Many people have heard the idiom ‘barking up the wrong tree’. This dates back to the 1800s, when the sport of hunting with packs of dogs was popular. Sometimes the prey would run up a tree and escape along the treetops. The confused hounds could smell the scent, but were unaware that the focus of their hunt was not up the tree the hounds were alerting their owners to. Often, as new authors, who are self-publishing in Amazon, we have the tendency to follow this route when loading our books into categories that don’t serve us or our target readership.
BISAC is an acronym for Book Industry Standards and Communications. BISACS are international universal categories that all shops use to decide where the book belongs in their inventory. These codes were originally created for bricks and mortar stores, but they are now used for online retailers as well. It is the reason why when you go looking for your favourite authors’ books, you will find them in the same categories in whatever store you go into. Libraries and many online stores also use this system.
So how does this work? When a publisher launches books, they create a category and then release the book into the market using these classification codes. Amazon uses these codes to automatically match your book in a similar category to their online categories. It is a simple and easy process for new inexperienced authors to load their books. Most authors who are self-publishing in Amazon stop at this point. However, you can list your books in up to 10 categories and request that the books be manually allocated to categories that better suit your books. Successful authors have learned to research this category before even launching their books, but most authors only find out about this after they have already released their books and by the time they try to fix it, they have lost valuable time in their launch sequence.
What are BISACS?
BISAC is an acronym for Book Industry Standards and Communications. BISACS are international universal categories that all shops use to decide where the book belongs in their inventory. These codes were originally created for bricks and mortar stores, but they are now used for online retailers as well. It is the reason why when you go looking for your favourite authors’ books, you will find them in the same categories in whatever store you go into. Libraries and many online stores also use this system.
So how does this work? When a publisher launches books, they create a category and then release the book into the market using these classification codes. Amazon uses these codes to automatically match your book in a similar category to their online categories. It is a simple and easy process for new inexperienced authors to load their books. Most authors who are self-publishing in Amazon stop at this point. However, you can list your books in up to 10 categories and request that the books be manually allocated to categories that better suit your books. Successful authors have learned to research this category before even launching their books, but most authors only find out about this after they have already released their books and by the time they try to fix it, they have lost valuable time in their launch sequence.
Why does Amazon have different categories to BISACS?
Amazon is a retailer who focuses on the customer experience. Over time, they have accumulated knowledge on how their customers shop. In marketing we call this consumer behaviour. Consumer behaviour is the study of how people are making purchase decisions. Amazon has mastered the study of how their customers respond to their multinational retail platform to satisfy their needs.
If Amazon sees a rise in the demand for certain kinds of books, they create a category to match this trend. This company quickly adapts to customer needs and they do this across all their markets. So the categories in different Amazon markets differ.
What you see in the US market may differ from what you see in the UK or Australian markets.
Amazon KDP tells you to be specific about your book, but the BISAC doesn’t always have the niches that suit your books. This is where you have to do the hard work.
Now, before you join the grumbling majority, who are self-publishing in Amazon, remember Amazon grants you access to your market. You are still the master of your own publishing career. In all businesses, including the self publishing business, you must do some work yourself. That is what successful authors do. They either master the art of finding categories and learn to research and load them or they find a reputable company or book focused virtual assistant who they can outsource the job to.
Amazon is very strict about Authors adhering to the rules of their categories. Their policy states…
“We do not tolerate inaccurate or unexpected categorization that misleads or manipulates our customers.”
This means that there is no barking up the wrong tree with categories. Know your niche and position your book in a way that customers get what they are actually looking for.
There are millions of books on Amazon. That is a lot of competition for most authors but particularly for a new author who does not have a marketing or launch strategy.
So go have a look at your book on Amazon and see if you have been ranked in any categories. If not, start researching categories today and get your book correctly listed. If you do have a ranking, check to see if they correctly match your book.
You can still salvage your existing book with a careful strategy. But the best practice is if you are currently writing and are planning to self publish with Amazon to plan your launch ahead of release with careful category planning.
Hello, I am Kim Vermaak
I spent most of my adult life helping other companies build their dream and their brands.
After I turned 40, I wondered if there was more to life than taking care of children and slaving away to earn a living.
I wanted to create a legacy for my children and the next generation. I found that through my books I could celebrate who I am as well as teach others to earn a living through their writing.
Being an author is not a hobby. It is a business, and it is my passion to teach authors how to thrive in that business. I look forward to seeing your book business grow.
Your Book Whisperer
Kim
BookSirens is a legitimate resource for authors and readers alike that can help readers find books they’ll love, while matching authors with prospective reviewers so they can get more honest reviews.
