Publish It Amazon & KDPPatron tool
Amazon Keyword & Category Planner: Finally, keywords you can trust.
Seven empty keyword boxes can make a finished book feel unfinished. You type a guess, delete it, and wonder whether the readers who would love your book will ever find it. Now you can fill those boxes with words drawn from your own book, close the KDP page with peace of mind, and get back to writing.
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You know what goes in each box and where to look for your categories, so the last step before launch feels like a finish line instead of a coin toss.
Your manuscript stays private. Author Media never stores or views it, and the AI companies do not train on it.
What changes
From seven empty boxes to knowing what to type
The KDP details page is the last thing between you and launch day, and it is where many authors lose their nerve. Here is what gets easier.
The blank boxes stop staring back
You open the KDP page knowing what goes in each keyword box. Every phrase sounds like your book, so you paste it in without the second-guessing.
Categories feel like a choice, not a gamble
You know where to look for the categories that fit your book, and you choose your three knowing why each one belongs. Publisher Rocket, sold separately, shows you which ones are real before you commit.
You learn from books your readers already love
You start your research with books like yours to study, so you can see how they reach the readers you want. Look each one up on Amazon so you study real books.
The description box gets a head start
You start your Amazon description from a draft that already sounds like your book, so you edit instead of invent. And when someone asks what your book is about, you have an answer ready.
You finally have words for your own book
Many authors freeze when asked to describe their own story. You come away seeing your book the way a shopper does, with plain words for who it is for and why they will love it.
Your writing time comes back
The last chore before launch shrinks back to its proper size. You finish the KDP page, close the laptop, and give your next book your full attention again.
A guess versus a plan
Picture one keyword box before and after.
Say you wrote a cozy mystery with a small-town baker as the sleuth. On a tired night you might type mystery book into a box and move on. A box such as cozy mystery small town baker sleuth sounds like the reader you want, and Amazon can match it when a shopper types any of those words, alone or together.
When it helps most
The moments when your KDP keywords matter most
Most authors face the KDP details page more than once in a book's life.
The week before launch
Your book is finished and your cover is done, and the KDP page is the last thing standing between you and launch. You fill it in calmly instead of rushing the final step.
The month a book goes quiet
When a book that used to sell goes quiet, fresh keywords give you something hopeful to try. Keep what already works and try fresh words beside it.
The day you refresh a series or backlist
Each book in a series deserves its own seven boxes. Give each one its own plan, then glance across the series so sibling books are not all chasing the same words.
Bring your book and its title.
You bring
Upload your full manuscript, then type your book title and, if it has one, your subtitle.
Your manuscript stays private. Author Media never stores or views it, and the AI companies do not train on it.
You get
Keywords ready to paste into KDP, an Amazon description to start from, and a plan for finding your categories in Publisher Rocket.
It cannot see Amazon search volume, competition, or which categories are live, so you make the final category call yourself. Publisher Rocket, sold separately, shows those numbers. Before you paste, read each box against your title, scan for repeated words, and count its characters.
Questions about KDP keywords and categories
What does the Amazon Keyword & Category Planner do?
It takes the dread out of the KDP details page. It is an AI tool for authors who publish on Amazon KDP, and it helps you fill your keyword boxes and find your categories with confidence. It works from your own book, so the words sound like you wrote them, because you did.
Who should use it?
Any author who has stared at the KDP keyword boxes and felt unsure. It fits authors who fill in their own keywords and categories on KDP, in fiction or nonfiction, from a finished manuscript before launch to a book that has been on sale for years. If a publisher manages your Amazon listing, you cannot enter keywords yourself, so it will not help with that title. It still works for any book you self-publish, such as a backlist title whose rights came back to you.
How do I choose KDP keywords for my book?
Most authors start by guessing, which is why the boxes feel so hard. Start instead from what your book is about, who reads books like it, and the words those readers type when they shop. This tool helps you turn your own book into those words, so you can read each box, make it yours, and paste it into KDP.
How long can a KDP keyword box be?
Amazon allows 50 characters per box, counting spaces, and a box over the limit cannot be used. Fill each box with a short run of related words and no commas, the way a reader types a search. Fifty characters fill up fast, so every word you keep should earn its spot.
Should my keywords repeat my title?
No, and that is good news, because it frees up room. Amazon already indexes the words in your title and subtitle, so repeating them in a keyword box spends space twice. That room goes to fresh words your reader might type.
Does it pick Amazon categories for me?
No, and that protects you. It cannot see Amazon's live category data, and some categories that appear in the KDP dashboard never show up on Amazon's storefront. So you make the final call in Publisher Rocket, which flags ghost and duplicate categories, and you choose your three. Your Kindle and paperback category options differ, so search each format separately in Publisher Rocket. Amazon can also remove a category that does not match a book's content, so pick ones your book fits honestly.
Do I need Publisher Rocket?
You can start without spending another dollar. Your keywords and description draft work without it. You need Publisher Rocket only to check categories and research books like yours, and it is a separate paid product from Kindlepreneur that is not part of your membership.
Does it show search volume or competition?
No. It has no access to Amazon search volume, competition, bestseller rank, or earnings data. If you want numbers before you commit, Publisher Rocket shows search statistics.
Will better keywords make my book sell more?
Every author hopes so, and you deserve a straight answer. Keywords help Amazon match your book to searches, but no keyword plan guarantees rank or sales. Ranking and sales also depend on your cover, description, price, and reviews. What you can count on is filling the boxes with a plan instead of a guess, and less time lost to trial and error.
Can I use it before my book is published?
Yes, and it takes one big worry off your launch list. You need a finished manuscript and a title, so settle your title first. Book Title Optimizer can help if you are still choosing one. Then your KDP details page is ready when launch week arrives.
What if my book is already on Amazon?
It is never too late to give a quiet book a fresh start. Compare the new keywords with your current ones, and keep any that already work. To find out what is holding the whole page back, including title, cover, description, and reviews, use the Amazon Page Optimizer, which starts from your page link and a screenshot instead.
Does it work for nonfiction?
Yes. Fiction is where it feels most at home, and nonfiction authors can use it too. Nonfiction readers search by problem, so keep the phrases your reader would type when looking for help with the problem your book solves.
Can I change the results?
Yes, and you stay in charge of every word. Edit any phrase yourself, or reply in the chat to ask for a different angle, such as leaning harder into a trope or into clean content.
Is my manuscript private?
Yes. Author Media does not store, track, or view anything you post to this tool. The tools reach each AI through its business API with privacy set to the maximum, so the AI companies do not train on your words.
How much does it cost?
The Amazon Keyword & Category Planner is included with any Novel Marketing Patreon membership of $10 per month or more. That membership also unlocks more than 80 other author tools in the Patron Toolbox. AI tool use draws from your membership's credit balance, and the amount used varies with the request.
Fill your boxes and get back to writing.
Keep it ready for every launch and every backlist refresh. Your membership also includes more than 80 other author tools.
AI tool use draws from your membership's credit balance. The amount used varies with the request.
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Next steps for your Amazon listing.
After your page is live
Amazon Page OptimizerWhen your page is live but sales are quiet, find out what is holding it back, from title and cover to description and reviews. It starts from your page link and a screenshot instead of your manuscript.
Before you plan your listing
Book Title OptimizerSettle on a title and subtitle you love first, since your listing plan starts from them.
For the books you research
Comp FinderFind more books like yours, with sources you can check, and see how they reach the readers you want.
For your ads
Keyword PlannerWhen you are ready to run ads, build a long list of targeting keywords from your manuscript. Ads need far more keywords than your seven KDP boxes.
Unlock with Patreon