Next week, we will initiate changes to the Amazon.com Books catalog to improve customer experience using our website. We will begin to bring seller-created pages into our Edition Sets to link product pages for variations of the same book. An Edition Set is a group of books that differ by binding (hardcover, paperback) or presentation (large print, audio book) but have the same basic content.

Many titles in our Books store are already grouped into Edition Sets. However, up to now most pages created by Pro Merchants using the Book Loader or the Create a Product Detail Page tool have been left to stand alone in our catalog. While seller contributions have increased selection for buyers, the organization of our catalog and the number of search results presented to buyers have often led to frustration.

Customers will soon begin to see new information on many book pages. Some detail pages will have more options in the "Also Available in" box and additional content may appear on seller-created pages. As related titles are grouped and cross-referenced, we will be able to share customer reviews across different editions in each set. This will make many seller-created pages more informative and the products more attractive to buyers.

As we move forward over the next several weeks with changes to our Books catalog, buyers and sellers will notice multiple titles previously displayed as separate search results joined together as a single result. In book search results, we try to show customers a single bestselling edition of each book and also provide "Other Editions" links on the search results page. This allows customers to quickly identify the product they are looking for and then explore the available bindings or presentations for that item.

A key outcome for sellers is that some books will move from low-ranking positions in search results and will instead be discoverable via the "Other Editions" links on higher-ranking primary results. For cases in which multiple editions with the same binding have high sales rankings, we will work to preserve separate options for buyers on the search results page so that seller-created product pages do not lose their visibility through consolidation. Buyers and sellers will still be able to use Advanced Search if they would like to find an exact publication of a book.

We expect that this initiative will improve the seller and buyer experience in the long run. The FAQ below provides more information about key questions we expect sellers will have. If you have further questions or comments, please write directly to Seller Support by selecting the "Managing Products or Listings" option in our Contact Us form.

Thank you for selling on Amazon.com.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How will Amazon decide which books to group in Edition Sets?

Generally, if two books in the same language differ by binding (hardcover, paperback) or presentation (large print, audio book) but have the same basic content, they are grouped as editions, that is, as variants of the same text. Successive releases or reprintings of the same text are also grouped together, even when they have different publishers.

Which books won't be grouped with similar or earlier editions?

When changes to the text are distinctive, book catalog pages will be kept separate. With textbooks, later editions are intended to provide students with more current content, making differences between texts an important element in buyer selection. Another example is multiple translations of the same original text; scholars would not agree that these different texts are trivial variations of each other. Our Advanced Search allows buyers and sellers to find an exact publication of a book.

How will Amazon decide which edition to show in the search results?

We will continue to show the bestselling edition as the primary result, with links to other editions. However, we share sellers' concern that consolidation may make some attractive choices less visible to buyers. We are taking steps to avoid this from happening and will continue to monitor changes that are made.

How will you handle multiple editions with the same binding, for example 10 paperback editions of the same book?

Edition Sets contain only the two top-selling editions for any particular binding. Other editions in the same binding will only be shown further down in search results. In other words, if there are catalog pages for 10 paperback editions of the same book, the two editions buyers have purchased more often in the past will belong to the set. This means that consolidation into Edition Sets will not change the placement of some pages.

Will you also be making changes to how books are shown in general searches?

No. The Amazon-wide search is meant to show buyers a range of items across our stores that match the keywords they entered. This search will continue to be limited to three pages of top-selling items with links to more results within specific stores. Links to other book editions will not appear in the site-wide search results.