Friday, 12 July 2013

Detective Visibility and The Mystery of Amazon Categories....


......  I've read a bit recently about getting my books more visible on Amazon, because we all know that 'discoverability' is one of the best ways to get people reading your books, right?  


 I know that genre charts are massively important, probably THE most important thing in this.  The trick is to find categories that will be searched for by book buyers, but are not too extensively populated already.   Both my last two books, Dream On and Full Circle, got to about 2000 in the chart at their highest point, but were not in any genre charts because I'd chosen massively over-used things like contemporary fiction, so I knew I had to sort that out before I did the 77p promotion for them this weekend.  

 Dream On and Full Circle are both centred around two things: musicians wanting to hit the big time, and love relationship/parenthood tangles.  In Dream On my character Janice is a single mother; the book features much about her day to day life.  In Full Circle, three of my main characters have small children - the fatherhood thing is one of the central themes.  In this book the subject of alcoholism is also prominent, but I couldn't find a fiction category that deals with this...

 .... and, furthermore, there is, apparently, no such Amazon genre as 'rock fiction'.  I researched the subject of categories quite extensively, and eventually found the perfect one for Dream On - lad lit.  Dream On has as many reviews from men as from women, virtually all of whom loved the rock band bits, saying that the banter between the men is so realistic (pssst!! - the two other main characters are women!!).  Marvellous, thought I - really relevant to my book, and not highly populated - a real 'Eureka!' moment!  I emailed Amazon.  No, can't put it in lad lit.  Why not?  Because that category exists for Books but not for Kindle Books.  Okay.....

 Now, this is interesting, and something that might be useful for us all to know: Amazon explained to me that the categories you see books in, on the books' own pages, aren't necessarily their own standard categories from which you can choose to place your book.  They are decided by customer search; what the customer put in the search facility, and how often your book is clicked on after such a search.  Which explains a lot, I think.  Like why my psychological drama You Wish sometimes enters the 'occult' chart....  at no point have I chosen 'occult' as a genre for that book. 

 You may have read in a certain best-selling book about visibility that all you need to do is identify the category and chain leading to it, and email Amazon to ask for your book to be put in it (eg, Kindle>Fiction>Mystery>Victorian); I don't know if this was ever correct, but it certainly isn't now.  Amazon assures me that it doesn't work like this.

 After further extensive research I identified two other perfect Kindle fiction categories that would apply to aspects of both books - please note: I made sure they were both for fiction, and specified that the books should be in the FICTION categories first and foremost.  Thus:   Single Parent for Dream On, and Fatherhood for Full Circle.  I emailed Amazon with my requests. 

 I am happy to say that both books are, this morning, in genre charts.

 Dream On is in Non Fiction>Parenting & Families>Parenting
Full Circle is in Books>Health,Family & Lifestyle>Families & Parents>Fatherhood

 I give up.....

 (I just hope that people are intelligent enough to read the blurb before going to purchase a self-help book about parenting and ending up with a philandering wannabe rock star getting hauled onto the Jeremy Kyle show....)
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16 comments:

  1. Vallypee12 July 2013 at 04:29

    This is pretty useful stuff, Terry. I'm just about to launch my new book on Amazon, so I'll take note of what you've said here!

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    1. Terry Tyler12 July 2013 at 08:11

      Oh yes - I think often the key is to choose the right ones in the first place! I've already decided on the ones for my new one when it's published - I think it's best to really give it some though! x

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  2. Unknown12 July 2013 at 07:27

    Just went through the same thing with two of mine. Don't know how well it will work yet but my fingers are crossed. I also know July is not a great month for book sales, so I'm setting my books up for future promo's.
    I hope you success.
    Richard

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    1. Terry Tyler12 July 2013 at 08:10

      Thanks for reading, Richard - yes, I do think that books that get into genre charts do better, just because of the visibility thing... I don't know how useful it is if the genres aren't all that relevant, though! When are you doing promotions?

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    2. Unknown14 July 2013 at 18:18

      My promo's are all over the place. Still trying to figure out what works. I'll probably do a KDP giveaway, for book #2 in my series sometime in August.

