Guide

Negative keywords for KDP ads

Negatives are the fastest way to stop paying for clicks that will never become readers. The trick for KU authors is not negating the terms that bring page reads.

By Michael Cortez · Updated November 8, 2026

Where to find candidates

Negatives come from the search term report, which lists what shoppers actually typed. Sort by spend and look at the Customer Search Term column. Auto, broad and phrase campaigns will show the widest spread of searches.

The rule of thumb

A term is a negative candidate when it has had enough clicks to judge and returned no orders and no page reads. "Enough" depends on your own conversion rate: if your account usually wins a reader every 10 clicks, give a term about 20 before giving up on it. A term with 6 clicks and nothing is just early.

Check page reads first

This is where KU authors lose money. A search term with 30 clicks, no orders and 2,000 pages read looks like a total loss on ACoS. It's actually bringing borrowers. Look at the KENP read column (where your report has it) before negating anything, and remember page reads keep arriving for up to two weeks.

Which type to use

Negative exact: blocks that exact search. The default for terms that failed on their own.
Negative phrase: blocks any search containing the phrase. For words that disqualify a shopper: "free", "for kids" on an adult book, a format you don't sell.
Negative product target: for ASIN searches (B0...), when a competitor's page sends clicks that don't convert.

Add them where the waste happened

Negatives apply at the ad group or campaign level. Add each one where the term ran, so you don't accidentally block it in a campaign where it works. The analyzer lists each negative with the campaigns and ad groups it ran in, as a CSV.

Run your own report through the Kindle Author Ads Analyzer

Free, runs in your browser, no signup. See which terms to negate, which bids to move and which keywords pay across the series.

Analyze my report

Questions

How many clicks before I add a negative keyword?

Enough that no readers is unlikely to be bad luck. A practical rule: if your account wins a reader about every N clicks, a term with 2N clicks and no sales and no page reads is a candidate. With a reader every 10 clicks, that's 20 clicks.

Negative exact or negative phrase?

Start with negative exact: it blocks only that search. Use negative phrase for words that make any search wrong for your book, like 'free', 'audiobook' if you don't have one, or a different genre.

How do I block a competitor's book page?

Searches that look like B0XXXXXXXX are product pages. Add them as negative product targets in the ad group, not as negative keywords.

Can negative keywords hurt my ads?

Yes, if you negate terms that bring Kindle Unlimited readers. A term with no orders but plenty of page reads is working. Check KENP before you negate.