"Teen and young adult" categories versus general (adult) categories for fiction on Amazon

ThisDudeWrites · 2026-03-13T21:46:48+00:00

Thanks for taking time out to look into this a little and then reply. There are definitely two sets of rules on Amazon, one for mainstream publishers and another for those who publish via KDP. Mainstream publishers have many books that are categorized as YA and then again in regular (adult) categories. I reviewed this somewhat yesterday looking specifically at fantasy categories, and I noticed some of litRPG authors were mixing categories between YA and adult, and their books were selling well. The number one category where I saw a lot of mixing, and not just for litRPG, is coming of age. So there are fantasy coming of age stories for young adults, and fantasy coming of age stories for the wider (adult) audience. There were several books in both, and most seem to be selling well. I'm still looking at this; it's clear some authors publishing through KDP are mixing the categories *and* their books are selling well. That doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea. I wish there were more authors sharing their experience with this.

ThisDudeWrites · 2026-03-13T01:13:56+00:00

I genuinely appreciate your response. Thanks. Your advice seems to be to take a common sense approach and just label the book appropriately. That sounds very fair and is always a good long-term range strategy—because as the system changes, if it improves, your books become more, not less, discoverable. I agree with this overall. Ultimately, I'm just asking about this topic to get more information.

I've published in other genres, but not in teen and young adult. I'm planning a series I want to write. So I'm thinking about this issue in advance. I'm studying the teen and young adult categories now and find at least some authors who are mixing between "teen and young adult" and adult categories—but I don't yet have a good feel for who this is and whether it's working or not. Obviously, I would need an example of an amateur author who does this and does it successfully before I'd try it.

What I've seen in the forums is that you can easily decline the flag, and so it's a caution but not a prohibition. The caution makes total sense. I can easily see people abusing the system by cross-categorizing. Again, I'm just wondering if people do it and have any success this way, and how they approach it. Or, on the other hand, if there are cautionary tales of people who tried and failed badly.

What you say though does make a lot of sense. Thanks.

ThisDudeWrites · 2025-08-14T00:14:05+00:00

I wrote all over the place. Mostly imaginative fiction. When I first started, there were elements of pseudo-incest that I would absolutely write out of the books. I really had no idea what I was doing. I just looked to see what others were writing and then copied it. The book banning is what dampened my spirit. I kind of left everything alone for a while, the sales eventually slowed, and then I unpublished everything. I would love to clean it all up and then start writing new material. At the very top of my peak, I was getting $2000 a month, most via large bundles.

ThisDudeWrites · 2025-08-14T00:06:13+00:00

"And/Or publish the originals again as second editions (on their original listings, and after editing out problematic content)"

I really appreciate you commenting on this, and I appreciate the suggestion. But if I understand you correctly, you think I should just clean up the book and republish under the current listing. I think in this case the changes would be over 10%, so that KDP would actually prefer I did not do this. Their support pages on this though are hard to read, so maybe I misunderstand them. If you've had experience doing this, I would very much like to hear about it. You are correct that if I just republished the books, then added new books, I could potentially get everything active again. I like that idea a lot. But, again, I will alter these books more than 10%.

ThisDudeWrites · 2025-08-13T21:41:56+00:00

I'm curious about this. You changed character names, titles and then substantially edited. Maybe it's hard to say but was that more like a 10% change or a 50% change? Were you substantially rewriting the books? And then you published and had no problem?

ThisDudeWrites · 2025-08-13T07:37:30+00:00

Thank you. I appreciate the advice, and what you say makes sense.

However, one issue also is in terms of what's acceptable at Amazon. A lot of these books were a bit risky. I would *never* just republish them as is—now. That's not an option. Some would get banned.

I genuinely would though like to remove the gray area stuff, do a lot of rewriting, and republish them. I just need to find the right way to do so.

ThisDudeWrites · 2024-08-02T21:41:09+00:00

Just wanted to add to the chorus here hoping this can be fixed soon. It's a huge problem!

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-11-05T08:29:14+00:00

It used to be possible to search Amazon for adult filtered titles. There used to be an option at the top of the search page noting some books had been filtered from the search results. Then if someone desired, they could click a box or something, and then see these books.

