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name: amazon-category-research description: Research profitable Amazon KDP categories for book publishing. This skill should be used when planning a book launch, analyzing competition, or optimizing category selection for discoverability. Guides the 3-category decision with BSR analysis and ghost category avoidance.

Amazon Category Research

Select the right 3 Amazon categories for your book. This is a one-time, high-stakes decision—categories can't easily be changed after publishing, and 27% of KDP categories are "ghost categories" that don't actually work.

Purpose

Answer one question: Which 3 categories should this book be in?

This skill does NOT cover keywords (separate skill) or book descriptions (separate skill). Just categories.

When to Use This Skill

• "Which categories should I choose for my book?"
• "I'm publishing on KDP and need to pick categories"
• "Is [category name] a good category?"
• "How do I become a bestseller on Amazon?"
• "What categories are my competitors in?"

Not for: Keyword research, book description writing, cover design, or pricing strategy.

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The 4-Step Method

Step 1: Find Comp Titles

Identify 5-10 books similar to yours that are selling well.

How to find them:

• Search Amazon for your topic
• Look for books with 50+ reviews and BSR under 100,000
• Note the ASIN (10-character ID starting with B) for each

What makes a good comp:

• Similar topic/genre to your book
• Published in last 2-3 years
• Actively selling (BSR under 100,000)

Step 2: Extract Their Categories

Use BKLNK (free tool) to see all categories for each comp title.

Process:

1. Go to bklnk.com
2. Enter the ASIN
3. See all categories the book is listed in
4. Note which categories appear across multiple comps

What you're looking for:

• Categories that multiple successful comps share
• Specific subcategories (not just "Fiction" or "Non-Fiction")
• Categories that actually have bestseller rankings

Step 3: Analyze BSR for Each Category

For each candidate category, check the competition level.

How to check:

1. Go to Amazon's category page
2. Note the BSR of the #1 book
3. Note the BSR of the #20 book
4. Use the BSR calculator: scripts/bsr_to_sales.py

Competition levels:

#1 Book BSR	Level	What It Means
< 500	Very High	Hard to crack
500-5,000	High	Needs strong launch
5,000-10,000	Medium	Achievable
10,000-50,000	Low	Good opportunity
> 50,000	Very Low	Easy, but low traffic

Step 4: Apply the Portfolio Strategy

Select 3 categories with different competition levels:

Slot	Target	Purpose
1. Niche	BSR #1 > 10,000	Easy bestseller badge at launch
2. Mid-range	BSR #1 = 5,000-10,000	Steady visibility
3. Growth	BSR #1 < 5,000	Upside if book takes off

Why this works:

• Slot 1 gives you a quick win (bestseller badge = social proof)
• Slot 2 provides consistent discoverability
• Slot 3 positions you for growth

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Critical Warning: Ghost Categories

27% of KDP categories are "ghost categories" that:

• Have no category page on Amazon
• Can't earn bestseller badges
• Provide zero discoverability

Before selecting ANY category:

1. Search Amazon for that category
2. Click through to verify the page exists
3. Confirm books in that category have bestseller badges

If you can't find a real category page: DO NOT SELECT IT.

See references/ghost-categories.md for details on identification.

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Tools

Tool	Cost	Use
BKLNK	Free	See any book's categories by ASIN
Kindlepreneur BSR Calculator	Free	Convert BSR to daily sales
scripts/bsr_to_sales.py	Free	Local BSR calculator
Publisher Rocket	$199-299	Automated category research + ghost detection
KDSPY	$79	Browser extension for BSR data

Reality Check: The Free Path Requires Manual Work

BSR data is not easily scraped. Amazon pages are JavaScript-rendered and don't yield BSR numbers to automated tools.

The free workflow:

1. Find comp titles via Amazon search (works)
2. Extract categories via BKLNK (works)
3. Get BSR numbers → Must visit each Amazon product page manually, scroll to "Product Details," and note the BSR
4. Convert BSR to sales via calculator (works)

The paid workflow:

• Publisher Rocket ($199-299 one-time) automates steps 2-4 AND detects ghost categories
• KDSPY ($79 one-time) adds BSR overlay to Amazon pages as you browse

Recommendation: For a single book, the free path is fine (budget 1-2 hours). For multiple books or ongoing publishing, Publisher Rocket pays for itself in time saved.

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Quick Reference: Research Template

Copy assets/research-spreadsheet.csv and fill in for your book:

Category Path	BSR #1	BSR #20	Ghost?	Competition	Notes
[Fill in]

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Example: Applying the Method

Book: A guide to Christian fasting practices

Step 1 - Comp titles:

• "Fasting" by Jentezen Franklin (ASIN: B001ANSS7U)
• "The Fasting Edge" by Jentezen Franklin
• "A Hunger for God" by John Piper
• "Atomic Power of Prayer and Fasting" by Cindy Trimm

Step 2 - Categories extracted via BKLNK:

• Religion & Spirituality > Christian Living > Spiritual Growth
• Religion & Spirituality > Christian Living > Prayer
• Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diets > Fasting

Step 3 - BSR analysis:

• Spiritual Growth: #1 BSR = 3,500 (High competition)
• Prayer: #1 BSR = 8,000 (Medium)
• Fasting (Health): #1 BSR = 15,000 (Low)

Step 4 - Selection:

1. Niche: Health > Diets > Fasting (easy badge)
2. Mid: Christian Living > Prayer (steady)
3. Growth: Christian Living > Spiritual Growth (upside)

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Bundled Resources

• references/bsr-thresholds.md - What BSR numbers mean for sales
• references/ghost-categories.md - How to identify and avoid ghost categories
• references/category-examples.md - 8+ real case studies with results
• scripts/bsr_to_sales.py - Convert BSR to daily sales estimates
• assets/research-spreadsheet.csv - Template for tracking research

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Common Mistakes

1. Selecting broad categories - "Fiction" or "Non-Fiction" = drowning in competition
2. Not verifying for ghosts - Trust the KDP dropdown at your peril
3. All eggs in one basket - Using all 3 slots on similar categories
4. Ignoring comp research - Guessing instead of following proven paths
5. Set and forget - Categories that worked last year may be saturated now

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Related Skills

• kdp-keyword-optimizer - Optimize the 7 backend keyword slots
• book-description-writer - Write conversion-optimized descriptions
• kdp-launch-checklist - Pre-publish validation

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Category selection is a strategic decision. 3 slots, 27% ghosts, permanent choice. Research before you publish.