go through the following process. For example, my thriller Ark of Blood is associated with the keyword phrase “ark of the covenant,” and my non-fiction book with “career change.”
So, how do you come up with keywords for your book, and how do you use them?
(1) Understand how Amazon keywords work
On Amazon KDP, you get seven keyword boxes. Each one can hold a short phrase of up to around 50 characters.
Amazon indexes each word you enter, so you don’t need to repeat words across the boxes, and you don’t need to repeat words that are already in your title, subtitle, author name, or categories. Use the space for different phrases that readers might type.
Keywords won’t get your book into extra categories, so use them for the specific words and phrases people search for, like themes, settings, character types, and the kind of story or problem your book covers.
You can change your keywords at any time, so start with your best research and update them as you learn what works.
(2) Generate words and phrases to use as keywords
Amazon is a search engine for people who want to buy things, including your book! It has an auto-complete tool that shows a drop-down of words and phrases as you type.
Just start typing into the search bar, and make sure you’re in the Books or Kindle Store section if you want to narrow the search down.
Try it now. Go to Amazon and start typing a word or phrase you want to check into the search bar. For example, when I type in ‘career c,’ it comes up with all kinds of phrases that start that way, like career change, career coaching, and career counseling.
This can help you with more than just keywords for your existing book. It can also help you come up with ideas for new topics, particularly with non-fiction.
Make a list of all the words and phrases that are associated with your book. For fiction, that might include themes, places, things, and anything concrete that you can hang your book off.
For Ark of Blood, that might include ark of the covenant, Israel, Jerusalem, and freemasons, as those are some themes and places in the book, so people searching for those things might be interested in it.
For my non-fiction book, Career Change, I used phrases like career change, what should I do with my life, career help, hate my job, and choosing a career.
Try to be as specific as possible in order to find your target audience. For example, the word ‘pain’ could relate to back pain, the pain of grief, the pain of divorce, and many more options, so use keyword phrases where possible.
You can also use tools to help you generate keyword ideas (which you can also use for marketing). Publisher Rocket will help you analyze keyword ideas and categories, and has specific options for Amazon Ads.
Google also has a free Keyword Planner that shows what search terms people are using and how popular they are. It’s primarily for advertisers, so you need a Google Ads account, but you don’t need to spend any money to use it.
(3) Know what not to use as keywords
Amazon has guidelines for keywords, and if you break them, your book may be removed from search results or have its categories changed. Don’t use:
- Other authors’ names or the titles of their books
- Claims about quality, like ‘bestseller’ or ‘best thriller’
- Time-sensitive words, like ‘new’ or ‘on sale’
- Amazon program names, like Kindle Unlimited, or brand names you don’t own
- Words that misrepresent what your book is about
- Quotation marks or HTML
Check Amazon’s current keyword guidelines before you publish, as they are updated from time to time.
(4) Add the keywords into your book metadata
Once you have a list of keywords, you can use these in your book metadata, the fields that the publishing sites use to understand your book.
You can also use keywords in your subtitle and in your book description. Remember that your cover must match the title and subtitle that you enter, so you can’t just stuff them full of keywords. Your text should be written for humans first.
Keywords are also useful for targeting Amazon Ads, and for the words you use on your website and in your marketing.
Non-fiction authors can use this type of research to make a decision on their book title or, at least, their subtitle. There’s no point in your title meaning something to you but nothing to anyone else.
Too often, authors will decide on a title that has emotional resonance for them, but they would be better off using specific keywords that will help customers find them more easily.
How a keyword change in my book title boosted sales 10x
I wrote my first non-fiction book as a labor of love and the book of my heart. I spent 13 years as a miserable business consultant, a cubicle slave like so many others.
In 2006, I embarked on a journey to find work I could be passionate about because I felt like I was wasting my life. In 2008, I published the result of that journey in How to Enjoy Your Job … or Get a New One.
Yes, seriously. That was my brilliant book title! But it turns out that most people don’t want to enjoy their job.
As I started to learn about book marketing, I discovered the importance of keywords. I did some keyword searches on Amazon and also checked the number of monthly searches on Google. At the time, ‘how to enjoy your job’ had 5,400 global monthly searches, whereas ‘career change’ had 165,000.
I decided to change my title as well as the cover, and in 2012, after learning a lot more about craft as well as book marketing, I rewrote and republished the book as Career Change: Stop Hating Your Job, Discover What You Really Want to Do with Your Life, and Start Doing It!
Sales increased by a factor of ten, which is significant even though the overall sales are pretty small for most of the year, spiking in January during self-help season.
I don’t speak on this topic, and it doesn’t fit with my other non-fiction books, so the sales are mainly due to people searching for that keyword.
I also got media attention from journalists searching for ‘career change’ and finding the book online. I’ve featured as a career change expert on national TV and radio in Australia and the UK, as well as in national and local newspapers.
It’s also interesting to note that none of them asked who I was published by, so being self-published is no barrier to media attention as long as your product (and you) are professional. Of course, there was no sales spike from the extra media attention, but it’s good for social proof.
Categories and keywords are critical for visibility in the online bookstores, so it’s well worth putting in some effort here to work out where your book fits.
Frequently asked questions about book categories and keywords
How many categories can I choose on Amazon KDP?
Three per format, chosen in your KDP dashboard. You can’t request extra categories, but Amazon may place your book in other relevant categories.
How many keywords does Amazon KDP allow?
Seven keyword boxes, each holding a short phrase. Use different words in each box, and don’t repeat words from your title, subtitle, or categories.
Can keywords get my book into more categories?
Not any more. Use your keywords for the phrases readers search for, and choose your three categories directly.
Can I change my categories and keywords after publishing?
Yes, at any time from your KDP Bookshelf. Changes can take up to 72 hours to appear.
Do I need a tool to research categories and keywords?
No. You can do it manually using Amazon’s search bar and the Best Sellers Rank on comparable books. Tools like Publisher Rocket and K-lytics reports just save you time.
Want more help?
Categories, keywords, and sales descriptions are covered alongside the rest of the publishing process in Successful Self-Publishing, Fourth Edition, which is also available as a free ebook. And here’s how to self-publish an ebook, step by step.
