Support for Indie Authors discussion
Marketing Tactics
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Unlocking Secret Amazon Categories!
Annie wrote: "@Mr Justin: Everyone only gets to choose 2 categories. However, what the wonderful CB has shown us is how to slip into subcategories with specific tagsFor example, here's mine:
Books > Romance >..."
I get that part I wanted to know how you get to that page though.
I meant how do you type it in to determine which categories you fall under? It's clearly not the task bar that says title or keywords because nothing shows up.
Do you just click on where all the general categories are? Also your allowed 7 keywords when you go to edit details for your book.
@Mr Justin: You're allowed 2 categories and 7 keywords a.k.a. tags (I think we're in agreement here ^_~)Go to your book page and scroll all the way down to the bottom: "Look for Similar Items by Category"
And FYI, just because you add a keyword does not guarantee that you'll get into a subcategory. Personally, I've tried all the tags for "Rich & Wealthy" with no success. But... *shrugs*
Good luck!
Hugs,
Ann
Zoltán wrote: "This all tag combination reminds me of Doodle God.Combine fiction with magic: Fantasy.
Combine fiction with technology: Science fiction.
Combine fantasy with current life-style: contemporary fant..."
Thank you for putting this on here, Zoltan. It's a great help. Now I know what I need.
Annie wrote: "@Mr Justin: You're allowed 2 categories and 7 keywords a.k.a. tags (I think we're in agreement here ^_~)Go to your book page and scroll all the way down to the bottom: "Look for Similar Items by ..."
One thing to keep in mind; some tags, like Rich & Wealthy, are not subgenres, but qualifiers. If you go to the search page for Romance, you will see a lot of filter items that can be used in addition to categories. For example, my YA sci-fi has a romantic element, but there is no subgenre for scifi romance under teen & young adult, but there is a 'romantic' filter that can be checked.
Hi TL - Thank you for posting that link.Hi Annie - Thank you for posting your examples. I understand you are allowed 2 categories and 7 keywords. What I'm confused about is, can you use 7 keywords for both categories for 14 possible combinations Or are you limited to using just 7 keywords between 2 categories for 7 possible combinations?
Hi Christine - Does this mean you cannot write in your own keywords? Or would it work for you to use category Teen & Young Adult Romance/Science Fiction & Dystopian with keyword Science Fiction?
Hugs, Sue
You get seven keywords per book. You can write anything you want,within reason. For example: I cannot write 'bestseller', 'hunger games', or anything meant to deceive. The point of keywords *is* to refine customer's search experience, so it's best to stick with words that actually describe your book. You don't want to use categories as keywords because that is redundant. Not every category has keyword specific subgenres, so keep that in mind. I definitely recommend updating keywords regularly. Since I began publishing with KDP, the number of genres under scifi and fantasy has doubled. Urban fantasy wasn't even an option when I began and by the time I switched my books, it was already a flooded market with its own filters.
Thank you Christina for that information.I knew you couldn't write anything silly like what we were joking about before. I was wondering if you could write in things like "ghost" or "zombie" if they weren't listed in the keywords.
Sue (Dog Mom) wrote: "Thank you Christina for that information.I knew you couldn't write anything silly like what we were joking about before. I was wondering if you could write in things like "ghost" or "zombie" if t..."
Yep! I have actually used 'cheesy' and 'campy' as keywords at one point. ;)
I thought I understood how keywords worked on Amazon but this is making me think otherwise. So obviously you want to put in sub-genres of your book because putting in basic ones will get you lost in the shuffle of the thousands already listed under the same word, correct? Based off the last few comments or at least what I'm taking from it is you should list 2-3 ideal and reasonable genres your book is in and then for the next 4-5 keywords not to put genres but words related to your book?
Let's see if I have this right, here's an example I'll use my first book which is a book of Horror Poetry:
Horror Poetry, Horror, Creepy, Suspense, Gore, Eerie, Dark Poetry
would that seem reasonable or are my words too broad? Again that's just an example.
Mod
No no. Sorry, that was a joke.
I say I invented a genre because my books really don't fit anywhere specific. Amazon has yet to give me my own category though!
I really do wish I could click 3-4 categories per book. Two just isn't enough.
C.B. wrote: "I really do wish I could click 3-4 categories per book. Two just isn't enough. "
It so isn't. Grr.
I've recently put in "metaphysical and visionary" and got into that sub cat, so that's nifty. Don't know what it'll do, but hey, why not? hehe
Hmm, I used "female protagonist" for one of my new keywords, but have not seen my book appear in any new category. Are you changing the two options they give for categories also? Or just changing key words?
