Author:
Just received an email from Kindle Direct Publishing, which deleted itself when I closed the email.
They have completed their review and the cancellation of my account and termination of my contract with KDP is now permanent. I will receive no royalties, and I am permanently banned from opening another account with them or publishing any more books with them. No further correspondence or discussion of this matter will occur.
I contacted Amazon and they said they'll look into it, but I am not hopeful.
It would appear that looking into taking legal action is the only action left on my part.
I have to say that this has been a disheartening experience. I was so happy when the book was published and started selling on Amazon.
Then it turned into a nightmare.
Comments
Twenty minutes after
Twenty minutes after contacting Amazon, I received an email from them cancelling my Kindle Unlimited account.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/missing-without-a-trace-cha...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/832524
you
Must have really p"d them off somehow!
Madeline Anafrid Bell
That sucks big time! I wonder
That sucks big time! I wonder if Jeff Bezos knows his company is being so customer-unfriendly? Definitely not good for business - yours or his.
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
Are you due any royalties?
If you are then they (amazon that is) is clearly guilty of theft and perhaps legal action is the only resort.
Sadly you seem to have angered the Amazon 'Behemoth' in some way and as befits their plan for world domination, the little people (aka us) don't count and can be brushed aside.
I have basically stopped using Amazon unless there is nowhere else to get what I want. I know that my stance does not help this site but I have made a choice.
Samantha
I haven't sold that many
I haven't sold that many copies. About twenty, and then three or four of those "loaned" the book out to their friends to read. A week before the emails started, the KNEP (pages read on Kindle Unlimited) disappeared from the internet report page. KDP never issued a written report on my royalties, they cancelled the contract and closed my account a day or two before the sixty day period was up (royalities aren't credited for sixty days after purchase, so that buyers have time to return the book for a refund if they don't like it).
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/missing-without-a-trace-cha...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/832524
I see I am not alone.
Amazon is simply a no go area for me, since I read one of their Kindle publishing contratcs in 2003. Modern slavery that is. And the larger the organisation the more unmanageable it becomes.
I feel like you, Samantha, that my stance doesn't help the site. But are there really no alternatives?
Monique S
Apparently KDP has changed its the definition of "advertizing"
Apparently KDP has changed its definition of advertising to include any personal mention by the author regarding the publication of his/her book on social media as unauthorized advertising. This includes FaceBook and any blogs.
They, of course, have not publicly notified anyone outside the company of these changes.
So--telling my family and friends about getting published is probably one of the violations of the agreement that they spoke of.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/missing-without-a-trace-cha...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/832524
Apparently not
Just reviewed our KDP contract for DopplerPress and the only mentions of advertising are that a digital book distributed through KDP cannot contain advertising for goods or services and that Amazon is to have the right to advertise and promote the book.
Restricting advertising in the way you suggest above would make no sense for Amazon since promotion on social media by authors is THE principal way self-published books on KDP are "advertised."
You don't list a source for what you are saying here, please provide one or I will be forced to remove this comment.
Regards,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Apparently KDP is trying
Apparently KDP is trying cracking down on scammers and has revised the definition of advertising to go along with their new reader review posting requirements which bars family members, relatives, and anyone with person connections to the author from posting reviews. This seems to include web associations (like Linked In and Facebook) as well as personal emails. Since "connections" is a little vague, legally, they might now be interpreting it to include anyone who belongs to FaceBook or Linked In if you do, too.
You're connected to them through your membership.
Ditto with this website, too, I expect.
KDP does not publicly announce any of their rule changes.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/missing-without-a-trace-cha...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/832524
just
How do they know who is a friend or relative? They can't just ban anyone with the name Smith because the author is named Smith and in my case 99% of my relatives do not share the same surname.
If your statement is correct the entire Amazon KDP business will be dead within a fortnight.
There is more to this than you are telling, emails don't simply vanish when opened and you are being somewhat coy about actual details.
Madeline Anafrid Bell
This is speculation, but I
This is speculation, but I have read on the internet that Amazon wants to get out of the self-publishing business and that this is a way to do it while keep all possible revenue streams open.
As for the relatives thing, they are searching authors' social accounts to learn their background and any associations.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/missing-without-a-trace-cha...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/832524
"but I have read on the internet"
"but I have read on the internet"
Ah, yes, that always reliable source of information! You have me convinced, ;-)
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
Nope
They must announce in their contract anything they intend to enforce, otherwise they are opening themselves up to expensive lawsuits and they would get them.
You still offer no sources for your statements on this matter. Saying "apparently" does not absolve you, or me, from liability.
On another note, all of your interactions with BC are from fake IP addresses. I know you are a real person because I have looked at your other social media but trying to convince the BC community of the idea that KDP forbids unauthorized advertising is not endearing you to me.
Using fake IPs is not a real problem since your user name and image seem to be real. But you have one more chance to show me some kind of reference for this idea that mentioning a book you have published on KDP in a blog or post here on BC will bring down corporate wrath.
Regards,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Not so
I'm sorry but I self-advertise on Facebook and Twitter all the time. They have links on the side where you can even do so.