KDP categories · Top KDP authors
Reference (History & Criticism, Books): Amazon KDP category data
Amazon Books Best Sellers data for Reference (History & Criticism, Books), updated Nov 2, 2026: median price $12.99, median 378 reviews, average rating 4.5 and a KDPTop opportunity score of 25/100 (highly competitive).
| Price range (middle 50%) | $10.48 – $17.66 |
|---|---|
| Average rating | 4.5 |
| New releases (90 days) | 1% |
| Books on the list | 100 |
| Store | Books |
What stands out
- Its median reviews are 12% of the parent category History & Criticism (3,236), one of the easier corners under it.
- Only 1% of its best sellers are under 90 days old, fewer than in 97% of Books categories: established titles hold the list.
- Its review barrier is higher than in 73% of Books categories: the median best seller has 378 reviews, so new books need time to build up.
Top 10 Reference best sellers
-
Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
- List rank#1
- Price$0.99
- Rating4.7
- Reviews11,541
-
Animal Farm
- List rank#2
- Price$0.99
- Rating4.5
- Reviews2,618
-
Mythology (75th Anniversary Illustrated Edition): Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
by Edith Hamilton
- List rank#3
- Price$17.19
- Rating4.8
- Reviews10,526
-
Steering The Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story
- List rank#4
- Price$9.99
- Rating4.7
- Reviews1,053
-
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
by James Mustich
- List rank#5
- Price$1.99
- Rating4.6
- Reviews897
-
The Best Poems of the English Language: From Chaucer Through Robert Frost
by Harold Bloom
- List rank#6
- Price$12.99
- Rating4.6
- Reviews427
-
![How to Read Literature Like a Professor [Third Edition]: A Lively and Entertaining Guide t book cover by Thomas C. Foster](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81HV+UJE9pL._AC_UL300_SR300,200_.jpg)
How to Read Literature Like a Professor [Third Edition]: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Understanding Literature, from The Great Gatsby to The Hate You Give – A Reference
- List rank#7
- Price$11
- Rating4.6
- Reviews187
-
Atlas Of Middle-Earth: The Essential Guide to the Geography of the World of The Lord of the Rings
by Karen Wynn Fonstad
- List rank#8
- Price$12.93
- Rating4.8
- Reviews3,027
-
The Little Prince
by Anotine De Saint-exupery
- List rank#9
- Price$6.99
- Rating4.5
- Reviews13,612
-
The Art of Memoir: A NYT Bestselling Memoirist’s Guide to the Craft of Writing
by Mary Karr
- List rank#10
- Price$11
- Rating4.5
- Reviews1,719
Same niche in Kindle eBooks: Reference
FAQ
Is Reference a good niche for Amazon KDP?
Its KDPTop opportunity score is 25/100, which makes it highly competitive. The median best seller has 378 reviews and sells for $12.99.
How many reviews do you need to rank in Reference?
The median best seller has 378 reviews, and 18% of them have fewer than 100.
What do Reference best sellers cost?
The median price is $12.99; half of the best sellers are priced between $10.48 and $17.66.
Can new books break into Reference?
1% of the current best sellers were released in the last 90 days.
About this data
Data comes from KDPTop's daily crawl of Amazon's public Best Sellers pages; medians use the latest list. The opportunity score (0–100, higher is easier to enter) combines the review barrier, the share of low-review books, list turnover, new-release share and price.