How to Self Publish a Children’s Book: Researching Keywords

About this video

In part one of a four-part series on self-publishing a children’s book, Roberts focuses on keyword and niche research as the first step. He says the real target audience is parents — the gatekeepers who actually search and buy, since young children do not shop on Amazon themselves — so authors must learn how parents search. He advises picking a general age range (noting sources variously use ranges such as zero to three, three to five, six to eight, and nine to 11) and allowing about a one-year deviation. Next he recommends a brain dump of every descriptor, character trait, and story idea, taking about a half-hour to an hour. Then, in an incognito browser window so personal history does not skew results, type seed keywords into the Kindle Store and Books store search box without pressing Enter and record Amazon’s auto-suggested phrases. Using the free DS Amazon Quick View extension, check the Amazon Best Seller Rank for results: Roberts says a rank under 100,000 means at least one sale per day, the 10,000 to 100,000 range is a sweet spot for a new publication, and ranks near 100 or 300 signal very heavy competition. He notes Publisher Rocket can do this research faster. Finally, narrow the list: put keywords in the title, subtitle, or description where they fit naturally, and use the seven backend keyword slots (up to 50 characters each) — combining overlapping phrases in three to four slots and saving the other three to four for exact-phrase matches of the best keywords.

Key takeaways

• For children’s books the buyers are parents, not children, so research how parents search and pick an age range with about a one-year deviation rather than treating age bands as rigid.
• Brain-dump all descriptors, characters, traits, and story arcs first (about a half-hour to an hour), then harvest Amazon auto-suggest phrases in incognito mode so browsing history does not skew results.
• Use DS Amazon Quick View to check Best Seller Rank: Roberts says under 100,000 means at least one sale per day, 10,000 to 100,000 is his sweet spot for new books, and ranks near 100-300 are highly competitive.
• Use the seven backend keyword slots at up to 50 characters each: combine overlapping phrases in three to four slots and reserve three to four slots for exact-phrase matches of the strongest keywords.
• Bonus tips: test adjusting the age range in a keyword, study successful author profiles for keyword clues, and plan to be prolific — Roberts recommends thinking in terms of six to a dozen or more children’s books so readers can binge.

Episode details: published May 26, 2020 · 9:12 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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