Why accurate genres matter for bargain promotions

When you submit a bargain promotion, one of the most important decisions you'll make is selecting your genres.

Those choices do much more than organize your book on our website. They tell our system which readers are most likely to enjoy your book. The more accurately you categorize your bargain ebook, the more opportunities we have to introduce it to the right readers.

Bargain Promotions Can Appear in Two Genres 

Bargain promotions may be listed in up to two genres. It isn't a requirement — you can certainly choose just one.

While free ebook promotions are generally promoted in a single genre, bargain promotions can take advantage of a second genre when it genuinely fits the book. And we offer that second genre at a discount.

When a book naturally appeals to two different audiences, it makes sense to promote it to both.

For example:

• Cozy Mystery + Urban Fantasy

• Epic Fantasy + Paranormal Romance

• Historical Romance + Christian Romance

• Cozy Mystery + Female Sleuth

Each of these combinations represents readers who are likely to enjoy the same book. 

Why This Matters

Let's imagine your bargain book is both a cozy mystery and an urban fantasy. Because it genuinely belongs in both genres, it may become eligible for:

• Amazon Mystery & Thrillers Newsletter

• Amazon Science Fiction & Fantasy Newsletter

Our Amazon genre newsletters are sent twice each week. Because this book qualifies for both genres, it becomes eligible for both newsletters every time they're sent, creating two opportunities for discovery instead of one.

If your book is available wide, it may additionally qualify for:

• Apple Books Newsletter

• Kobo Newsletter

• Nook Newsletter

• Google Play Newsletter

Each of those retailer newsletters is also sent twice each week. The result isn't that your book is shown to more readers indiscriminately. It's shown to more of the right readers.

That's exactly what personalized newsletters are designed to accomplish.

Don't Choose Genres Just to Get More Exposure

We occasionally see authors trying to choose genres based on what they think will produce the most appearances.

That usually has the opposite effect. Our goal isn't simply to maximize exposure. Our goal is to match books with readers who are genuinely interested in them.

The best strategy is also the simplest: Choose the genres that honestly describe your book.

If you're unsure which genres fit best, ask yourself where readers would expect to find your book in an online bookstore. That's usually a good starting point.

One Important Rule

Please don't mix fiction and nonfiction genres.

For example:

❌ Business + Thriller

❌ Biography + Fantasy

❌ Self-Help + Romance

❌ Memoir + Science Fiction

Those combinations confuse both readers and our matching system.

Instead:

Fiction books should use fiction genres.

Nonfiction books should use nonfiction genres.

This helps ensure your promotion reaches readers who are actually looking for the kind of book you've written.
 
What We've Seen So Far

One recent bargain promotion belonged to two genuine fiction genres and was available through every major ebook retailer.

Because it qualified for:

• Two Amazon genre newsletters,

• Apple Books,

• Kobo,

• Nook,

• Google Play,

• and repeated Bargain Section placements,

it ultimately appeared 68 times over the course of a month.

Will every two-genre bargain promotion receive dozens of appearances? Of course not.

That promotion represented something close to a perfect storm:

• Two active genres.

• Wide retailer distribution.

• Accurate pricing.

• Continued bargain eligibility.

• Available newsletter inventory.

But it does illustrate what becomes possible when a book genuinely belongs in multiple genres and remains eligible for continued promotion.

Think Like a Reader 

When you're choosing genres, don't ask yourself: "Which two genres will give me the most exposure?"

Instead ask: "If I were recommending this book to a friend, which two genres would I use to describe it?"

That's usually the right answer.

The more accurately your book is categorized, the easier it becomes for our system to introduce it to readers who are most likely to enjoy it.

Before You Submit Your Bargain Promotion 

Take a minute to ask yourself these questions:

✅ Does my book genuinely fit both genres?

✅ Would readers of either genre reasonably enjoy this book?

✅ Am I using either two fiction genres or two nonfiction genres?

✅ If I could only describe this book in two genres, are these the two I'd choose?

If the answer to all four questions is "yes," you've given your promotion the best possible chance to reach the right audience.

Choosing accurate genres helps everyone. Readers discover books they're more likely to enjoy. Authors receive higher-quality clicks from interested readers. And our matching system becomes even better over time.

That's ultimately what personalized newsletters are all about — not simply reaching more readers, but reaching the readers who are most likely to become your next fans.