How to Claim a Book on Amazon

For a book to appear on your Amazon author page, you must 'claim' it as yours.

You can still be excluded even if your name appears on the book's page as an author. The book will come up when you search for your name and title, but you won't be able to see it on your Amazon author page.

Additionally, this can happen if you're one of more than ten authors participating in an anthology, box set, etc. There is a limit of 10 names that can be added to each book title on Amazon. Additional names can only be added later.

If you find yourself in either of these circumstances, don't lose heart! Claiming your book on Amazon is a rather simple process. One which we will be walking you through in its entirety in this article.  

So, How Do You Claim a Book on Amazon?

The process is simple. To do this:

1. Sign in to Amazon Author Central.
2. At the top of the page, click on Books.
3. Click on the button labeled Add more books to add the title to your list of titles.
4. Look for the book.
5. When you find it, click the This is my book button underneath it.
6. The names of the authors in that book will be listed on the screen that appears.
7. Select your name from this list.
   • If your name is not on the list: 
     • You can add your name under the Need your name added? Section.
     • Once there select the contact us link.
     • Complete their form.
8. Wait a little while (perhaps even a day), and your book should automatically show up on your Amazon author page.

Remember: Your name will not appear on the list of authors on the book page if there are more than ten authors, but the book will appear on your author page.

Why Do I Need Author Central To Claim My Books?

Those who have published books on Amazon can set up their Amazon Author pages and claim their Author Central profile. It's not a requirement per se to publish a book, but it does open you up to marketing and selling potential you wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

You can use this page to promote yourself and your books on Amazon for free. On this platform, authors can share their blog posts with other authors, showcase their books and optimize their Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk book listings.

What author wouldn't want to take advantage of Amazon Author Central's amazing sales-boosting features?

Most authors who weren't using their Author Central accounts fully cited being overwhelmed by the setup process. It's actually very easy to set up and optimize your Author Central profile - and you can even enjoy it!

To help you start taking advantage of this tremendous marketing tool right away, let's go over the steps to claim your Author Central profile.

What If I Don’t Have An Amazon Author Central Account To Claim My Book?

Before making your Author Page, you'll need to register for an Author Central account. Note, however, that getting an Author Central account requires you to sell a book on Amazon.

How To Create Your Author Central Account

Signing up for Author Central is pretty straightforward. Simply:

1. Visit the Author Central website by either going to https://authorcentral.amazon.com/ or by navigating to the Marketing page on the KDP Dashboard and selecting the Amazon Central market you’d like to make changes to (US or UK).
2. Once there, select "Join for free."
3. Use your Amazon username and password to log in. Select "I am a new customer" if you do not already have an account. You'll need to provide some more information.
4. Click "Accept" after reading the Terms and Conditions.
5. In the search field, enter your author name, pen name, or book title. Books matching your search will be displayed. (Once you've set up an account, click on the "Books" tab in the navigation menu and select the "Add a Book" button.)
6. To create the account, choose any of your books. You can search for your book by title or ISBN if it does not appear on the list. (Note: To create an Author Central Amazon account, you must have your book available for purchase on Amazon.)
7. You will receive an email from Amazon confirming your account creation. Depending on the publisher, Amazon may contact you as an additional security measure. This may take three to seven days.
8. You can start adding information to your Author Page while you're waiting for verification. Adding or changing your books or blog won't be possible until your identity is verified, but don't let that stop you. However, photos and a bio can be added right away.

Now that you have an Author Central Account, you can go ahead and claim your books using the instructions in the previous section.

How To Claim All Versions of Your Books On Author Central

Your Author Central Profile should contain every version of your book, including ebooks,  hardcovers, audiobooks, and paperbacks. If you find that any of your versions are missing, here’s how to correct it:

1. In the Books tab, click “Add a book” at the bottom of your bibliography.
2. Enter your book title, author name, or ISBN in the search bar.
3. Click on "This is my book" below the title once you have located the missing title. The author list on Amazon will show your name.
4. You may have to do some troubleshooting here to get the book on your author central page if your name appears misspelled or you aren't listed as an author.

How To Claim a Book When You Have Multiple Pen Names

Amazon will create a separate Author Page for you if you write under a pen name as long as you make them aware in Author Central. 

Note: Each Author Central account can manage up to three different pen names.

How To Add A New Pen Name In Author Central To Claim Books

1. Select the "Books" tab.
2. Then click the "add it now" link at the top.
3. Create an Amazon author page with a pen name
4. Enter in either the title of your book, the ISBN or your pen name.
5. Click "Add this book" after you find your book in the search results.
6. Click "Continue" when you see "[Author Name] is my pen name."
7. Your publisher will be contacted by Amazon to verify that the pen name is yours. Amazon will then create a new Author Page for you.
8. Pen names can be accessed after you have been verified by clicking on the link found in Author Central's upper right corner. 

Remember: It is possible to have up to three different Author Pages with different pen names on Amazon, and they will not be associated with one another.

Can I Claim A Book On A Joint Author Page With My Co-Author? 

Unfortunately, it is not possible to share author pages, so each author listed as a contributor can claim the book under their account. If you want to share the love, you can mention and include links from each of your Author Pages in your blog posts or biography.

You may sometimes only see the name of one author hyperlinked, which means the other author is missing out on the marketing potential of that product.