IWSG - Just when you think you're safe

 This is my Insecure Writers Support Group post for August 2025.

  Alex's awesome co-hosts this month are: 

Ronel Janse van Vuuren,

Natalie Aguirre,

Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen,

and Olga Godim!

Please stop by their blogs and say thank you. 

💻💻💻💻💻

August 6 question: What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?

Hmm. I'd probably put predatory publishing at the top of the list.

Next would be letting AI bots operate without human review and interfere with people's livelihoods.

Sorry for the long post, but The Zon really shook me up last month, and I need to vent.

All my westerns are currently in KDP Select. I'm exclusive to Amazon, and I make about 75% of my royalties from Kindle Unlimited page reads. To truly appreciate this story, you should also know I had just contracted a graphic artist for 16 book covers, launched the new series (also in Select), and purchased 100 ISBNs from Bowker.

Anyhow, I check my series page once or twice a month, to see if the number of ratings has increased and make sure all is well. Last month, I scrolled down to find that book 4, Battered Pride, was missing. What the heck?

I checked my dashboard. The paperback was still live, but it had been disconnected from the series page, and the Kindle version was marked 'Blocked' in big red letters. No, no, no!

Right about that time, an email from KDP was dropping into my inbox. An automated message said my Kindle book had been taken down.

"During a quality assurance review of your catalog, we found that your book(s) is resulting in a disappointing customer experience. Indicators of a poor customer experience may include customer refunds and negative feedback. As a result, the following book(s) has been removed from sale on Amazon:..

"For additional information, you can reference our Guide to Kindle Content Quality: [link]. As a reminder, repeated violations of our policies or guidelines may result in loss of eligibility for programs, such as the KDP Select All Stars Bonus. It may also result in account suspension or termination."

Needless to say, I was freaking out.

I sent a polite, professional reply, asking what the specific problem was. I got a response that was signed by a person but only sent links to the list of rules, which meant the problem could be anything from formatting to offensive content to editing or metadata issues.

I had checked the list of rules before formatting and publishing Battered Pride, and I always get a professional proofread, so I couldn't figure out what had triggered the takedown. The book had no returns or hateful feedback. 

It's an 1850s historical that uses period-correct language, but there's a content warning about that on the retail page, and the story is not anti-Native American. The tagline is Passion knows no prejudice.

Email communication with KDP went back and forth for three days, with me asking that the issue be elevated to a supervisor twice, but it got me nowhere. Just more cut-and-paste style responses with links to the rules.

When a response said, "We’ve reviewed your book and are upholding our previous decision regarding its content," I asked once more for them to cite the specific infraction, so I wouldn't make the same mistake again, then I stopped poking the bear. I didn't want to risk getting my account closed altogether.

I took a deep breath and decided not to do anything rash. The other three books were still selling and earning enough to keep the business going.

I signed up with Draft2Digital, bought Wide For The Win and Killing It On Kobo, and began reconsidering my exclusivity with the big A. Though I like the money, I've never liked having all my eggs in Amazon's basket.

I figured I'd go wide with Battered Pride. Then, once my new series had enough books to replace the royalties of the first one, I'd pull the rest of Forging America and go wide with the whole thing.

The next morning, I awoke to this:

"Hello,
We incorrectly suppressed your book(s) and apologize for the inconvenience this caused.

The book(s) will soon be published on Amazon. Please allow up to 48 hours for the book(s) to become available in the Amazon Store.

Thanks for using Amazon KDP"

The e-book was back up for sale, re-attached to the series, and had all its reviews, as if nothing had ever happened.

Really, Amazon? You put me through a days-long Maalox moment, and all I get is a cheery 'oops' automated email?

I'm grateful the problem was resolved, but my nerves and my perspective weren't so easily repaired. I'm still planning to go wide with my other pen name, and now, eventually, with some books from this one, too.

❤❤❤❤❤

IWSG is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. It's a monthly bloghop that offers a safe haven for writers to express their feelings and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. It's also a venue for offering  support, both in the form of comments and positive posts. Writers of all kinds are welcome. 

We 'meet' the first Wednesday of every month. If you're interested in learning more, click on the link above. And don't be intimidated by the size of the group. We're not expected to visit everyone on the list.