Ep 138: How to Choose Best Kindle Keywords for Your Book (Guide for Indie Authors) (2025)

Write the Damn Book Already

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There are more than 42 million books on Amazon right now. So how in the world do you help your book stand out? One word: keywords.

Think of keywords as Amazon’s GPS. They tell the algorithm exactly where your book belongs and who should see it. However, Amazon only gives you seven keyword boxes to work with. Seven! Which means every slot has to pull its weight.

In this episode, I walk you through how to make those keywords work harder for you. We cover:

• Why those “optional” keyword boxes are actually non-negotiable if you want readers to find you.
• The difference between broad, hopelessly crowded terms (like romance or personal growth) and the kind of long-tail keywords that actually connect you to the right readers.
• Simple (and sometimes free) ways to research what your audience is really typing into Amazon.
• Paid (but not ghastly expensive) tools that can save you time if you want to dig deeper.
• How to maximize all 50 characters in each slot.
• The big no-nos: other authors’ names, book titles, quotation marks (all off-limits).

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Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry.
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Kapitel

1. Introduction to Book Keywords (00:00:00)

2. Why Keywords Matter for Discovery (00:04:12)

3. How to Research Effective Keywords (00:08:01)

4. Common Keyword Mistakes to Avoid (00:14:01)

5. Aligning Keywords Across Platforms (00:20:36)

6. Free Resources and Next Steps (00:29:07)