Should fiction keywords include character names?

Usually no. Unknown character names have little search demand. Use searchable character types such as female detective, reluctant hero, or single father when they accurately fit.

Can I use tropes as KDP keywords?

Yes. Tropes such as enemies to lovers, found family, or locked-room mystery can be strong reader searches when the book genuinely delivers them.

Should I use genre names in KDP keyword boxes?

Use specific subgenre phrases when they add useful search context, but avoid wasting space by repeating words already covered clearly in the title, subtitle, or categories.

How do I find keywords for fiction books?

Find keywords for fiction books by describing the story through its genre, subgenre, tropes, character types, setting, tone, themes, and intended reading experience. Expand those concepts with Amazon autocomplete and comparable books, then keep only phrases that accurately match the novel. A strong fiction keyword expresses the kind of story a reader wants. Useful elements include genre, subgenre, trope, protagonist type, relationship dynamic, setting, historical period, tone, heat level, theme, and ending expectation. The phrase should make a matching reader think the book belongs in that search. For a gothic romance set in a remote Scottish manor, possible seeds include gothic romance, haunted manor mystery, historical Scottish romance, family secrets novel, and atmospheric romantic suspense, provided each phrase accurately reflects the book. Enter genre and trope seeds into Amazon's Books or Kindle Store search and note autocomplete suggestions. Review the categories, subtitles, descriptions, and reader reviews of close comparable books. Reviews are especially useful because readers describe pacing, atmosphere, emotional effect, and favourite tropes in natural language. Use a book keyword tool to expand combinations and assess competition. Search each candidate to confirm that the results resemble your novel. If a phrase returns mostly different genres or nonfiction, refine the wording until the result set matches reader intent. Choose seven distinct phrases that cover different paths into the book. One can focus on subgenre, another on a major trope, another on setting, another on protagonist or relationship, and another on tone or reading experience. Avoid repeating the same phrase with minor word-order changes. Balance broader phrases with precise long-tail searches. Broad terms can describe the main shelf, while specific phrases improve relevance and may face less competition. Remove any keyword that promises a trope, audience, heat level, or ending the story does not deliver.

Find fiction book keywords from genre, subgenre, tropes, setting, characters, tone, and reader expectations, then validate them on Amazon.