More importantly, Amazon has made some changes to the way they do categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And in this article, I will show you all of that, plus more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, you will learn:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Exactly what categories can do for your book<\/li>\n
- How to find the best categories to make you a bestseller<\/li>\n
- Secret Kindle Categories and how to get them<\/li>\n
- How to see all the categories a book ranks for<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Table of Contents<\/h2>
- How to Become a #1 Bestselling Amazon Author<\/a>
- Here\u2019s an example:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How to Find the Amazon Book Categories<\/a><\/li>
- WARNING: Choose Your Categories Wisely<\/a><\/li>
- Step 1 : Research Potential Book Categories on Amazon<\/a>
- Option 3: Use Publisher Rocket to Search Categories<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Step 2 : Check the #1 Best Seller in that Category<\/a><\/li>
- Step 3 : See List of All Amazon Book Categories<\/a><\/li>
- Step 4 : Adding the Categories to Your Book in KDP<\/a><\/li>
- Extra Tips and Tricks to Amazon Book Categories:<\/a>
- Secret #1 : The Categories Shown in KDP Are Amazon Categories, Not BISACS<\/a><\/li>
- Secret #2 : How to See All of the Categories a Book Ranks For (because they're hidden now)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Now Go Get Listed For Your Ideal\u00a0 Categories and Become a Bestseller<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s also an award winning author tool<\/a> that will do all of this for you as well, saving hours of work by showing every possible Amazon Category<\/a> in one list.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a>How to Become a #1 Bestselling Amazon Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Being a number #1 bestseller on Amazon isn\u2019t just about the cool points, it also helps you sell more books as well<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, how does an author not only ensure they make that rank, but keep it too? Well, let\u2019s dive into how Amazon chooses which book is the #1 bestseller of a category. It all starts with your book\u2019s Amazon Best Seller Rank (ABSR).<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Amazon](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Amazon-Best-Seller-Number-on-an-Amazon-Page.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nAmazon assigns the ABSR of a book based on how many sales or downloads it has had over a certain period of time as compared to all other books on the Amazon market. With this, if you have an ABSR of 1000, then it means that at that point in time, there are 999 books on Amazon selling better than you. If you have an ABSR of 1,000,000, then it means there are 999,999 books selling better than you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, if your book has the LOWEST ABSR of all books that are attached to an Amazon category, then you are the #1 best seller in that category. It is that simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, choosing your Amazon Kindle categories or book categories will have a direct effect on whether or not you become a bestseller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s an example:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If you choose a category where the #1 book in that category has an ABSR of 2,000, then you\u2019d need to have an ABSR or 1,999 or less in order to be the new #1. Using my kindle calculator<\/a>, you\u2019d find out that you\u2019d need to sell over 90 books per day to reach that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, if you choose a category where the #1 book has an ABSR of 70,000, then all you need is an ABSR of 69,999 or less. Again, using my calculator<\/a>, that\u2019s only 3 books a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Big difference, right? 90 books vs 3 books?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, the category you choose has a DIRECT effect on whether you\u2019ll become an Amazon Best Seller and get that attractive bestseller tag. Now, let's look at how to find the best Amazon categories for your book or ebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>How to Find the Amazon Book Categories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are two steps to finding out how to choose a good kindle category or Amazon book category. Follow the steps below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For this, I will be using an example. In this example, I will be trying to find a good category for a language book:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But First, the Old Way<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Okay, so back in the day, Amazon had a confusing system by which authors could choose their categories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, they would go into their KDP dashboard, and choose from a list of BISAC categories. This was crazy because there are only 4,800 categories, but Amazon actually has over 11,000 on their store.
