When you shop on Amazon, we want to help you easily find items you'll want to purchase, whether you know exactly what you want or need help.

You can search for items by entering a few words into the search box, and we'll show you matching results. Each department will offer its own customized options to search and browse. Depending on the product department you choose, you'll see specific refinements that are applicable to the selection.

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How is your placement in search results determined?

When you search for books on Amazon, our system attempts to find the products you are most likely looking for, based on the words you have entered. Our search methods go beyond simple keyword matching and may use information not visible on the search results page, including attributes provided by the publisher or the text of each book.

The search results are dynamic and it is expected for ASIN rankings to fluctuate. This means if a book is on the first page of search results today, it is not guaranteed to be on the first page tomorrow, and will move around. As a result, you may sometimes see placements you do not expect.

Factors that may impact your search result placement include, but aren't limited to the following:

• Past sales history.
• Availability.
• Length of time the item has been listed on our website.
• Popularity, and others.

Neither Amazon, nor KDP can guarantee that your book will display near the top of search results.

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I can’t find my book on search results. Why?

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, when you do a search on Amazon, our system attempts to find the products you are most likely looking for across different categories, you can confirm that search results are working as designed by following these steps:

1. Sign in to: https://kdp.amazon.com
2. Go to your Bookshelf and search for the book.
3. Click View on Amazon below the book price, and select the desired marketplace.
4. Do you see the option to purchase your book?
   • If your answer is yes, then continue with step #5 in this troubleshooting.
   • If your answer is no, please review your book set up to see in which territories your book is available. This option is available while setting up your book, in the Kindle eBook Pricing page or the Paperback or Hardcover Rights & Pricing page. You can learn more about Distribution rights by checking our Help pages below.
     • eBook Distribution Rights
     • Paperback and Hardcover Distribution Rights
5. Now that you are on Amazon, go to the main search box and type the name of your book and your author name.
6. Are you able to see your book?
   • If your answer is yes, then search results are working as expected. You can refer to our other resources list to make your book discoverable section.
   • If your answer is no, you can contact us so we can do additional research and determine how we can help.

Keep in mind that if you have selected the correct Amazon department and you are not seeing your book in search results, your book might be categorized as an adult item.

Books with adult content will not surface in general product searches as they could include content of a sexual or explicit nature, which is not appropriate for all readers. These books will surface in general Kindle searches for customers who choose to allow adult content.

If your book is incorrectly categorized as an adult item, you can edit this by following the steps below:

Instructions for eBooks

Instructions for Paperbacks and Hardcovers

The age range associated with your book will determine if it’s an adult item. To check the age range of your book: Sign in to: https://kdp.amazon.com Go to your Bookshelf and click the ellipsis button ("…") under the KINDLE EBOOK ACTIONS menu next to your book. Select "Edit eBook Details." Under the Age and Grade range header, select the age and/or grade range. Go to the bottom of the page and click Save and Continue. Once you reach the Kindle eBook Pricing page, click the Publish Your Kindle eBook button at the bottom of the page.

Sign in to: https://kdp.amazon.com Go to your Bookshelf and click the ellipsis button ("…") under the PAPERBACK ACTIONS or HARDCOVER ACTIONS menu next to your book. Select "Edit Paperback Details" or "Edit Hardcover Details." Go to 'Adult Content' section and Select 'No' for the question: 'Does this book contain language, situations, or images inappropriate for children under 18 years of age?' Confirm your Territory Rights. Update your prices if necessary. Click Publish Your Paperback Book or Publish Your Hardcover Book to complete the process.

Keep in mind that if a book was categorized as an adult item by KDP, you will not be able to change this.

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I just published my book, how long does it take for my book to display on search results?

Once your book is available for purchase, it takes up to 72 hours to set the search attributes.

If you want to confirm your book is available for purchase:

1. Sign in to your KDP account.
2. Go to your Bookshelf and click the View on Amazon button below your book price.
3. Click the desired marketplace.

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I have published my book in different editions, why is only one edition displaying on search results?

To show customers more choices in their search results, Amazon generally display only one edition of each book on the search results page. After clicking to view the detail page, you (and customers) will see the other available editions in the "Formats" section in the center of the page. Just click on the + sign under "Formats" to locate your offer.

If you search for a book on Amazon, the results will display a relevant version of a work based on what the customer is looking for. For example, the paperback edition may be shown, although the Hardcover, Kindle, and Audio Book editions of the same work also exist.

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Which Amazon department should I select to search for my book? Why is this important?

When navigating on the Amazon homepage, use the dropdown menu to search within a specific department. If you’re searching for paperbacks, select Books. If you’re searching for eBooks, select Kindle Store.

Once you are searching within a department, you can refine your results further by selecting desired features for the results using the links to the left.

This is important because each department will offer its own customized options to search and browse. For example, if you are doing a search by keywords using “All” departments and you are using the keywords “kitchen Spanish food” you will see a combination of products across all Amazon departments, while if you do the same search using either the Books or the Kindle Store departments you will see results displaying only for books.

If you are navigating through Amazon.com, you can also use Advanced Search. This feature allows you to choose which attributes of a product (title, author, etc.) to search for.

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My book is searchable only on specific Amazon marketplaces. Why?

When viewing product pages, keep in mind that the availability of books may vary based on your home country or region. This can also affect the search results you see.

Please note: books with titles longer than 200 characters will not display in search results on Amazon. You'll want to reduce the number of characters in your title, subtitle and/or series name to ensure your book displays in search results.

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My book position changed in search results, can KDP change this?

Unfortunately no. A search on Amazon works much like an internet search engine, producing results based on your keywords.

The order of the items that appear are determined automatically by our system, this depends on different factors that we called out above on the How is your placement in search results determined? section.

These factors also cause the results on our website to change constantly.

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Other resources that can help to make your book discoverable.

You can also consider adding or updating your keywords or Browse categories. Relevant keywords and/or categories can boost your placement in search results.

To learn more about these topics, go to any of our Help pages below:

• Make Your Book More Discoverable with Keywords
• Browse Categories
  
  
  

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