KDP Amazon | Category Squatters Who Ruin Self Publishing

About this video

Dale explains ‘category squatters’ on Amazon KDP — books listed in wrong categories — and how category placement works. When publishing, authors select two BISAC categories and keywords; Amazon, which uses its own system rather than BISAC, initially places an ebook or print book in two to three categories, but a listing can have up to 10 browse paths total, and authors can request additions or changes via the KDP dashboard’s Contact Us by supplying the ASIN or ISBN and the desired browse path. He gives two causes of wrong placement: accidents, because KDP’s imperfect system miscategorizes books from BISAC selections, keywords, and content, and many authors don’t even know categories can be changed; and deliberate abuse, where publishers target easy categories to win an Amazon Best Seller tag — which Dale says carries far less credibility and payoff than New York Times, Wall Street Journal, or USA Today bestseller status. To check a book’s categories, he suggests searching its ASIN or ISBN on Amazon and expanding the left-hand browse paths, or using the category finder tool at bklnk.com: a book with only three categories on ebook and print was likely placed by KDP unknowingly, while seven to ten categories suggests the publisher knows the system. His recommended response is not snitching or shaming but building awareness among indie authors that browse paths can be corrected, expecting Amazon to eventually close the loopholes.

Key takeaways

• KDP listings can hold up to 10 browse paths; request changes via Contact Us with the ASIN/ISBN and target browse path
• Wrong categories arise both from KDP’s automatic miscategorization and from deliberate placement by publishers
• Deliberate squatters chase the Amazon Best Seller tag in easy categories, which Dale says lacks the credibility of major newspaper bestseller lists
• Use the bklnk.com category finder or an ASIN/ISBN search to see all of a book’s browse paths; 7-10 categories suggests deliberate action
• Dale’s remedy is awareness — teaching authors categories can be fixed — rather than reporting or shaming offenders

Episode details: published February 25, 2020 · 11:41 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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