Amazon has rolled out some significant changes to how their category system works. In the past, it was as easy as selecting BISAC categories and adding up to 10 more through a form. But now, things are a bit different. Amazon presents you with a list of categories, and you can choose just three. No need to fill out those forms like we used to. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? But wait, there are actually three essential things you should know about when you’re navigating this process.

1

Out of all the categories you can pick from in KDP, a surprising 54 percent of them are basically copies of others. Take, for instance, the category “strings.” You can find variations of it throughout KDP, but they all lead to the same place. Now, you might be thinking, “Avoid duplicates, right?” Well, not quite! Picking a duplicate has its perks. First, Amazon allows you to choose another duplicate from that category, which is pretty handy. What’s even more interesting is that if your book performs well in a duplicate category, it can land you in subcategories under both duplicate strings. So, understanding which ones are duplicates and exploring the potential category combos can be a clever strategy.

2

Now, here’s the scoop on the second secret: Shadow categories (a term I coined, and it fits like a glove!). These categories make up over 27 percent of what’s listed on KDP, and they’re a bit of an enigma. Picture this: If your book finds its way into one of these shadowy categories, you can’t climb the ranks or snag a bestseller badge for that spot. They’re sort of like the “no man’s land” of categories, hence the name, shadow categories. Got it?

Now, here’s how you can spot them: When you click on a link in KDP to a shadow category (but not always), you won’t even see the category name at the top; it simply reads “bestsellers” or “top-rated.” Quite different from the usual category links in KDP, like “historical mystery.”

But here’s the kicker – the links in KDP aren’t directly linked to the category page itself; they point to something called a browser node of that category. When you peek at the actual category pages, the difference is clear. The shadow category lacks a name, and there’s no category tree on the left; it’s just empty. What’s frustrating is that if you’re in a shadow category, you can’t score a bestseller tag for that specific category. However, you can become a bestseller for the subcategory above it. So, in a nutshell, selecting a shadow category might put you in a tougher spot.

As you can see, nabbing a bestseller tag for a shadow category you’ve chosen is a no-go. Plus, shoppers can’t even stumble upon that elusive category page to discover your book. And a whopping 27 percent of all KDP categories fall into the shadowy realm. So, it’s best to steer clear of these tricky categories or, at the very least, be extra cautious not to pick multiple shadow categories within the same section.

3

Amazon’s fine print does reveal an interesting tidbit: they possess the ability to overlook the categories you’ve handpicked and, instead, slot your book into categories of their choosing. In their FAQ page, they explain, “We reserve the right to change the categories of a book at any time to ensure a positive customer experience. The categories you add and the categories shown online may not always match; your book may be added to additional or different categories to improve the customer experience.”

Now, let’s dive into how Amazon’s algorithm determines which categories are the right fit for your book. It’s quite straightforward, really. They rely on the keywords you’ve incorporated into your book and your seven Kindle keywords to determine if your book aligns with the category you’ve selected. Moreover, if they detect that you’re using specific keywords that are a good match for another category, they utilize that information to assign you to more categories so I now recommend that authors allocate one or two of their seven Kindle keyword slots for category-related keywords..

I get it; it might sound a bit overwhelming, and some of these details might have flown over your head. But no worries Here is the step-by-step process to research, find, and select Amazon categories:

1. Research a list of potential book categories
2. Check for the #1 best seller in your chosen categories
3. See the list of all Amazon book categories
4. Add your categories to your book in KDP

I found these free tools to check categories and you may find them useful too:
https://www.kindleranker.com/articles/kdp-category-browser/
https://nerdybookgirl.com/book-category-hunter/

I understand that this may seem like a lot to take in, but it’s truly invaluable information for authors, especially when you’re selecting your three categories. It’s quite surprising that Amazon even has these shadow categories, but I’ve encountered various issues with them. Some of these categories even sport names like “name later.” Perhaps Amazon will work on improvements or changes down the line, and if they do, rest assured that I’ll keep you in the loop.