A lot of people talk about how valuable it is to get your book published on Amazon and become an Amazon bestseller, and how this depends greatly on which category you choose. But the fact is, what you’ve heard about becoming an Amazon bestseller to increase book sales doesn’t hold much truth. So many writers brag about being the number one bestseller just for the name alone. They choose categories that are less competitive just for the sake of earning that tag to their name. But that does little in increasing the sales of your book and gaining more profit.
The aim of publishing is not to become a bestseller in a particular category (I don’t mean being an Amazon bestseller is not valued, don’t get me wrong. It just doesn’t add much), but to maximize sales and get connected with the best readers that will value your book. Now here’s the gist: you need to choose the right category where your audience is. This is how you can upscale your book sales.
In this article, we will be exploring a few steps on how you can find the best category on Amazon KDP for your book. Excited already? So am I. Let’s jump on it!
1. Make your research on potential categories
Amazon has thousands of categories for you to select from while seeking to publish your book. But they won’t be compiled in one page. This means you will have to comb through the site for the best category for your book. There are three steps to follow that will make it easier for you to find the perfect category:
Look out for keywords. Keywords serve as a link between you and your audience. Bring up several keywords that best talk about your book. When you’re done, put these words on the search engine, and the results will pop up on your screen. The books that have a similar genre to yours are your competitors.
Dealing with competitors. Bear in mind that you are trying to sell to readers who have purchased the books of your competitors, so paying attention to the category of your competitors is ideal. Each of these books has different categories selected by the authors. Check these categories for the one that most appeals to your book.
Look for bestsellers. This will also help you in your research. In each category you select, check on their bestsellers. If your competitors happen to fall among these bestsellers, then you follow their lead.
Related: 5 Benefits of Using People Search Engine
2. Selecting the right category
Your mind should be set on what you aim at achieving. When choosing a category, focus on the ones that will generate more sales for you, not the obscure categories that will only earn you bestseller status. Since you seek visibility, you should put your books where the right readers are and where you are likely to get more traffic. You don’t just pick random categories for your book. Or alternatively, you can make use of a free book category tool, to help you filter the best categories for your book.
For each top-level category, there are other subcategories under them. So even if you pick from the subcategories, your book will automatically be pushed to the top-level category. You can select up to 10 different categories, so long as your book meets all the criteria.
3. Getting additional categories
On Amazon KDP, the algorithm on the visibility of your can be increased by adding to the number of categories you’re into. Visibility remains the backbone for getting more readers, which will lead to sales. The platform gives you room to select only two categories directly from them. But to expand the number, you would need to run an easy task. Here is a step-by-step guide that will lead you through:
- Log in to your Amazon KDP account.
- Scroll through the homepage till you see a “Contact Us” icon. Clicking it will direct you to a fresh page where you’d see a few drop-down boxes. In the first drop, click “My books”.
Head over to the second drop-down and click “Update information about a book.”
- Click on “Browse categories.”
- Select “I want to update my book’s browse categories.”
- Once you’re done with this, you can choose if you want to be contacted by phone or by email.
- Ensure that your ASIN and your book title are ready and also the category where you want your book to be added. If you have issues finding your book’s ASIN, you can locate it on your Kindle page, under the “Product Information” option. And you’re ready to start bagging in your sales.
Summary
Successful sales can only be achieved on Amazon KDP when the right knowledge is implored. To hit massive sales and connect with the right readers for your book, careful placement of the book in the right category does the trick. So instead of aiming for the badge of an Amazon bestseller, seek top-level categories where your book can fit in, and watch the sales troop in.
