10 Amazon KDP Secrets Every Author Should Know (and Most Don’t)

Insider tips you can use now...

Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash

While Amazon might not be your cup of tea, you will likely sell the majority of your books through them. If you choose to publish or distribute through Amazon, this article will help you make the most of it.

(Amazon isn’t your ONLY option; there are many more ways to sell, which I’ll cover in upcoming newsletters. Lulu has a great article here.)

Whether you’re indie, hybrid, or traditionally published, Amazon is where readers shop first, globally. For most authors, Amazon accounts for 70–90% of total book sales.

That includes:

• Kindle eBooks

• Print books via KDP

• Kindle Unlimited page reads (if you're exclusive to KDP Select)

• Amazon Ads campaigns

• Audiobooks via ACX or Whispersync

You don’t have to love Amazon, but ignoring it absolutely will cost you visibility, sales, and momentum.

💥 Shout-out to my exclusive advertising sponsor, the always-free Booklinker (universal book links—so helpful!), and the paid tool, GeniusLinks. I love both💥 (affiliate link).

Self-publishing through Amazon KDP offers authors practical marketing tools, but most of us only scratch the surface of their potential. If you’re wondering how some authors hit the bestseller list in some categories or show up for oddly specific reader searches, you’re in the right place.

When I started in publishing in 2009, I didn’t know this insider information, and it has only continued to grow and change. If there’s one thing you can count on in book marketing and publishing, it’s change.

Below are 10 powerful yet lesser-known KDP strategies, accompanied by real-life examples, free resources, and additional information.

1. Use All Seven Categories (Not Just the Default Two or Three)

When you publish on KDP, Amazon asks you to choose two categories. What they don’t tell you? You can request to be added to FIVE more.

Why it matters: Niche categories are easier to rank in, especially during the launch phase.

How to do it:

• Go to your KDP Dashboard

• Click Help > Contact Us > Amazon Product Page > Update Categories

• Give them your book’s ASIN and the full category path

Example for a Historical Romance Author:

Books > Romance > Historical > Victorian
Books > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Historical
Books > Romance > Historical > Scottish

🔗 List of Amazon Categories

Here is EXACTLY how to do that from KDP.

So, you get 7 boxes for your keywords, each with 50 characters (including spaces). You get up to 3 categories. Summary ⬇️

2. Fill All 7 Keyword Fields (50 Characters Each)

Amazon provides seven keyword boxes, each with a 50-character limit.

Y’all, that’s 350 total characters of search optimization.

Use phrases, not single words, that reflect genre, theme, or tropes.

Examples:

• grumpy sunshine romance beach town

• cozy mystery cat sleuth small town

• widowed female detective bakery crime

🔗 Amazon Keyword Rules

Example: These are the categories and keywords for my mom’s cookbook, In The Kitchen With Linda:

3. Treat the First Seven Days Like Opening Weekend

Amazon tracks sales velocity and engagement during your first week. If your book performs well, it gets algorithmic boosts in search and recommendations.

Tips:

• Stack your newsletter swaps, social media push, ARC reviews, and giveaways

• Run a low-cost eBook promo (e.g., 99 cents or free for a day) with book feature companies such as Bargain Booksy (Written Word Media) or, if your ebook is free for a limited time, you can book with Free Booksy.

4. Add Keywords to Your Subtitle

Your book’s subtitle is searchable (both on Amazon and in search engines like Google). Use it wisely.

Example:
Witch Way to Spellbind You: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 1

Even adding phrases like “Book 1,” “Romantic Suspense,” or “Memoir of Addiction Recovery” can help your book show up in relevant searches.

5. Update Keywords Anytime

KDP allows you to change keywords at any time, without penalty. If your book isn’t ranking or sales have dipped, revise your keywords.

Pro tip: Read your own reviews and pull out recurring phrases readers use to describe your book. That’s keyword gold.

Photo by Safar Safarov on Unsplash

6. Use Bold and Italics in Your Book Description

Amazon allows limited HTML formatting in the book description:

• <b> for bold

• <i> for italics

• <br> for line breaks

• <ul><li> for bullet lists

Tool to format it for you:
🔗 Amazon Book Description Generator

7. Mark Your Books as a Series (Even Loosely Related Ones)

If your books share characters, settings, or loosely connected themes, list them as a series on KDP.

Why? Amazon promotes series more aggressively, and readers love bingeable content.

Example: Even a group of standalones that all take place in the same town qualifies.

8. Test Different Book Covers

You can upload a new cover at any time on Amazon, so there's no need for an official relaunch (unless you choose to do so).

If your book isn’t selling, try testing a new one. Watch for changes in clicks and sales over 30 days.

Cover tools to try:

• Canva for Authors

• 99Designs

9. Set Up a Preorder (Up to 1 Year in Advance)

KDP allows preorders for eBooks (not yet for print unless you go through Ingram/Spark) up to 12 months in advance. This gives you time to collect ARC (Advanced Reader Copies), reviews, run promotions, and build buzz before launch.

All those preorder sales hit on release day, boosting your ranking immediately. More here ⬇️

10. Ask Amazon to Update the “Look Inside” Preview

If you make changes to your manuscript, the “Look Inside” section doesn’t update automatically.

Fix it: Contact KDP support and ask for a manual refresh of your Look Inside preview.

💡 Final Thoughts

Don’t let Amazon’s default settings limit your success. These behind-the-scenes tweaks can dramatically improve your visibility, and most of them are free. Use them intentionally, track your results, and adjust as needed.

✨ Questions? Drop them in the comments.

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Reading Now:

Several excellent books have been released recently - all great!

• J. Herman Kleiger’s Whispers, his third novel of psychological suspense, was just released. It’s fantastic. Learn more here. Psychological fiction.

• Adam Aresty’s Skyboy is also out now. If you’re a sci-fi nerd like me, you’ll love it. Adam is a professional screenwriter and professor at Fordham University in NYC. This book is the first in a fascinating new series. YA, Sci-Fi, Tech, Adventure - it’s all in there.

His website is super cool. You can even submit your own invention—click to learn more. It's so fun. (I submitted Robo-Cat. I mean.)

• R.A. Ruegg’s The Making of BRIO McPRIDE: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time meets Life of Pi is one of my favorite reads this year. The book inspired two films! YA/NA fiction, psychological, literary.

• Jeff Burgess’ 𝙄𝙩 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙈𝙚: 𝙈𝙮 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙊𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 is a fantastic business memoir with many insights and a lot of humor. And…100% of the royalties go to the Wounded Warrior Project! A worthy purchase. Business memoir.

Happy writing!