There are millions of books out there in the global book marketplace. So, how do we get readers to find our book? Whether you write genre fiction with magical elements, horror novels, speculative fiction, romance novels, adventure books, nonfiction books or more, you know you have a target audience that you are trying to reach.
When we think about book marketing, we all know that discoverability is the most important, but most elusive aspect of the entire endeavor.
You’ve done the work. You poured your heart and soul into writing an unforgettable story with compelling characters and intricate plot twists. But even the best written book can be overlooked if it’s not easily found by readers.
That’s where the often overlooked power of choosing the right book categories on Amazon or other retailers comes into play.
Choosing the correct book categories is more than just a formality; it’s a strategic decision that can significantly impact your book’s visibility, reach, and ultimately, its sales. Think of them as the virtual bookshelves of the internet. Categories guide readers searching for specific genres, themes, or even emotional experiences. When you choose your categories thoughtfully, you put your book right into the hands of readers looking for exactly what you’ve created.
Today, we’re going to dive into the crucial role of finding the right book categories, exploring why they matter, how to choose them effectively, and common mistakes to avoid.
Get ready to unlock your book’s full potential by mastering the art of category selection.
Why Is Your Book Category So Important?
Choosing the right book categories can significantly impact your book’s success, in more ways than one:
Improved Discoverability: Categories act as search filters for online booksellers. When readers browse or search within a specific category, your book has a higher chance of appearing in their results. The more relevant categories you choose, the wider your potential reach.
Reaching Your Target Audience: These are the readers that you envisioned when you wrote your book. The right categories help you connect with them. By selecting categories that align with your book’s genre, themes, and target audience, you ensure that it’s presented to people who are actively seeking similar books. This increases the likelihood of clicks, views, and ultimately, purchases and page reads.
Boosting Sales Potential: Sales is a numbers game. When you have better visibility and a better match to your ideal readers (the ones most likely to buy and love your work), your conversion rates increase. Effective category selection can significantly boost your book’s overall sales performance. More clicks, more reads, more sales!
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for Books: Online booksellers, like Amazon, use category data as part of their search algorithms. By strategically selecting categories, you improve your book’s SEO, making it more likely to appear in search results both on the platform and on external search engines like Google. This organic visibility can drive significant traffic to your book’s sales page.
Assessing Niche Markets: Choosing the correct niche categories helps you stand out in a smaller, highly interested reader pool. For example, if you’ve written a historical fiction novel set in a specific time period or location, choosing a category that reflects that niche can help you connect with readers who are specifically interested in that topic.
Algorithm Magic: Amazon and other online retailers use algorithms that use category data to make recommendations to readers. If your book is categorized correctly, it’s more likely to be recommended to users who have previously purchased or shown interest in similar books. This can lead to a snowball effect that builds coveted sales momentum.
Competitor Analysis: Seeing which categories successful books in your genre rank in can provide really valuable insights. This research helps you understand which categories are popular with readers in your genre and identify opportunities to position your book effectively.
How to Choose the Right Book Category: A Guide
So, how do we manage all of this? Choosing the right categories requires careful consideration and a strategic approach. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you navigate the process:
- Start by clearly identifying the primary genre of your book. Ask yourself:
Is it fiction or nonfiction? Is it paranormal romance, thriller, gothic horror, science fiction, legal thriller and suspense, magical realism, memoir, history, or another genre?
Don’t stop at the broad label — drill down to the most specific subgenre possible. “Fiction” isn’t helpful on its own; is it a psychological thriller, a cozy mystery, or an epic fantasy? The more specific you are, the better your results will be.
- Research Available Categories: Explore the available category options on the platform where you’re selling your book (e.g., Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo).
Amazon, in particular, has a very extensive and granular category system. Pay attention to the different levels of categories and subcategories.
- Analyze Bestselling Books in Your Genre: Look at the bestselling books in your genre and subgenre.
What categories are they listed in? This will give you a good indication of the categories that are popular with readers in your niche. Tools like Publisher Rocket can help streamline this process. - Identify Key Themes and Topics: What are the major themes and topics explored in your book?
Consider elements like setting, characters, and plot. Some categories can get specific about the theme of your books, but not all of them. The more specific you can be, the better.
- Consider Subcategories Carefully: Don’t just choose the broadest category available. Drill down into the subcategories that are most relevant to your book. The more specific you are, the better your chances of reaching your target audience. The goal is not just “more readers” — it’s the right readers.
- Optimize for Keywords: Consider incorporating relevant keywords into your category choices.
For example, if you’ve written a historical fiction novel set in Victorian England, you might choose a category like “Historical Fiction > Victorian Era.” This can further improve your book’s SEO.
- Know Your Target Audience: Who are you writing for? Consider factors like age, gender, interests, education level, and reading preferences.
Understanding your target audience will help you choose categories that resonate with them.
- Use All Available Category Slots: Most platforms allow you to choose multiple categories for your book.
Take advantage of this opportunity to maximize your reach. Select categories that complement each other and appeal to different segments of your target audience.
Pro Tip: Amazon offers three categories, while Draft2Digital (a wide platform aggregate) offers five BISAC categories. - Think Like a Reader: Put yourself in the shoes of your ideal reader.
What categories would they browse when looking for a book like yours? Consider the language they would use to search for similar books and understand who your comparable authors and books are.
If you wrote an epic, quest based high fantasy novel that your beta readers compare to Lord of the Rings, one of the search phrases someone might use to look for a book like yours is “books like Lord of the Rings.” In order for them to find you, you’ll need to make sure your keywords and categories are pointing in that direction.
