KDP keywords are the up to seven keywords or short phrases you enter in Amazon KDP’s book details to tell Amazon which searches your book should appear in. Seven is a ceiling, not a target. Choose words a reader would actually type that your book truly delivers, and check each one by searching it on Amazon before you publish.
You get up to seven keywords or short phrases, and you can change them as often as you like. KDP’s help says to use up to seven and to keep an eye on the character limit in the text field. To edit them, go to your Bookshelf, click the ellipsis button next to your book, choose Edit book details for your book format, add or edit your keywords under the Keywords section, click Save and Continue, and on the Pricing page click Publish.
KDP’s help also says: “Single words work better than phrases, and specific words work better than general ones.” Its example is a phrase typed inside quotation marks: with “complex suspenseful whodunit” in quotation marks, only people who type all of those words will find your book, whereas without them customers can search for any of those words. So KDP lists quotation marks in search terms among the things to avoid.
The same help page lists more keywords to avoid, and says the list is not exhaustive and that all keywords must comply with KDP’s Terms and Conditions:
Start from the book and work out toward the search, not the other way round:
There is no universal list, but good romance keywords describe what your book truly delivers in the words readers use. In KDP’s terms, a trope such as second chance is usually a plot theme, “small town” is a setting, “single dad” is a character type (KDP’s own example) and “feel-good” is a story tone (also KDP’s example). Because KDP says specific words work better than general ones, keep each entry short and specific rather than stuffing in a long phrase. The romance tropes list shows the vocabulary readers use, and the free Trope Demand Checker shows, for a genre and trope, how often readers mention it and whether its share of that genre went up or down between the last two twelve-week bands.
No. A Map does not show Amazon search volumes. It includes a relative Google search-interest panel for your lane, where 100 is peak interest, and a section called Titles and search terms. In both sample Maps that section lists search terms that fit the book, then a second list of the terms the Map removed, each with a reason, such as a term that looks like another book’s title rather than a reader search, or one only free-book hunters use. The search terms are suggestions, not a KDP-approved list: check each one against KDP’s list of keywords to avoid before you use it. For keyword research tools, compare the options below and check what each one reports.
| Approach | What it gives you | What it does not |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon’s search bar | Phrases it suggests as you type, free and instant. KDP’s help says to search with your candidates before you publish. | Search-volume figures or earnings estimates. |
| Publisher Rocket | A keyword search and an Amazon keywords generator. $199 one-time, listed as reduced from $299 on publisherrocket.com on 17 October 2026. | Trope-level demand signals are not among the features listed on its home page. |
| Kindlepreneur’s keyword list | A free page of popular search terms by genre, marked updated 8 May 2026 and built from Publisher Rocket data, by the maker of Publisher Rocket. | Terms for your specific trope stack. |
| A Tropesmith Map ($15) | Search terms that fit your book, the terms it removed and why, and a relative Google search-interest panel for your lane. | Amazon search volumes, or a KDP-approved keyword list. |
Rival details were read on their own pages on 17 October 2026 and are theirs, not ours. Compare tools in Publisher Rocket alternatives and KDSpy alternatives.
Yes. Amazon’s search bar is free, and KDP’s help tells you to test your candidates there. Tropesmith adds free pages for the vocabulary side, none of which show search volume: the romance tropes list, book tropes, the Trope Demand Checker and BookTok books. For keyword types beyond KDP’s keyword field, such as ad keywords, see keywords for books.
Both sample Maps include a Titles and search terms section, free to read end to end.
Read a sample Map → Build my Map · $15 →KDP keywords are the up to seven keywords or short phrases you enter in Amazon KDP’s book details to help Amazon decide which searches your book should appear in. They sit alongside your title, categories and description.
Up to seven keywords or short phrases, according to KDP’s help page. KDP also says that quotation marks in search terms are among the things to avoid, and that single words work better than phrases and specific words work better than general ones.
Start from what your book truly delivers, collect candidate words from Amazon’s search bar and from the trope names readers use, then search each candidate on Amazon before you publish. If the results do not look like your book, drop it.
Yes. In KDP, go to your Bookshelf, choose Edit book details for the book, change the Keywords section, save, and publish again. KDP’s help says you can change keywords and descriptions as often as you like.
No. A Map does not show Amazon search volumes. It includes a relative Google search-interest panel and a Titles and search terms section that lists search terms that fit your book and the terms it removed, with reasons. Check each term against KDP’s list of keywords to avoid before you use it.
It depends on the job. Amazon’s search bar is free. Publisher Rocket lists a keyword search for $199 one-time on its own site, as of 17 October 2026. A Tropesmith Map costs $15 and lists search terms that fit your book and the terms it removed, without search volumes.
This guide is general publishing information and is not affiliated with Amazon. KDP rules are from the kdp.amazon.com help page “Make Your Book More Discoverable with Keywords”, read on 17 October 2026. Part of the market intelligence hub.