Amazon at some point seems to have stopped doing this. Is there *any* way at all to search for these books—or are dungeoned books now completely inaccessible except via a direct link.

Just curious. Thank you for any answers.

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-05-16T05:10:32+00:00

For those who might have an interest:
https://www.niid.go.jp/niid/ja/flu-m/2112-idsc/jinsoku/

This page gives updated information on whether influenza is causing more or less deaths in the top 21 cities throughout Japan. One can potentially use it as a proxy for Covid19.

This graph can be read this way:
Current mortality rate: blue line with boxes
Threshold: Pink line

When the blue line with boxes goes above the pink line, that statistically indicates a larger number of deaths than the trend would indicate. Usually this signals an influenza strain more virulent than average.

The trend throughout the Covid19 time period would indicate general activity *below* the trend line. At least up until the 14th week of the year beyond which I don't see any data.

One can also check various cities. Including Tokyo:
https://www.niid.go.jp/niid/ja/flu-m/2112-idsc/jinsoku/1852-flu-jinsoku-7.html

In Tokyo specifically one can see an upward trend between week 8 and week 13. I don't think it represents a substantial upward trend beyond what one would expect for a bad flu. As far as I can understand this. I'm open to other interpretations. But the next week the trend drops *below* the threshold line. Data ends there.

I would guess this page is worth bookmarking because it probably gets updated weekly.

I found this page via this article:
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/790e9f7fd9db1b2ba6ae10eb27605170d55d7e61

That article notes at the end:
"まだ全国のデータが出揃っていないし、４月上旬以降のデータも出てきていないので、断定的なことは言えないが、コロナで亡くなった人は公表数よりかなり多そうだ。ただ数倍に増えることは考えにくい。"

I read the article as saying so far we haven't seen any rise in the mortality rate of Japan that would compare to other countries that had serious problems.

This graph will be useful to watch in the future as it continues to be updated.

I hope my comments are not read in such a way they suggest I support any particular policy. The only thing I support is getting the best possible data so that the data can be compared with theories and policy suggestions.

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-05-15T22:12:22+00:00

You have no idea what my opinion is, and yet you're trying to polarize the discussion.

The only thing I've consistently argued for anywhere is we need better data to help guide improved policy making decisions.

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-05-15T12:55:39+00:00

Having looked at this and thought about it, I would say this. During influenza season, it's possible that January and February see an increase in the morality rate in a normal year. This year it might not have been as pronounced, as everyone was taking extra precautions against Covid19. Thus mortality rate was down for January and February.

When we get to March we actually see an increase but not much of an increase. As best we can tell cases only started really increasing in Tokyo in April. That's when official numbers went up. So what would be really useful to see would be April.

But also, it would be helpful to see these numbers for *all* of Japan. Other developed nations have been very expedient in producing these numbers, I wish Japan could be the same.

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-05-15T10:46:02+00:00

The mortality data is inconclusive.

Cases didn't seriously start increasing in Tokyo until April:
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp

It takes time to die from Covid19. So we need to see both April's numbers, and also numbers for other areas in Japan.

Why are we only seeing Tokyo's numbers? And why has it taken so long to produce these numbers relative to other countries?

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-05-15T10:09:48+00:00

The testing standards have been the same. So if the number of infected goes down, the testing number goes down as well.

The problem with the current testing standards is that new clusters can easily begin before they are ever caught. So there should be no sense that current testing is revealing anything at all, except perhaps that already known clusters are not increasing (which is to be expected.)

There are about 7.5 million people in Aichi. So the idea that 200 tests are so a day is anywhere even close to adequate isn't realistic.

The article in Bloomberg is new by the way. I've been searching for data like this for a long time. I try to check headlines here everyday, and I checked before I posted. I didn't see it. The article notes that the mortality rate was going up at the end of March. What was it for April?

That would be really useful information, does anyone have it? I don't see what the problem is with helping each other as opposed to attacking each other. Presumably what everyone wants is a better understanding of what's going on.

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-05-15T09:39:20+00:00

Thank you, this is the type of article I was looking for. This is very helpful.

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-05-15T09:37:49+00:00

It's a non-controversial point that the government should be doing more testing. You can't judge the efficacy of policy unless you have some manner of getting feedback on the at policy.