- Monitor Your Book’s Performance: After you’ve chosen your categories, monitor your book’s performance.
Track its sales, rankings, and reviews. If you’re not getting the traction that you want, revisit your category choices and experiment with adjustments.
- Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment: Category selection is not an exact science. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different categories to see what works best for your book. You can always change your categories later if needed.
- Consider Category-Specific Keywords in Your Book Blurb: Reinforce your category choices by naturally incorporating related keywords into your book description. This further signals to the algorithms what your book is about and who it’s for.
Pro Tip: Tools like AutoCrit’s Story Analyzer and Backwards Blueprint can help you identify your dominant genre, subgenres, themes, tropes, and more. While AutoCrit’s Market Fuel can help you narrow down your categories, subcategories, identify your target audience, and even help you work on your blurb!
Common Book Category Mistakes You’ll Want to Avoid
Choosing the wrong categories can be just as detrimental as not choosing any at all. To set your book up for maximum success, watch out for these common mistakes when choosing your categories:
Choosing Overly Broad Categories: It may seem logical to aim for the largest possible audience by placing your book in broad categories like “Fiction” or “Non-Fiction,” but in practice, this strategy rarely works. These categories are incredibly competitive, housing thousands (sometimes hundreds of thousands) of titles. Your book will likely get buried under a flood of options, making it almost invisible to readers. Instead, think specific: dial into the exact subgenres and niches where your ideal readers are actively browsing.
Pro Tip: Specific subcategories often have fewer competing titles, making it easier for your book to climb the rankings and earn better visibility.
Selecting Irrelevant or Misleading Categories: It can be tempting to place your book in a trending or popular category just to gain attention. However, if your book doesn’t actually fit the expectations of that category’s readers, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment — or worse, negative reviews. Misaligned category placement frustrates readers, erodes trust, and can damage your long-term author brand.
Remember: Readers searching for a cozy mystery don’t want to accidentally stumble into a dystopian thriller, no matter how good it is. For romance authors, understand the heat level of your book. If you wrote a spicy dark romance with elements of true crime, it is not going to be well-received in the inspirational romance category.
Ignoring Subcategories: Broad genres are just the surface — the real discovery magic happens within the subcategories. Skipping the opportunity to drill down into specific subcategories severely limits your chances of being found by the right readers.
For example, under “Romance,” you’ll find subcategories like “Romantic Suspense,” “Contemporary Romance,” and “Historical Romance.” Each subcategory represents a more focused audience with specific expectations and interests.
Pro Tip: Use tools like AutoCrit’s Market Fuel to explore subcategory opportunities that best match your books. Market Fuel is available for both fiction and nonfiction.
Setting and Forgetting: Category selection isn’t a “set it and forget it” task. Trends evolve, reader interests shift, and new subcategories get introduced. To stay competitive, you must monitor your book’s performance regularly.
If your sales stall or your book’s ranking plateaus, it might be time to reevaluate your category choices and make adjustments based on real data.
Pro Tip: Set a reminder to review your categories every few months, or after major promotional pushes.
Advanced Book Category Strategies
Once you’ve mastered the basics of category selection, you can explore some advanced strategies to further optimize your book’s discoverability:
Using Category-Specific Keywords in Your AMS Ads: When running Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) ads, use category-specific keywords to target readers who are browsing within those categories. This can significantly improve the effectiveness of your ads.
Monitoring Category Bestseller Lists: Keep an eye on the bestseller lists in your chosen categories. This will give you an indication of the books that are performing well in those niches and help you identify potential competitors.
Analyzing Customer Reviews for Category Insights: Pay attention to the language that readers use in their reviews. This can provide valuable insights into the categories and themes that resonate with them.
Testing Different Category Combinations: Experiment with different combinations of categories to see what works best for your book. Track your results and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Pay Attention to BISAC Codes: BISAC codes (Book Industry Standards and Communications) are used industry-wide to categorize books. Understanding these codes can help you better understand the nuances of different genres and subgenres.
Utilizing Beta Readers for Category Feedback: Before publishing your book, ask your beta readers for feedback on your category choices. They can provide valuable insights from a reader’s perspective.
What Can I Use for Book Category Research?
AutoCrit’s Market Fuel: This powerful tool was designed to help you understand exactly how to position your book while simultaneously saving you hours of research. Market Fuel helps you pinpoint the best categories for your book while also providing you with valuable insights into your genre, tropes, target audience, market strategy, keywords, similar books, and more. Wanna give it a whirl? You can try it here for only $1.
Amazon’s Best Seller Lists: Browse Amazon’s best seller lists to see which books are performing well in your chosen categories.
BISAC Subject Headings List: A comprehensive list of BISAC codes and subject headings.
Author Forums and Communities: Connect with other authors in online forums and communities to share tips and advice on category selection.
Next Steps!
Mastering book category selection is an ongoing process. By following the steps outlined in this guide, avoiding common mistakes, and utilizing available tools and resources, you can significantly improve your book’s discoverability, reach, and sales potential. Take the time to research your categories carefully, monitor your book’s performance, and adjust your strategy as needed.
Your next steps should include:
- Review your existing book categories: If you’ve already published, analyze if your current categories are optimal. Run your book through Market Fuel to get some new ideas for categories or subcategories.
- Conduct thorough research: Utilize the tools and strategies mentioned above to identify better category options.
- Update your book categories: Make the necessary changes on your publishing platform.
- Monitor your results: Track your book’s performance after the category changes and make further adjustments as needed.
Remember, the right categories can unlock your book’s full potential and connect you with the readers who will truly appreciate your work. Good luck!
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