What Categories Should I Choose for My Book? Strategic Selection Guide
Category selection is one of the most strategic decisions you will make when publishing on Amazon. The right categories can earn you bestseller badges and increased visibility; the wrong ones leave you invisible among thousands of competitors.
1Why Categories Matter
Categories determine where your book appears in Amazon browse structure and which bestseller lists you can rank on. Readers browse categories to discover new books. Achieving number 1 in any category earns an orange Best Seller badge that increases click-through rates.
2The Category Selection Strategy
Choose categories based on three factors: Relevance (your book must genuinely fit), Competition (you need realistic ranking potential), and Visibility (the category should have active browsers). The sweet spot is categories that are relevant, have achievable competition, and attract readers.
3How to Research Category Competition
For each potential category, check the BSR of books at positions 1, 10, 20, and 100. If the number 20 book has a BSR above 30,000-50,000, competition is moderate and ranking is achievable. If number 20 has a BSR under 5,000, competition is fierce.
4Requesting Additional Categories
Amazon lets you select 2 categories during upload, but you can request up to 10 total through KDP support. Email KDP with your book ASIN and the specific category paths you want added. More categories mean more visibility opportunities.
5Category Mistakes to Avoid
Do not choose irrelevant categories hoping to rank easily. Do not only choose ultra-competitive categories where you will never rank. Do not ignore subcategories in favor of broad parent categories. Do not forget to monitor and adjust categories based on performance.
Key Takeaways
Choosing the right categories requires balancing relevance, competition, and visibility. Research thoroughly before selecting, request additional categories to maximize exposure, and monitor your rankings to adjust as needed.
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Lisa Thompson is a book marketing specialist with over 10 years of experience helping authors succeed on Amazon KDP. Passionate about data-driven strategies and author empowerment, Lisa shares actionable insights to help writers reach more readers and increase book sales.
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