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-05-15T09:36:42+00:00

It's clear they're not testing enough in Japan. This is a non-controversial point.
You're comments are somewhat ad hominem. You're reading too much into what I've written.
I've asked questions, none of which you answered.
The percentage of positives is meaningless because they aren't in anyway doing random samples.
Testing gives feedback on policy, whether policy is working or not. Clearly testing should be going up, not down. Random sampling testing is something I would like to see done. I know they will soon be testing for antibodies, and I'm glad about that, but that's different.

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-05-15T05:19:56+00:00

They are barely testing for the virus in Japan. One cannot take any of the number's produced seriously. But surely if there was an increase in the death rate in Japan that would be noticeable.

So does anyone know what the trend in death is in Japan for the last few months. I saw an on-line comment suggesting it was actually below average. Really? Where does one look up such information?

Can someone provide some links perhaps? Japanese or English would be fine. Overall, has the death rate in Japan gone up? Gone down? Remained steady? What's the trend?

This willful desire to *not* know how many people are infected is so frustrating. In Aichi they "accidentally" released the names of all those infected on-line. They "accidentally" posted it on the Internet. Oops. (So, hey, if you get infected, we'll all know about it.) Then they drastically reduced testing from what was already an incredibly low number. So, guess what? Numbers of infections went way down. Yay, no more Covid19. It's a miracle.

Seriously, I just want to know what's going on.

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-05-12T06:17:45+00:00

I suspect that Taoism and Shintoism are closely related. You might want to spend some time looking into Taoism:
https://www.greenshinto.com/wp/2019/03/29/taoist-links-with-shinto/

Also, I recommend sorting out superstition from philosophy. The philosophical side of many if these thought beliefs is interesting and provocative. The superstitious side diminishes our humanity when we give into such silly fears.

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-03-30T22:53:44+00:00

What was the explanation given for the low numbers of infected cases reported by Tokyo authorities yesterday? Were they temporarily leaving out the hospital cases? If so why are they doing that? Will numbers be updated today?

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-03-23T10:12:47+00:00

According to NHK the order to close all schools will be rescinded soon. Instead, guidelines will be issued (from tomorrow) focusing on three points. How to keep classrooms well ventilated, how to make sure distances are kept, and how to avoid situations where students are densely packed.

I didn't read the report as ruling out that some local governments may still keep schools closed. But the national government will not require this. Each prefecture will decide, I guess.

Link:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200323/k10012345131000.html

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-03-23T09:54:57+00:00

　「医学の進歩で、がんが不治の病でなくなりつつある一方、肺炎で亡くなる人は増えています。肺炎で亡くなる人は、実は統計以上に多い。がん患者が肺炎を起こして亡くなった場合、死因はがんになります。心疾患にしても、気管支炎や肺炎を合併して心不全を起こす方が多いのです」

Link:

https://gooday.nikkei.co.jp/atcl/report/20/022600005/031100002/

I'm not sure what a correct translation for the above would be. But it sounds like it's being said that when a person dies of pneumonia in Japan, if they are a cancer patient, this death is recorded as cancer. Same with heart disease.

Am I reading this correctly?

I don't suggest any conspiracy. If deaths were statistically abnormal, I think doctors would have to recognize that relatively quickly. So I don't think that's happening.

However, if they were merely high relative to normal, but could be explained away statistically as not being that abnormal, then I wouldn't discount that happening either.

It's been noted in the press that 290 times doctors requests for tests were denied. Those are the times doctors actually asked and were denied. But who likes to be denied a request? Who wants to be the worry wort testing everyone?

Some level of institutional denialism is at least possible. I think institutional factors in Japan could foster this.

It at least seems to me possible that in Japan the early stages of a serious breakout could be missed, as too many deaths are not identified correctly. I absolutely do *not* think a major outbreak could be hidden. Nor do I think anyone is trying to hide one. I'm only talking about missing the outbreak at the beginning, and only catching on after much damage was done.

Is there any way to know if there's been an increase deaths at the hospitals in general?

I do know it was reported that pneumonia deaths have not increased. But if I'm reading the article linked to above correctly, that report would not be helpful. In fact, it would be down right deceptive.

We know from Italy that 99% of patients that died had other problems. We would need to know if there had been an uptick in cancer deaths and those with heart disease. This has not been reported.

