- CreateSpace publishing is the greatest way
to sell published paperback books
to release on the Amazon Marketplace
and a bevy of other platforms
through their expanded distribution.
But if you're quick to write off CreateSpace publishing
as inferior to Kindle Direct Publishing
than you'd be leaving a ton of money on the table.
For those of you familiar with this option,
you may not be aware of an option
to increase exposure on Amazon.com
and optimize searchability.
Don't know what I mean?
Then, you may wanna hear what I have
to share today about how to add categories
to paperbacks on Amazon.
Stay tuned.
(twinkling noise)
What's shaking, it's Dale here,
and if you're new to this channel
and you wanna learn how to publish
and profit the right way, then click
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on all my latest videos.
Before we jump into things, I'd love
to know if you publish paperback books.
If so, do you use CreateSpace or Amazon Kindle
Direct Publishing to produce paperbacks?
Or, are you taking advantage of Amazon alternatives,
like Nook Press, IngramSpark or other competitors?
Leave your thoughts and questions in the comments below
and I'll try to respond to as many of you as I can.
When you publish a paperback book
on the CreateSpace publishing platform,
you could choose one category,
also known as browse paths in Amazon insider lingo.
In the CreateSpace metadata, it is referred
to as the BISAC Category.
This category determines how your book is organized
and found in the Amazon store.
Much like I shared in a recent video,
Kindle Publishing: How to Choose a Category on Amazon
in 2017, categories will appear in the sales page
for your book in the product details,
once it has at least one sale.
Unlike the Kindle eBooks, Amazon's algorithm will not
determine a second and third complementing category
to give you the allowed maximum
of three displayed browse paths.
After some investigation, I discovered a simple call
or email to CreateSpace support solved the issue.
I researched appropriate browse paths relevant to my books,
chose the two best categories and then put in a request.
Within three to five business days, all three browse paths
appeared in my book's product details.
However, not too long ago, I was on the phone
with the CreateSpace customer support,
when I stumbled on the inside scoop.
The CreateSpace phone rep informed me of how Amazon
recently changed their policy on the maximum browse paths
allowed for a single publication.
Much like the Kindle eBooks, though only three browse paths
appear in the product details,
a publication could be listed in up to 10 categories.
And if you dig a little in the Amazon book store,
you'll find some categories unavailable
in the BISAC Category menu on CreateSpace.
I've heard from some online resources
that Amazon has 10s of thousands of categories,
and are continually adding new browse paths regularly.
Keep in mind that even though you only see three categories
in the product details, your book can be listed
in up to seven additional categories.
This means if you have at least some book sales,
you could appear in up to 10 categories.
Something to bear in mind is that each
of these categories represent a best sellers list.
Find the right categories or newly launched browse paths
and you could kick your book into
a best sellers list without much work.
And your book could even become a number one
best-selling book in 10 categories.
This is particularly exciting
for anyone releasing a new book,
because if you can hit the best sellers list
in the first 30 days, then you may top
another exclusive list of hot new releases.
Hot New Releases are a sub-category of a given browse path
that show the highest performing books
released in the last 30 days.
Assuming you have a few sales in the first 30 days
and you have your book listed in 10 browse paths,
you could literally double your book's exposure
and increase the likelihood for purchasing.
Boom! (explosion sound)
Now, all you have to do is find
the browse paths best suited for your book.
Simply watch my video, Profitable Kindle Niches:
What are the most profitable categories
in Kindle Publishing, to get a complete
step-by-step walkthrough, but pay attention
to categories only in the Amazon book store
and not the Kindle store.
There is a difference in browse paths
and you cannot enter a paperback
into a Kindle category, and vice versa.
There are some exceptions to the rule,
and I haven't the foggiest on how they do it.
And, its no surprise Amazon is not willing
to share this little loophole.
Once you have up to 10 categories, log in
to your CreateSpace account and scroll down
to the bottom of the page.
Click the gray contact support button on the left
and you'll be redirected to their inquiry page.
It's fairly intuitive from here.
I find I get the best results when I speak
to a customer service rep on the phone,
but you can always contact them
by email with your request.
Ask them to add your book to the following categories,
copy and paste the full browse paths
into your communication.
If you have 10 category requests,
then ask they remove categories you don't want on your book.
Keep in mind, you aren't married to these categories,
can always go back and change them any time you want.
However, be selective about how often
you change out your categories.
Since there is a delay in fulfilling your request,
it's hard to measure the effectiveness
of a category addition or change.
I try to keep a book on a category for at least
30 to 90 days before switching out to another one.
That's all the time we have for today,
and remember, hit that like button cause
all the cool kids are doing it these days.
Also, if you want to learn more about how
to publish and profit the right way,
then click the subscribe button
and turn the notifications bell on
to get all my latest videos.
Now get out there and add your paperback
to some categories you saavy self-publisher, you.
Til later, this has been Self-Publishing wth Dale,
and I'll see you guys soon.
(rhythmic music)