Thursday, October 10, 2013

What Amazon Book Genres Teach Us



There are hundreds of categories that books can fall under. Below is a list of how Amazon categorizes books. As you can see, it has major genres, such as business, health, cookbooks, etc and then it has sub-genres. How you categorize your book will influence where it sits on a bookshelf, how it’s searched for online, how consumers will come to see your book, and how Amazon calculates its various best-seller lists.

The list below is also helpful in getting you to think of the different ways to see your book. For instance, you may say that you penned a self-help book. There are 21 sub-categories listed on Amazon. Each of those categories could be a newspaper story angle or a blog post topic. Each category could represent a potential marketplace for you, depending on the content in your book and how it can be applied even to others for whom you didn’t intend to write the book for.

Explore the different genres and sub-genres below and maybe this exercise will spark a marketing or PR idea. Good luck.


Arts & Photography
Architectural Art & Design
Business of Art
Collections, Catalogs, & Exhibitions
Decorative Arts & Design
Drawing
Fashion
Graphic Design
History & Criticism
Individual Artists
Music
Other Media
Painting
Performing Arts
Photography
Religious
Sculpture
Study & Teaching

Audible Audiobooks
Fiction & Literature
Nonfiction
Arts & Entertainment
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children’s Books
Fantasy
Health, Mind & Body
History
Humor
Language Instruction
Mysteries & Thrillers
Politics & Current Events
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction
Teens

Biographies & Memoirs
Arts & Literature
Ethnic & National
Family & Childhood
Historical
Leaders & Notable People
Memoirs
People, A-Z
Professionals & Academics
Reference & Collections
Regional Canada
Regional U.S
Specific Groups
Sports & Outdoors
Travel
True Accounts

Books on CD
Authors, A-Z
Biographies & Memoirs
Business
Children’s Fiction
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
General
Health, Mind & Body
History
Horror
Humor
Languages
Literature & Fiction
Music
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Parenting & Families
Poetry & Drama
Radio Shows
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports & Outdoors

Business & Investing
Accounting
Biography & History
Business Life
Economics
Finance
Industries & Professions
International
Investing
Job Hunting & Careers
Management & Leadership
Marketing & Sales
Organizational Behavior
Personal Finance
Popular Economics
Real Estate
Reference
Skills
Small Business & Entrepreneurship
Women & Business

Calendars
Animals
Architecture
Arts
Automotive
Boats & Ships
Children’s
Cooking
Crafts
Diet & Health
Flowers
Foreign Language
Games
Garden & Home
Humor & Comics
Inspirational
Lighthouses
Maps
Movies
Multicultural
Music
Nature
Photography
Quotations
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Television
Travel & Scenery

Children’s Books
Action & Adventure
Activities, Crafts & Games
Animals
Arts, Music, & Photography
Biographies
Cars, Trains, & Things That Go
Children’s Cookbooks
Classics
Comic & Graphic Novels
Computers & Technology
Education & Reference
Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, & Myths
Geography & Cultures
Growing Up & Facts of Life
History
Holidays & Celebrations
Humor
Literature & Fiction
Mysteries & Detectives
Religious
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Science, Nature, & How It Works
Sports & Outdoors

Christian Books & Bibles
Bibles
Bible Covers
Bible Study & Reference
Biographies
Catholicism
Children’s & Teens
Christian Denominations & Sects
Christian Living
Churches & Church Leadership
Education
History
Literature & Fiction
Ministry & Evangelism
Protestantism
Romance
Theology
Worship & Devotion

Comic & Graphic Novels
Action & Adventure Manga
Art of Comics and Manga
Biographies & History Graphic Novels
Comic Books
Comic Strips
Fantasy Graphic Novels
Graphic Novels
History & Price Guides
How To Create Comics & Manga
Mnaga
Media Tie-In Graphic Novels
Romance Manga
Science Fiction Graphic Novels
Superheroes

Computers & Technology
Apple
Business & Management
Certification
Computer Science
Databases
Digital Media Management
Games & Strategy Guides
Graphic Design
Hardware
Home Computing & How-to
Internet & Web Culture
Microsoft
Mobile Phones, Tablets & E-Readers
Networking
Operating Systems
Programming
Security & Encryption
Software
Web Development & Design

Cookbooks, Food & Wine
Baking
Canning & Preserving
Cooking by Ingredient
Culinary Arts & Techniques
Drinks & Beverages
Gastronomy
Meals
Natural Foods
Organic Cooking
Outdoor Cooking
Quick & Easy
Reference
Regional & International
Special Appliances
Special Diet
Special Occasions
Vegetables & Vegetarian

Crafts, Hobbies & Home
Antiques & Collectibles
Crafts & Hobbies
Entertaining
Gardening & Landscape Design
Home Improvement & Design
Pets & Animal Care
Sustainable Living
Weddings

Education & Reference
Almanacs & Yearbooks
Atlases & Maps
Careers
Catalogs & Directories
College & University
Consumer Guides
Dictionaries & Thesauruses
Encyclopedias
English as a Second Language
Etiquette
Foreign Language Study & Reference
Genealogy
Graduate School
Quotations
Schools & Teaching
Studying & Workbooks
Test Preparation
Trivia & Fun Facts
Words, Language & Grammar
Writing, Research & Publishing Guides

