Readers and the Content Filter

Amazon did it again.

If you’re a reader and looking for a NEW steamy release that you’ve seen advertised on Tik Tok, you may be having trouble finding it.

There’s a reason.

In April of 2023, Apple and Google, the two main app stores, got miffed with Amazon about mature content. They said Amazon wasn’t doing enough to keep minors from accessing adult content on the Kindle app.

So, Amazon changed their way of uploading AND updating books so that the authors have to check a box on whether or not the book contains mature content. For example, when I load Contact High later this month, I have to check mature content to get some of the romance categories it needs to be placed in. Personally, I don’t market to anyone under 18, so I’m not fluffed with this in the slightest.

HOWEVER, it makes it harder for our adult readers that are used to flipping to Amazon and typing in our names to find our books.

(Authors only get erotica and steamy romance categories if they check the adult content box.)

Earlier today, I went in and updated my pre-order of All I Wank for Christmas. Guess what? All I Wank for Christmas disappeared from Amazon when I went to my Amazon account on my laptop and typed the title in the general search bar.

Why?

I panicked. When your book that was searchable in the morning suddenly isn’t by the afternoon, it’s a little scary.

Well, it’s because Amazon won’t allow it in GENERAL search now. I assume this is to avoid people searching for a Santa suit for their eighth grade Christmas play and finding my steamy Christmas romance book about a woman who works at a hand job parlor and gets swept away by Santa’s son.

So, I wrote Amazon and told them that I could not search my book. This is the response I got:

Amazon rep: “Books with adult content will not surface in general product searches but will surface in general Kindle searches for customers who choose to allow adult content. This is the reason you are unable to find your book in general product searches. If you’ve mistakenly marked your book as adult content then you can remove the adult flag by following the steps listed on our Help page.”

Well, this means that you can’t search a steamy book on the same search page where you buy a plunger.

You need to do both of these things if you’re a reader that wants the GOOOOOD new releases from your favorite steamy author or recent Tik Tok phenomenon:

#1- Click on either “Books” or “Kindle” and search in those sections. NOT on the general search page when you first come into Amazon. (Kindle device users should be able to search from the Kindle library as normal.)

#2- Make sure your Amazon settings allow for adult content. (Update: people have asked me how to check that. I remember a dropdown from over a decade ago that I clicked to allow adult content. I don’t have any idea where it is or how to get to it now, though. I searched. And searched. I did find info about AUDIBLE, and you get adult content by default through Audible and have to specifically check a box NOT to get erotica/steamy romance. I’m assuming it’s similar with Kindle. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything to my Kindle, and I can find steamy books fine in my Kindle Fire. Feel free to contact Amazon customer service if you aren’t finding steamy romance. They’ll be able to help. If I’m wrong, please educate me in the comments.)

When I flipped to the Kindle Store and searched for All I Wank for Christmas on my laptop, my book appeared in search results. It also came up on my Kindle Fire, because I already have my settings set to allow sensitive content. It came that way.

So…readers, make sure you are searching your favorite steamy author’s new release in the KINDLE section of Amazon. And turn those filters off if you ever had them on.

I hope this helps someone out there. Happy reading!