Well, after quite a few emails, I finally at least got 'psychological' after mystery suspense thrillers on one line under the Product info! It's really difficult to get 'psychological thriller'. I really wanted mystery psychological thriller, but they weren't having that. So, I take what I can get at this point. On the sequel cover, I will put 'psychological thriller' so I don't have to go through this. That's a pretty big market--psychological thrillers, don't you think? Why wouldn't they have a category for just that if someone wanted it?
Hi everyone,my biggest surprise was that my book got into totally different categories in different countries for the same keywords. Strange.
Anyway, does anyone know if the required keywords listed on this page (https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=A...) have to be separate keywords, or if it's okay to combine several of them into a single keyword phrase? For example: would "fun paranormal conspiracy" put the book in 3 categories, since all 3 words of this one keyword phrase are listed for separate categories?
Attila wrote: "Hi everyone,my biggest surprise was that my book got into totally different categories in different countries for the same keywords. Strange.
Anyway, does anyone know if the required keywords li..."
They would have to be separate.
Christina wrote: "They would have to be separate. "Thank you. Hmm, okay, so the next question is..... how exactly do these subcategories work? :)
I have my book in the "Mystery" category (that's one of the two I selected), so I open the keywords for the Mystery subcategories, and find "island" for example, which would be great, since the whole story takes place on an island. And I find "paranormal" which is so-so, still better than nothing.
So I add both "island" and "paranormal" as a keyword. Wait for the update, and...... the closest I get is "Supernatural" in the Canadian store, the others didn't even seem to care about these keywords.
@Atilla: Unfortunately, there's no sure guarantee for categories (besides the 2 main ones). You sorta have to play around with the tags and see what happens. Best of luck! :)
:DThat's not too encouraging. :)))
So... how soon will Amazon start hating me for changing the keywords every day? :)
ROFLMAO!! I was just trying to help. My apologies if it discouraged you at all...*backs away slowly*
P.S. - Amazon doesn't care about keywords. They only care if you sell books ^_~
Annie wrote: "Amazon doesn't care about keywords. They only care if you sell books ^_~"I'm assuming that when the status is "Changes under review", that means someone in the Amazon offices is manually looking at the changes I made, to see if they are acceptable. (Oh boy, I wouldn't want that job... :)) I imagine in my mind when the same person has to review the 15th change in a week for the same book... :D
But it's actually THEIR fault, they make it so complicated. :)))
I made changes to mine a few days ago, their not bland but not outrageous either. I kept it simple.
Attila wrote: "So... how soon will Amazon start hating me for changing the keywords every day? :)"I've never heard about Amazon caring about how often you change keywords. I changed mine just a couple days ago and then again today.
C.B. wrote: "Gippy wrote: "And Amazon allowed you to use it? Amazing!!! !"No no. Sorry, that was a joke.
I say I invented a genre because my books really don't fit anywhere specific. Amazon has yet to give m..."
Thanks for the reply. I have the opposite problem trying to get Amazon to take off one at least. I just wanted mystery psychological thriller, but they have mystery thriller suspense and finally added psychological at least.
C.B. wrote: "I accidentally found it! Hidden deep within the Amazon site, a way to determine what the secret categories are that you can unlock with keywords! I just edited my keywords and will see if this gets..."Thank you!
Nice to know we have some influence. I'm doing pretty well in a category I didn't know existed, and was wondering why.And at least I'm not 40-billionth in every category. I might crack the Hot 100.
Robert wrote: "And at least I'm not 40-billionth in every category. I might crack the Hot 100."Now, now, there's 35 billion at most ^_~ And please share when you crack the top 100!!!
Hugs,
Ann
Robert wrote: "Nice to know we have some influence."It might be a myth, but I've heard of people who simply e-mailed Amazon that they want to be in X category, and Amazon put them in there without any issues.
So if you have a category that you just can't get into, but feel that that would be the perfect one for you, this is worth a try.
(I was on the phone with KDP support the other day -- totally unrelated issue --, and they seemed very helpful.)
Attila wrote: "It might be a myth, but I've heard of people who simply e-mailed Amazon that they want to be in X category, and Amazon put them in there withou..."It's not a myth...they've done that for me several times. You have to do it for each country, though, as the categories are different in each country-specific store.
This is great info! Thanks for sharing!!
wow! This might be just what I need to get more exposure. Thanks so much for sharing!Erica;-)
Ken wrote: "Attila wrote: "It might be a myth, but I've heard of people who simply e-mailed Amazon that they want to be in X category, and Amazon put them in there withou..."It's not a myth...they've done th..."
I have tried that as well with no luck. Classic books that by rights should belong within it (as the genres have moved away from them) seems to provide no leverage.
Hmm. Very interesting...I gotta pester my Amazon dude about something else, so I'll ask him to stick me in a category too and see what happens. Shall report back.