Gay & Lesbian
Biographies & Memoirs
History
Literature & Fiction
Mysteries & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Parenting & Families
Travel

Health, Fitness & Dieting
Addiction & Recovery
Aging
Alternative Medicine
Beauty, Grooming & Style
Children’s Health
Diets & Weight Loss
Diseases & Physical Ailments
Exercise & Fitness
Men’s Health
Mental Health
Nutrition
Psychology & Counseling
Reference
Safety & First Aid
Sexual Health
Teen Health
Women’s Health

History
Africa
Americas
Arctic & Antarctica
Asia
Australia & Oceania
Europe
Middle East
Russia
United States
Ancient
Medieval
Renaissance
Modern (16th-21st Centuries)
World
Military
Military Science
Historical Study & Educational Resources

Humor & Entertainment
Humor
Movies
Performing Arts
Pop Culture
Puzzles & Games
Radio
Sheet Music & Scores
Television

Large Print
Biographies & Memoirs
Children’s Books
Health, Mind & Body
History
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Philosophy
Poetry & Short Stories
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Alternative Reading Formats

Law
Administrative Law
Biographies
Business
Constitutional Law
Dictionaries & Terminology
Environmental & Natural Resources Law
Estate Planning
Ethics & Professional Responsibility
Family Law
Foreign & International Law
Health and Medical Law
Intellectual Property
Law Practice
Legal Education
Legal History
Legal Self-Help
Legal Theory & Systems
Media & the Law
Philosophy
Rules & Procedures
Specialties
Tax Law

Literature & Fiction
Ancient & Classical Literature
Anthologies & Literary Collections
British
Classics
Contemporary
Drama
Erotica
Essays & Correspondence
Foreign Language Fiction
Genre Fiction
Historical Fiction
History & Criticism
Humor
Literary
Mythology & Folk Tales
Poetry
Short Stories
United States
Women’s Fiction
World Literature

Medical Books
Administration & Medicine Economics
Allied Health Professions
Basic Sciences
Dentistry
History
Medical Informatics
Medicine
Nursing
Pharmacology
Psychology
Research
Veterinary Medicine

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Mystery
Police Procedurals
Thrillers
Writing

Parenting & Relationships
Adoption
Aging Parents
Family Activities
Family Health
Family Relationships
Fertility
Humor
Parenting
Pregnancy & Childbirth
Reference
Special Needs

Politics & Social Sciences
Anthropology
Archaeology
Politics & Government
Social Sciences
Sociology
Women’s Studies

Professional & Technical
Accounting & Finance
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Publications
Architecture
Automotive
Business Management
Civil Service
Education & Teaching
Engineering
Law
Medical
Professional Science
Transportation

Religion & Spirituality
Buddhism
Christian Books & Bibles
Earth-Based Religions
Fiction
Hinduism
Islam
Judaism
New Age
Occult
Other Eastern Religions & Sacred Texts
Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts
Religious Art
Religious Studies
Spirituality

Romance
Anthologies
Contemporary
Erotica
Fantasy & Futuristic
Gothic
Historical
Inspirational
Multicultural
Regency
Romantic Suspense
Time Travel
Vampires
Western
Writing

Science & Math
Agricultural Sciences
Archaeology
Astronomy & Space Science
Behavioral Sciences
Biological Sciences
Chemistry
Earth Sciences
Environment
Essays & Commentary
Evolution
Experiments, Instruments & Measurements
History & Philosophy
Mathematics
Nature & Ecology
Physics
Reference
Research
Science for Kids
Technology

Science Fiction & Fantasy
Fantasy
Gaming
Science Fiction
Writing

Self-Help
Abuse
Creativity
Death & Grief
Dreams
Eating Disorders
Handwriting Analysis
Happiness
Hypnosis
Inner Child
Journal Writing
Memory Improvement
Motivational
New Age
Personal Transformation
Relationships
Self-Esteem
Sex
Spiritual
Stress Management
Success
Time Management

Sports & Outdoors
Baseball
Basketball
Biographies
Coaching
Extreme Sports
Field Guides
Football (American)
Golf
Hiking & Camping
Hockey
Hunting & Fishing
Individual Sports
Miscellaneous
Mountaineering
Nature Travel
Other Team Sports
Outdoor Recreation
Racket Sports
Rodeos
Soccer
Softball
Survival Skills
Training
Water Sports
Winter Sports

Teens
Biographies
Education & Reference
Health, Mind & Body
Historical Fiction
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Love & Romance
Mysteries
Religion & Spirituality
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Social Issues
Sports & Hobbies

Travel
Adventure Travel
Food, Lodging & Transportation
Pictorial
Reference
Specialty Travel
Travel Writing
Africa
Asia
Australia & South Pacific
Canada
Caribbean
Central America
Europe
Mexico
Middle East
Polar Regions
South America
United States

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013

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