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    3. Terry Tyler15 July 2013 at 01:29

      I think the answer is, re what works - you can't predict! I did a 77p promo in February, brilliant results. Did one this weekend - sold a quarter of before! But might be a weather thing. I've done free promos that have got me in the paid top 100, and ones that have had no effect whatsoever! I think the main thing is to just keep at it, and keep trying new things.

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  3. Carol Hedges12 July 2013 at 10:17

    Um...... oh dear. Another thing I don't understand...... sigh.

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    1. Terry Tyler12 July 2013 at 13:50

      Never mind, pet, you just go back to your snails :)

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  4. Unknown13 July 2013 at 02:47

    Thanks for posting this, Terry. Very interesting and useful. I'm going to look at changing my categories now. :)

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  5. Anonymous26 July 2013 at 08:05

    Ok, I have a question. Why is it you email Amazon to be placed in categories? I thought this was something we do ourselves via our Kindle dashboard? I ask only because I want mine ideally to be in Biography>memoir>love&romance, but there's no such category. I had to place it in Biography & Autobiography>Personal Memoirs, and then a second category, Family&Relationships>Love&romance. I guess they can't cover every scenario. I looked in the non fiction category and there was nothing appropriate I could find there.

    Interesting post! :)

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    1. Terry Tyler27 July 2013 at 01:47

      Read it again, Alice .... I said that that piece of information given in a book about visibility was incorrect, as I discovered - when I tried to, they just sent me back the link to the form on which we do it ourselves!!!! You can only post it in categories that already exist, and for that you just have to do your research. I think the best thing you could do would be to look at the categories people like Dave, Taylor and Amanda (partic the first two) have got theirs in, and change accordingly - or if you have trouble doing it, DO email them, as they might be able to explain stuff better than I can!

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    2. Anonymous27 July 2013 at 08:16

      Yes, I did look at the categories for Would Like To Meet by HopefulGal and also Passion by Kevin Swarbrick as they are similar subject matter and that's what I went with. It's ok, I've done it correctly then - I misinterpreted what you said. X

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  6. Unknown27 July 2013 at 08:00

    Unless it's changed recently it works something like this:

    You can choose from the categories during publishing BUT these do not match the ones on the actual Amazon site, so you choose "unclassifiable" during the publication process and then email support and give them 2 category pathways for your book to be placed it.

    These won't show up until you have sales iirc.

    However, it's been my experience that if you then change them again the old ones don't necessarily disappear and the new ones may not kick in (visible at least - though they will if you actually search the subcategory you requested).

    I'd take issue with the book doing better if it has a higher ranking in a subgenre. I've been in the top ten for some subcategories and had few if any sales. The subcategory has to be one that is popular ;) Of course, it will still rank in the parent genres, so you don't lose anything.

    How it all works in detail is still a mystery to me. :)

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    1. Terry Tyler27 July 2013 at 08:07

      Darren, thanks very much for that useful information - I'm sure it will be a help to others, too!

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  7. Daniel Arthur Smith26 December 2013 at 18:04

    The Lad Lit category is a mystery to me. My book The Cathari Treasure was in the Lad Lit top 10 up until June and then 'poof' gone. Amazon replied to inquiry that kindle books do not get listed in the Lad Lit category. Here's the thing, my book (and subsequent releases) have been in the Men's Adventure kindle book category, even at number one. At this point my books are the only ones in Men's Adventure that are not Lad Lit. I noted this to Amazon and they deny (even though the list is right there) that kindle books are in Lad Lit. Very disturbing because, even with the fortune of selling every day, my sales dropped after leaving Lad Lit. Would love to solve the mystery.

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    1. Terry Tyler27 December 2013 at 00:51

      So annoying, Daniel - and incidentally, I think I might put my book Dream On in Men's Adventure, as it has as many reviews by men as women - thank you. Lad Lit was a brilliant category because it's not so highly populated as most. And what about rock fiction???? it doesn't even exist as a category, but it's a recognised one on all book blogs and on Twitter. To me, 'Lad Lit' means books like those by Nick Hornby, ie, the male version of chick lit, but I guess it can mean other guy's stuff, too!

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