If you are in the business of selling books on Amazon, then you may have encountered an Amazon KDP suspension or termination. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform for self-publishing provides authors with a great deal of freedom. Obviously, the freedom associated with Amazon KDP does not come without a cost.
From time to time, that cost rears its ugly head in the form of an Amazon KDP suspension or termination. Knowing the common reasons for KDP suspensions and other issues selling books on Amazon will streamline your operation and reduce stress!
Amazon KDP
Generally, Amazon KDP accounts will face suspension prior to termination. However, this is not a hard and fast rule.
The cause of a KDP suspension is related to a potential violation of Amazon’s terms of service. In effect, a suspension places your account on hold. Then, a review process will commence. Sometimes a suspension could be related to an unintentional action you took. Or, the suspension might be the result of an error on Amazon’s end. Once the review process is complete, Amazon will usually reinstate your account. Although, if you have purposely violated the terms of service, willingly and knowingly, reinstatement may not be as feasible.
By and large, Amazon KDP account termination is a more difficult situation to handle. Reversing a KDP termination is within the realm of possibility. Especially with the help of an attorney. But it is a costly and complicated route. A termination is usually the result of a series of violations and/or blatant mistakes on your part. Not to mention that it renders your KDP account inactive and recovery is not a typical outcome. Meaning you may just be at total loss.
Common Mistakes That Lead to Suspensions
Maintaining compliance with the large amount of Amazon guidelines is no easy task. You are also dealing with an automated Amazon system. That system suspends or terminates KDP accounts, not human beings, and sometimes this even happens by mistake.
At any rate, below we will examine several common mistakes that lead to KDP suspensions or terminations.
Copyright Infringement
Basically, the use of copyrighted material is against the law. For this reason, engaging in copyright infringement is a violation of Amazon’s terms of service. What constitutes copyrighted material? Broadly speaking, any intellectual property that has a rightful owner or author. This could be a novel, a poem, any other original text, song lyrics, a logo or image, etc. If you do not have permission from the author or owner to use copyrighted material, then you simply cannot use it.
Trademark Infringement
If you use an existing trademark without authorization, then you are committing infringement. Your Amazon KDP account will incur a violation if you use a trademarked word or phrase, or a book or title in an unauthorized manner.
Multiple KDP Accounts
Selling Books on Amazon under Multiple Accounts, better know the policies! Amazon prevents you from maintaining multiple KDP accounts. As a business, you can only have one account. However, Amazon does allow you to have both a personal and business KDP account, as long as the business account has its own EIN number.
Duplicate Content
If you choose to release more than one book with identical content, Amazon may consider that a violation of its terms. Typically, this issue affects low content books. Amazon has recently updated its low content book policy, which may diminish the likelihood of suspensions or terminations due to duplicate content violations.
More Common Mistakes That Lead to Suspensions
Kindle Unlimited (KU) Enrollment
In order to enroll in Kindle Unlimited (KU), Amazon must have the exclusive listing for your book. For example, if you were to list your KU enrolled book on Amazon and a website that you own, that could lead to a suspension. Amazon may even consider the existence of a pirated version of your book on another site as a violation of the KU terms. Overall, keeping an eye on potential piracy is a good idea.
Fake Reviews
Any attempts to unfairly manipulate the Amazon algorithm could lead to a KDP account suspension. You may offer reviewers a copy of your book for free. That is the only permitted incentive. Solicitation with anything else, or the use of spam bots, is prohibited.
Publishing Content Deemed Offensive
Your Amazon KDP account may face suspension or termination if the material could in any way be considered to promote terrorism, hate speech, and physical or sexual violence. Also, if it is perceived as pornographic.
Unpublishing/Republishing Books
The Amazon algorithm treats newer books more favorably, which leads some folks to remove a book listing with low sales and then republish the exact same text. Simply, unpublishing and then republishing in this way violates Amazon’s terms. In order to unpublish and republish a book without risking a suspension or termination, you will likely have to make some changes to the book.
Meta Descriptions
You must use categories and keywords that are legitimately relevant, as well as a description, book title, and subtitle that are accurate and true to your book. Strategically trying to fool readers via false or inaccurate meta descriptions may result in a suspension.
Appealing Amazon KDP Account Suspensions
Most of the time, Amazon will notify you of any possible guideline violation via email. Definitely respond to Amazon! If you receive a warning email, you should reply within a day to prevent suspension. Taking more than a day to respond, will lead to Amazon suspending your KDP account. Get back to Selling Books on Amazon!
If your Amazon KDP account has been suspended, speaking politely and patiently with customer support may allow you to discuss the situation and possibly negotiate a resolution. Do not hesitate to contact customer support several times in order to get in touch with a representative who is actually helpful to you. For sure, do so within reason and avoid sending an excessive amount of emails. Also, again, we recommend you try to be as patient as possible! The customer service team are human beings who will be more willing to help you if you speak in a kind and respectful manner.
In the event that your account was suspended because you made an unintended mistake, admit that you made the mistake. Then, request specific information regarding the terms of service violation so that you may learn how to not make the same mistake again. Likewise, make your best attempt to be solutions-oriented when contacting customer service. Expressing an authentic desire to comply with the guidelines will keep you in good standing and aid in achieving a reinstatement of your account.
Of course, the aforementioned methods of personally reaching out to Amazon customer service are not guaranteed to result in your KDP account being reinstated.
Seeking Legal Counsel
Ultimately, if you are convinced that your suspension or termination is absolutely wrongful, you may benefit from acquiring legal counsel. Stockman & Poropat, PLLC is a top intellectual property law firm that focuses on delivering creative solutions to Amazon KDP account issues. Contact the firm for a free initial consultation! After conducting an analysis of your case, their uniquely skilled attorneys will guide you through understanding your options and provide you with realistic expectations.
Looking to expand your Intellectual Property Knowledge, be sure to check out our article Copyright Infringement on Amazon.
As Always, It Never Hurts To Ask For Help
Have you received an Amazon Account Suspension or Notification? We here at Amazon Account Rescue are here to discuss these matters with you.
Should you have any additional questions or wish to discuss this or any other matter please feel free to contact us at 1-800-757-0282 or at info@amazonaccountrescue.com.