Hugs,
Ann
Annie wrote: "Hmm. Very interesting...I gotta pester my Amazon dude about something else, so I'll ask him to stick me in a category too and see what happens. Shall report back.
Hugs,
Ann"
When you do, make sure to select the right category for your e-mail from the "Contact Us" link on KDP (there's actually a specific e-mail template for it).
Provide the ASIN, and the *full* path to your category, something like:
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > World Literature
@Mr Ken: Ah, thank you for telling me that. I was just gonna ask the same dude I already talk to cuz he's already "softened" hahaha!!But, okay. Will do. thanks again!!
Hugs,
Ann
Really great thread; thanks, CB, for starting it! I had the page bookmarked, however, I had yet to get to it. Glad I waited, as this thread was a big help in clarifying its' complexities. Thanks all! Now to go tweak my keywords again. haha =D
Has anyone managed to get their book into more than nine categories, based on those displayed at the bottom of your book page?
Thanks CB (and all) I hadn't looked at this in some time and I thought I'd report back some success. My short story managed to qualify for the following on Amazon.co.uk. NB. I do NOT know how it managed it's way into women writers, it will probably be dropped from that following a correction. Strange that Amazon uk and Amazon US differ.
•Books > Fiction > Short Stories
•Books > Fiction > Women Writers & Fiction
•Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Anthologies & Short Stories
•Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Colonisation
•Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Hard Science Fiction
•Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > High Tech
•Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Space Exploration
•Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > Single Authors
•Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Anthologies & Short Stories
•Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Colonisation
•Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Hard Science Fiction
•Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Space Exploration
Amazon.com
Look for Similar Items by Category
•Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories & Anthologies > Short Stories
•Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Colonization
•Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Exploration
•Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Hard Science Fiction
•Kindle Store > Kindle Short Reads > Two hours or more (65-100 pages) > Literature & Fiction
•Kindle Store > Kindle Short Reads > Two hours or more (65-100 pages) > Science Fiction & Fantasy
•Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > Single Authors
•Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Colonization
•Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Hard Science Fiction
•Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Space Exploration
Melanie wrote: "Has anyone managed to get their book into more than nine categories, based on those displayed at the bottom of your book page?"Don't think so.
You have the x3 categories (actual ones) that you can select from on your KDP bookshelf page.
Plus the 7? keywords that get you into the sub-genre-categories.
So, I think that would be 10 in total.
But that assumes your book falls under something for each of their categories.
My keywords ran out of relevant options, so I still stuck in a couple of my own choosing, that I hoped someone would search for.
Good luck all.
xx
C.J. wrote: "Annie wrote: "@Mr Thomas: Ooooh! That's awesome sauce!! Thank you for sharing!! Pretty please keep us updated >_<Hugs,
Ann"
Very helpful info! Thanks for sharing. Will put to use when I launch m..."
Hi C.J. - I just joined this group. I also write romance and am about to publish my first novel in the next couple of weeks. I read this entire thread and am little overwhelmed by all that I don't know. So how did it go for you? Did your key words work out well?
Mod
I have two books with the same keywords but they are in different categories.
No idea why. Still, it doesn't hurt to try!
I have 3 humorous memoir books available. The first was a TEASER book with just 10 stories from both the next two paid books. Available on Kindle only. And FREE. When it first hit the market - 2 weeks prior my first paid book, it was #1. New meat. Well, over time, I forgot that I could say "And her first book climbed to #1 on Amazon." So when I did realize to use that description about 6 months later, I wrote that in the description of that FREE book AND both paid books and 550+ copies were downloaded in one day. And it went to #1 again. So, now I can honestly say, "Her first publication made it to #1 on Amazon, TWICE." So far, one more #1 and then it has stayed around at 3 or 4 since a couple of month ago. I can't say BESTSELLER. I didn't sell it. It is a free publication. But the publicity is priceless.Has it helped me sell my paid books? A fraction maybe. But you can't take away my saying #1 rating and I use it now all the time - on website, on Amazon in description, everywhere...maybe you all can tweak this info for your campaign.
One of the odds things for my books is that I have put them in the urban fantasy category, but my books don't have those on the Ranking list at all, which is probably good since it's flooded, but you'd think I'd at least be placed there.
well, mine, Lily Poole, isn't a free book, but I've continued the last few days to try and get Amazon to amend my categories from the big hitters or Fiction > Horror > Contemporary Horror to something more manageable and likely to get notice, with the word Scottish in it. Nothing back. Blanked. No reply. No change. What's a good way of getting something done?
For example, here's mine:
Books > Romance > Contemporary
Books > Romance > Romantic Comedy
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Romance
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Contemporary
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Romantic Comedy
Romance and Contemporary are my categories, but by adding "comedy" as a tag, I was able to sneak into a smaller subcategory.
Hope that helps!!
Hugs,
Ann