When I first started my erotica publishing empire, I really didn’t create any subtitles for my books.
In fact, I thought they would make the title too long and didn’t add anything of value.
But boy was I wrong!
When it comes to writing erotica, I think the subtitle is one of the more underutilized things.
In fact, if used with the proper keywords they can really improve the sale of your books.
So this post will really focus on how to pick an Amazon KDP subtitle that sells.
My KDP Subtitle Picking Process
Now I’ve been experimenting around with subtitles for a while now (with varying degrees of success) and here’s what I like to do.
I like to have a “normal” title that fits into the niche (i.e. “Cowboy Ranch”).
But then, I use the subtitle to include a few relevant keywords that tell the reader what kind of book they are getting into.
In other words, I want to use the keywords to identify the exact niche and/or give them an idea of what the story is about without reading the description.
Now that’s a tall order, so jot down a few of the first subtitles that come to mind first and then narrow it down from there.
In this example, my subtitle might be something like “Gay Cowboys In The Hay” – with Gay Cowboys being an extra keyword.
The idea behind including relevant keywords in your subtitle is to get ranked higher in the search rankings (and thus higher sales)
Avoid Keyword Stuffing!
One thing you want to do is to avoid keyword stuffing or having “extra descriptive” titles in the cover.
I fell for this mistake a while ago and Amazon actually emailed me about it and threatened to take down my books.
So don’t just string together random keywords into your subtitle! They must make sense.
I see a lot of people doing stuff like Seduced By My Boss (BDSM, Bimbo, Lesbian, Menage, Erotica).
Don’t do it.
First, from the customer’s angle, it looks very tacky. Creating a subtitle that flows naturally will always sell better.
And secondly, as I already discussed, you run the risk of getting a nasty email from Amazon to take down your books (like I did).
So stay on the safe side.
Picking An Amazon KDP Subtitle: Final Thoughts
Overall, picking a good subtitle to accompany your title for your next eBook on Amazon is super important.
It allows you to target (more) relevant keywords and potentially increase your search rankings.
And if you have higher search rankings, your books will sell a lot better.
So for your next book, jot down a bunch of possible keyword rich subtitles you can use and narrow it down to the best few and go from there!
Let me know if you have tried this and what the results were!