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What is up with Amazon? Why can't they get my books into the right category?
I posted something on the FM message board today by way of a gripe and it forced me to look at the last 7 of the 13 books published by Doppler Press on Amazon and none of those are classed as Transgender Fiction!
Here is what I posted over there:
"I have to add a gripe here about the categories used by Amazon, where I have published a number of books. My publisher tries to get my collections of short stories in the categories "Transgender Fiction", "Transgender Romance" and "LGBTQ+ Anthologies & Collections" but Amazon plays its own game and some books are not even in any transgender category. For instance my last 8 books have not even been categorized as "Transgender Fiction".
It is particularly galling since every book that has been categorized correctly has made it onto the "Transgender Fiction" top 50.
But take a look at that top 50 list. The first 6 best sellers are not transgender fiction. How did they get there? Then we have another 11 books in the top 50 that are not TG - a couple gay romances and the others just novels.
My publisher has tried to put Amazon straight. The obvious question is whether mis-categorizing serves anybody - not writers or readers. But it persists and Amazon is notoriously impervious to correction."
Now I have just checked the top 50 of the category "Transgender Romance" and I find that 18 of the 50 are gay fiction and another 2 are novels with no LGBTQ element at all.
Does anybody know what is going on?
Maryanne
Comments
Amazon Categories
This is easy to understand. You just have to be cynical enough.
[cynicism]
1. Amazon has only one reason to exist. That is, to make huge amounts of money for the shareholders.
2. Amazon is succeeding at making huge amounts of money for the shareholders.
Therefore:
A. There is no problem.
B. Making any change is unlikely to increase profits, and may instead decrease them.
Therefore:
Don't change anything.
[/cynicism]
I really notice this when I am searching for something. If I am searching for a book by "John Smith" Amazon will happily show me books by "John Williams and Peter Smith". They will also show me books by a [huge number] of different authors, all of whom are named "John Smith". A decent search engine would allow you to quickly find exactly what you are looking for. A profitable search engine will show you hundreds of different things while you are searching, in the hope that you will be interested in one of the random things and may decide to buy it.
I no longer complain to Amazon. I don't shop there very often any more, either.
You forgot one very important item
- To screw as much $$$/£££ etc from the authors as possible.
Cynical? Yeah and especially where Baldy Inc are concerned.
Samantha
Appropriate argument
Then you have just described the appropriate argument to take with them.
"Why are you depriving yourselves of revenue by your poor categorisation of books? If people cannot find the book(s) I wrote under the correct category then neither you nor I are going to benefit from any sale."
P.
I have advanced this very argument
And also the statement that somebody buys a book highly rated in "Transgender Romance" and finds it is raunchy man on man and decides never to buy anything else from Amazon bookstore again. Poor categorization is just bad business.
MP
Where oh where ?
Where oh where has the book I bought gone? Last night I bought "The Princess of Q' ?????." and could not find where it went. Having given them lots of time, I'll go look for it again. They said it went to my Kindle. I have not seen proof of that yet.
Gwen
Sync
Did you "sync and check for new items"? My Kindle App has a click to do that.
-- Daphne Xu
Categories
I run into that alot. I have one book that Amazon put under "Historical fiction". It takes place in the past, but the story is hardly historical fiction. I didn't start to get any sales until it showed up in my "author's page". It's also irritating that Amazon can't tell the difference between transgender fiction and porn.
Melanie
Given my...personality issues
If I ever published on Amazon (yeah, sure), it would be under hysterical fiction.
Love, Andrea Lena
I don’t
Put any of my stuff in trans/lgbtq categories, there are loads of categories that work without marginalising things so for example a Gaby volume might be under youth fiction, sport, cycling and maybe youth fiction, relationships. They may have a TG element but that’s not the main thing about them unless you want it to be.
In my experience, if you let them they will screw you over, so don’t let them! I put 1 book up under their big exposure, high return programme - what a mistake! All the ‘exclusive’ content stuff is a lie too, there are ways to leave your stuff on BC for example.
Personally I consider the potential returns to be fair - it’s just convincing folks to part with their hard earned that’s the problem!
Madeline Anafrid Bell
Amazon Categories
This is a common, serious issue that you have to manage.
If you have an agent/publisher, they should take care of this for you.
Amazon allows you to designate 2 hard categories when publishing. However, what is not so well known is that you can have them add another 8 categories. You have to e-mail a service address and articulate the exact category you want the book listed in. The system will place you in three categories based on some super secret algorithm. You have the option to take your book out of categories. It is always a good idea to look on the internet to find out how big some of these categories are to ensure your book is in a large search pool.
As Maddy noted, often it is better to be in broader category like youth fiction or sports to tease a different group of readers. However, you can go back a week or two after release and have the transgender category added assuming you follow their other rules. The word Transgender has to be one of your search choices when publishing. This is under control of the company that publishes the book. Simpler search terms mean broader release.
I spent a lot of time doing this for some of my earlier books and even went back and did older ones. It requires time and diligence.
DD
Doppler Has Been Great
All of my almost two dozen stories have been through Doppler Press -- and I've experienced no category issues.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Doppler Press
But Maryanne's books are published by Doppler.
My Experience
I commented on my experience, which covers quite a lot of years, books, and sales. I have published over twenty books with Doppler Press and have not had the problems outlined.
My relationship with Doppler Press has been one of the best things in my life. It has made me smile many, many times. They have provided a creative outlet for me that would not have fit into my life under other circumstances. I recently submitted two more books for their handling with terrific covers by Rasufelle.
This string seemingly suggested their services were delinquent -- and that has NOT been my experience. I'm amazed that they serve as a meaningful revenue arm for this site, in an industry where profits are very hard to generate.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
My remarks were not a commentary on Doppler Press At All
My commentary was regarding Amazon. I have self-published all my books.
My experience was meant to describe the steps necessary to add categories as a followup to the publishing step with amazon. In addition, I believe the only entity that can have that conversation with Amazon is the entity that publishes the book. If you use Doppler, then you are not dealing with Amazon directly and only Doppler could request the additional categories.
I meant no slight to Doppler or the great people there. I was discussing process.
If you use Doppler or any other publisher, ask them to contact Amazon to force certain categories if you think your book is mis-categorized.
DD
Thank You
As you know, I love your books and devour them the minute they come out.
I also appreciate your comments regarding working with Amazon. They are what they are.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Doppler are frustrated by this too!
I have no issues with Doppler.
They present the books with the categories that are appropriate including the word "transgender" but for some reason Amazon goes somewhere else. As somebody said, they have some weird algorithm that seems to muddle their catalog.
Who knows what is going on?
Maryanne
How I got Browse Categories added
When logged in as my author account, I went to a help page and sent the following information.
The system sent me a copy of the email below which is a copy of the data i put into their page.
They took a few days and then sent a me a confirmation. with my original message and what they had done.
I am including a link that tells how to add categories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxyJoTWvbVw
---------------------------------------------
Myemail has sent the following contact-us request.
User sent request while logged in as customer: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Topic: Update information about a book - I want to update my book's browse categories
Question/Feedback:
I would like to ADD categories to my book “Bullied Boy with Breasts”
ASIN B07B4SBBP6
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult >Social Issues > Bullying
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult > LGBT > Fiction
Kindle Store > books > Teen & Young Adult > Social Issues > Bullying
Kindle Store > books > Teen & Young Adult > Social Issues > peer pressure
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult > Romance > Contemporary
Kindle Store > books > Teen & Young Adult > Social Issues > LGBT Issues