From there, Amazon would take from your BISAC selection and put you into an Amazon category. Then, those that knew of this, could use a special form to contact Amazon and request a change of categories, and even addition of categories. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHowever, Amazon has removed this capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So because Amazon has removed this option, I'll walk you through a more complete process of finding potential categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The New Way<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Instead, here is the step-by-step process to research, find, and select Amazon categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Research a list of potential book categories<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Check for the #1 best seller in your chosen categories<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- See the list of all Amazon book categories<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Add your categories to your book in KDP<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Let's get into each step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WARNING: <\/mark>Choose Your Categories Wisely<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Because Amazon only allows three categories (where they used to allow ten), this makes it even more important than ever that you use a program like Publisher Rocket to select your book categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And with Rocket's Category Insights tool, it is easier than ever to not only see the performance of a category today, but also whether that category is growing or shrinking.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2023-06-01-10_01_06-Publisher-Rocket.png\")
Captured in Publisher Rocket<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n If you see a category with an upward trend like in the image above, that might be a good sign that your category is a good one to invest in for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, I have some specific advice to get the most out of your categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Pick Relevant Categories:<\/strong> Authors have been miscategorizing their books (in the hopes of ranking well in low-competition category) for years now. This will not work for you in the long run. Only pick categories that are relevant to your book. Otherwise, Amazon might boot you from the categories, or place you in other categories that you simply do not want.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Niche Down:<\/strong> When entering your categories, you want to drill down as far as you can go into the subcategories. These will not only have the least competition, but it will give Amazon a better idea of what your book is about. Plus, if you pick a subcategory, Amazon automatically includes you in the broader categories above it. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Think Outside the Box: <\/strong>While your book may best belong in a high-competition category, there may be other niche categories that you belong in. For example, if you write an epic fantasy, the category of “Epic Fantasy” will likely be crowded. You should still select that one, because it's the most relevant, but maybe your book has Norse Mythology elements as well. In that case, you could select “Norse Mythology” as a second category. Try to pick categories that represent a broad array of interests, rather than three that are all closely related.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Ultimately, picking and choosing your categories is going to be a much more meticulous process. You will want to pay extra attention to Publisher Rocket to analyze the data and only pick the category that best matches your book, but also some categories that are niche and growing over time.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"You](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/choose-wisely.gif\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nAdditionally, this presents a good opportunity to search for new categories that need more books, which you can then target and write yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But even then, there are some major issues with the category options that Amazon gives you, and there are a few things you need to know about this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Secret #1: <\/mark>54% of Categories Are Duplicates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Many authors don't realize that the MAJORITY of categories on Amazon are duplicates, meaning that if you select 2-3 of these as part of your three categories, you are really selecting only one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, these three category strings (which can all be selected independently as three categories in KDP), all lead to this single page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Books \u203a Mystery, Thriller & Suspense \u203a Mystery \u203a Historical<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Books \u203a Literature & Fiction \u203a Historical Fiction \u203a Mysteries<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Books \u203a Literature & Fiction \u203a Genre Fiction \u203a Historical \u203a Mysteries<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Now you may be thinking that I\u2019d recommend staying away from duplicates. Actually, no. They can be a good thing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First thing about duplicates is that when you select a duplicate, Amazon won\u2019t allow you to select another duplicate of that category. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, if you\u2019re in a duplicate placement, if your book\u2019s sales do really good, then you will show up in the sub-categories in all the duplicate strings. So, knowing which ones are duplicates and the possible category strings you can be a part of is a good strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, the only manual way you can figure out whether something is a duplicate is by clicking on a category placement in KDP and see if other categories are greyed out. But this can be problematic because many times duplicates are in different subcategories and even broad categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Good luck trying to find them all, too – we even saw one category with over 15 duplicates!)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Publisher](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Publisher-Rocket-Duplicate-Categories-1024x569.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHowever, with Publisher Rocket this is incredibly easy. As you can see in the screenshot above, Publisher Rocket will mark if that category is a duplicate and by hovering over it, you can see where the other duplicates are listed. The best option is when you find a duplicate that not only the other duplicates fit your book, but they are in other sub categories and even broad categories. Then you\u2019re book gets even more coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Secret #2: <\/mark>27% of Categories are Ghost Categories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This is another EXTREMELY important piece of information. Over 27% of Categories that you can select in the KDP dashboard are what I call a “Ghost Category.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are categories where if your book is listed in it, you can't get a bestseller tag for it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, this is what a normal category looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Normal](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Normal-Amazon-Category-1024x410.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nAnd here is what a ghost category looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Ghost](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Ghost-Amazon-Category-1024x406.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nNotice that in the ghost category it doesn\u2019t even have a name. The Ghost category doesn\u2019t have a category path on the left either. Furthermore, you can\u2019t find the ghost category in the category path in the normal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s because it isn\u2019t really a category. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s worse is, because of this, a shopper on Amazon can\u2019t even find this category page. They would just have to know the link. