Amazon has become the largest eCommerce company in the world. They sell books, music, movies, electronics, toys, clothing, shoes, home goods, etc. The question is, how can you get started selling on Amazon?

Amazon offers two ways to sell on its site: through its own program called Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or through third-party sellers such as FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon). In this article, we’ll show you how to create your own book category using Amazon’s KDP system (see also ‘How To Get Book Reviews On Amazon KDP (Guide To Success)‘).

What Is KDP Exactly?

Kindle Direct Publishing, or KPD, is Amazon’s self-publishing platform that allows authors to publish their work directly to Amazon’s massive audience. Authors can create e-books and paperback books, all while avoiding the hefty fees associated with traditional publishers.

With KDP, authors can choose to upload their book files themselves or use one of several third-party tools to help them prepare their books for publication. Once uploaded, authors can set up pricing tiers and start selling their books immediately.

Authors don’t have to worry about paying upfront fees to Amazon until they’ve sold enough copies of their book to qualify for those fees. But once they hit that threshold, they’ll begin making money off of Amazon’s cut of each sale.

What Are The Main Benefits Of KDP?

You Can Publish E-Books And Paperbacks

With KDP, you have two options for selling your books: Kindle e-book or paperback. If you decide to sell a Kindle e-book, Amazon will print your e-book and send it directly to customers’ Kindles. This is great because it saves you money upfront since you don’t have to buy bulk copies of your book. Plus, you won’t have to worry about shipping costs.

But wait, there’s more! When you use the Kindle Direct Publishing program, you can also offer paperback versions of your book, too. In fact, you can do both simultaneously. For example, you could sell a Kindle e-book version of your book and a paperback version of your book. Or you could sell one or the other. Either way, you’re saving yourself money.

No Need To Purchase Bulk Inventory

Another big advantage of KDP is that you don’t have to pay upfront for bulk inventory. Instead, you can upload your files whenever you want. Then, once you finish uploading your book, Amazon will print it and ship it to customers for you.

What Are The Main KDP Categories?

Browse Categories are the sections of the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) site where authors can place books. Authors can select up to five Browse Categories during title setup.

These categories help organize books into groups based on the subject. For example, fiction might include romance, mystery, science fiction, etc. Each category contains subcategories, such as “romance,” “mystery,” and “science fiction.”

The KDP team recommends selecting the most relevant categories for your book. As a general rule, avoid choosing too many categories because it makes it harder for readers to find what they want.

Also, don’t use Browse Categories to segregate books into different genres. If you do this, readers won’t see your books together unless they know exactly what they’re looking for.

Why Do Amazon KDP Categories Matter?

The most obvious way to browse products is via the site’s main homepage. But if you’re looking for something specific, you might want to check out one of the site’s many subcategories.

For example, if you’re interested in buying a Kindle, you could start by browsing the Kindle section. Or if you’re shopping for video games, you could look up the best action-adventure game list.

But what if your book isn’t listed anywhere? What if your book doesn’t fit into any of the existing categories? You’d probably assume that Amazon just hasn’t added your book yet. That assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.

In fact, Amazon uses a complex algorithm to determine which books to display in each category. This algorithm takes into account factors like popularity, customer reviews, and even the number of times a particular book has been searched for.

If your book isn’t listed in any of the categories, don’t worry. There are still plenty of ways to promote your book on Amazon. Just make sure that you’re promoting it in the right places.

How Do You Choose The Correct Category For Your Book?

The best way to narrow down your choices for a book category is to start with a massive list of potential options. You’ll want to make sure that each option includes enough information about what makes it unique.

Once you’ve got a good idea of what kinds of books are already out there, you can use those lists to find similar books. Then, once you’re done comparing, you can keep narrowing things down until you’ve found the perfect fit.

Building A List Of KDP Categories

To build a list of relevant book categories, you first need a good understanding of what your book is about. You might think it’s obvious, but many authors don’t realize that there are multiple ways to categorize books. For example, some people classify books into one of three broad categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Children’s Books.

Others divide books into four main categories: Biographies, Memoirs, Self-Help, and Business & Investing. Still others group books into six major categories: History, Science & Technology, Humorous, Literary Classics, Mystery/Thriller, and Romance. If you want to make sure that your book fits within one of those categories, you’ll need to do some research.

There are several online tools that help you figure out what category best describes your book. For example, you can use the free Kindle Book Finder tool to see what categories your book belongs to. Just enter the ISBN number of your book and hit “Search.”

Identifying Categories That Have Good Traffic And Competition

The key to finding great book categories is identifying those with high volumes of traffic and low levels of competition.

To do this, you can make use of this tool: Amazon’s Search Console. This free service allows you to see how many people are searching for books within each category. You can also see what keywords are being used to find books within each category.

Once you’ve identified potential categories, you can take a closer look at each one to determine whether it’s worth pursuing. 

Securing Bonus Categories By Contacting Support KDP

When you first upload your book into the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) system, you’re given just two options for categorization: Genre and Series/Book Title. But there are several ways to expand those categories beyond what’s offered during the initial setup process. Here’s how to go about adding categories to your books once they’ve been published.

Add Categories After Your Book Is Published

If you decide to wait until your book is live on the site to add categories, you’ll have to make sure that you’re logged into your account.

Once you’re logged in, head over to the Books tab on the left side of the screen. Then, scroll down to the bottom of the list and click “Manage Categories.” From here, you can choose from one of three different methods to add categories to your book:

1. Click “Add New Category,” and type in whatever category you’d like to add. This method allows you to add multiple categories at once.
2. Click “Edit Existing Category,” and then click “New Subcategory.” Type in the name of the subcategory you’d like to add, and then click “Save.” Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each additional category you’d like to include.
3. Click “Create New Category,” and then click “+” next to the genre you wish to add. A pop-up window appears where you can enter the name of the category.

Final Thoughts

So now you know all about the ins and outs of choosing categories for your books. Hopefully, you’ve found this guide useful and know everything there is to know about Amazon KDP categories (see also ‘How Do I Set Up Amazon KDP Account? Step By Step Guide‘)!