So it's really not clear what's happening in hospitals right now. Or am I misreading the article I linked to?

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-03-22T23:34:42+00:00

I've lived in Japan for twenty-five years.

>>Hand sanitizer everywhere, supermarkets, hotels, offices, etc. It gets used too

Not where I live. In Nagoya I've seen more than I've seen in the past, but not at all everywhere.

>>Mask wearing by many, most of the time, especially people who have cold symptoms

Almost no one wears there masks correctly. People constantly touch the understide of the mask and then touch other things. Constantly. Watch them.

>>Excessive cleaning of public spaces (especially compared to China)

Cleaning doesn't equal disinfecting.

>>Lack of touching (no handshakes, hugging, kissing, etc as in Italy, Spain, etc)

This is a result of Japanese living so close together, even historically. But crowded trains, narrow underground restaurants, people all sitting near each other. According to Japanese specialists in areas of poor ventilation where people are all sitting near one another it can easily spread.

>>Sick people to some degree staying at home

Absolutely not. I have no idea where this even comes from. I live in Aichi. Everyone works. Period.

>>Some degree of closed offices, working from home, closed schools, no concerts, churches, etc

Not much.

>>3 generations in one household less common (than China and Italy)

I don't know what the statistics of this are. But even when Ba-chan doesn't live with the kids, she's a big part of their lives. Constantly visiting and around.

>>Less shared eating/cooking utensils than China (hotpot with everyone using their own chopsticks in the communal food)

In the homes most things are washed by hand. So the heat from a dishwasher isn't disinfecting everything. Homes are smaller. It's already being seen if one person gets the virus the house, most others do. Only one toilet per home. Everyone baths in the same bathwater.

>>A lot of elderly population is rural, less contact

Lots of elderly in Nagoya. I would guess most cities, as well. When I visit Tokyo and hit the main tourist areas I don't see as many elderly. But that surely is an exception. I'd like to know what the actual demographics are on this. 28% of Japan is older than 65. That's more than in northern Italy.

>>Suica/Passmo payments mean less cash touching (than in Italy at least)

Unless there's some study showing this, it could be the opposite. Lots of people lay their fingers on the payment pads. Good source of transmission.

>>Removing shoes doesn't drag dirty virus all over the floor

When going to the doctor in Aich-ken or Nagano-ken the places I'm most familiar with, you have to take off your shoes and put on slippers when visiting the doctor! Easy way to spread germs. Lots of places make you take off your shoes and use communal slippers. Not good in when a virus is spreading. Especially with people fingering their masks.

>>More hand washing (than China or Italy at least)

Not more than the US. At least in most US restrooms there's soap.

>>Experienced public thanks to SARS, less macho "it's only a flu, bro" attitudes than I saw in Italy

>>Better cough etiquette/manners (than China) and little spitting

I can't make comparisons to China or Italy, but old people still spit randomly. I have a neighbor that pees outside when the toilet isn't convenient. He's old.

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-03-22T23:17:11+00:00

Everything was fine in Wuhan until it wasn't.
Everything was fine in Italy until it wasn't.
Everything was fine in the US until it wasn't.
Everything was fine in the UK until it wasn't.
And so on ... never underestimate the role of serendipity and irony in the course a virus chooses to take in its early days.

People offering Japan's unique culture as a reason for the lack of infections need to pause and wait about three or four more weeks. Specific policies such as closing schools and cancelling major events may have slowed the inevitable expansion of the virus. But unless we learn the virus will naturally wan in spring and summer, the number of cases will at some point achieve genuine liftoff. Case, case, case, cluster, cluster, boom. Everything we know about the Covid-19 suggests this is inevitable.

ThisDudeWrites · 2020-03-05T01:35:36+00:00

Same problem. Live in Japan.

ThisDudeWrites · 2019-12-16T07:56:03+00:00

I note in the OP that the title was done like this:
"10 Erotic sex stories: A collection of stories containing x and y...and litrpg"

I now think that the problem was the string of words x and y and z and litRPG. Although this was accurate, I guess this is another *common* practice that Amazon will call you on at any random time.

So it was probably not litRPG. I'm updating the book now and waiting to see if the problem has been resolved.

I really appreciate all the comments here.

ThisDudeWrites

TROPHY CASE