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, ghost categories not only don\u2019t let you get a bestseller tag, shoppers can\u2019t even find your book in that ghost category. And 27% of categories that you can select in KDP are like this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Essentially, ghost categories don't directly benefit you, and basically have you compete only in the subcategory above it. However, they might be necessary as the only way to get into the desired category above them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More importantly, you should absolutely NOT select multiple ghost categories inside of one placement. <\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Example](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Example-of-Ghost-Categories-in-KDP.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFor example, all three of these placement categories in the above screengrab are Ghosts, and if you selected all three, you'd basically be wasting your three choices, and just be put into Paranormal & Urban (the subcategory above it)… and that's it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Secret #3: <\/mark>Amazon Chooses How Many Categories You Can Be In<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What we've seen from our data analysis and in discussions with a lot of other authors, is that you can choose your 3 categories, but Amazon makes no guarantees that you will be placed in those categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, we've often seen Amazon place your book in additional<\/em> categories that you didn't select.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That's because Amazon is not just pulling from your chosen categories, they're looking at the big picture. And they even explicitly state in their TOS that they reserve the right to change the categories you are in:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Amazon](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Amazon-Will-Choose-Other-Categories.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nSo keep that in mind, that Amazon might also be selecting the most appropriate categories based on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Your selections<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Keywords<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Your book description<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Your book's content<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
This is another reason why you should not be deceptive in your selection of categories. Because if they aren't accurate and relevant for your book, Amazon will likely figure this out and take you out of those categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So this is good news and bad news: The good news is that you might be able to get into other categories by carefully optimizing your keywords and other content. The bad news is that you're not guaranteed that even your 3 chosen categories will be accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 1<\/mark>: Research Potential Book Categories on Amazon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Did you know there are over 11,000+ Amazon Categories? But sadly, Amazon doesn\u2019t just list them all in one spot somewhere (except that this program<\/a> does, incase you want to see all 11,000+)- if they did, I\u2019d be a super happy camper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, we need to \u2018find\u2019 pertinent (but niche) categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Option 1: Find Categories for Specific Books<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
So, to start this, we\u2019ll begin by typing into the Amazon search box any words to describe our book. Our goal is to get a list of books that are similar to our book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will then systematically go through each book and check their category list like below:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/List-of-Amazon-Book-Categories.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nDoing the above, I checked out other books and found the following categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Language Experience Approach (Kindle Store)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Education Reference Books<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Language Instruction \u2013 Miscellaneous (Kindle Store)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Foreign Language Study & Reference (Kindle Store)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Linguistics Books<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Test Preparation Books<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Pedagogy (I actually had to look up what this word meant..haha)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Study & Teaching (Kindle Store)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Words, Language & Grammar Books<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Memory Improvement (Kindle Store)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Option 2: Browse Through Amazon's Categories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Another option is to simply browse through Amazon's categories by going to the sidebar and drilling down until you find the specific categories that you want. See this image:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Amazon](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/amazon-category-browsing-1024x497.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nOption 3: Use Publisher Rocket to Search Categories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The above two options take a LOT of time to work through. You can save hours of time spent searching through books and categories by simply using the category feature in Rocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And not only that, Publisher Rocket shows you all of the categories that are duplicates or ghost categories, so you can make more informed decisions on whether to select those categories or not.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Publisher](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Publisher-Rocket-New-Colume-to-Identify-Ghost-and-Duplicate-Categories-1024x569.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nStep 2<\/mark>: Check the #1 Best Seller in that Category<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Now that we have a list of potential categories, it\u2019s time to see which one has the best chance of making me a consistent bestseller. To do this, just click category link on a book's sales page. This will take you to the list of Bestsellers for that Category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next, click on the #1 best selling book in that Amazon book category. Now, go down to its ABSR and record that number next to the category name in your notes. This is the ABSR number you\u2019d need to beat in order to be the #1 bestseller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you have a list of all the categories and their #1 best seller ABSR, place them into the Kindle Calculator below or here<\/a> and it will tell you how many books you\u2019d need to sell today in order to be the #1 best selling author in that category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\t\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\t
- Niche Down:<\/strong> When entering your categories, you want to drill down as far as you can go into the subcategories. These will not only have the least competition, but it will give Amazon a better idea of what your book is about. Plus, if you pick a subcategory, Amazon automatically includes you in the broader categories above it. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Pick Relevant Categories:<\/strong> Authors have been miscategorizing their books (in the hopes of ranking well in low-competition category) for years now. This will not work for you in the long run. Only pick categories that are relevant to your book. Otherwise, Amazon might boot you from the categories, or place you in other categories that you simply do not want.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Secret #2 : How to See All of the Categories a Book Ranks For (because they're hidden now)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Step 2 : Check the #1 Best Seller in that Category<\/a><\/li>
- How to Find the Amazon Book Categories<\/a><\/li>
- Here\u2019s an example:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How to Become a #1 Bestselling Amazon Author<\/a>
![](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/amazon-rank-calculator\/logo-plugin.jpg\"){kind=icon}
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