When Amazon Rejects Documented Proof
This has gotten so bad, even the fictional characters from this book are pissed off.
First I tried the truth. Then I tried reason.
When that didnât work, I tried giving them what they asked for.
âŠnow I just want to make fun of their complete abundance of stupidity.
YesâŠAmazon is STILL challenging me.
Iâll state this again, but Iâm making a podcast of this next and posting it anywhere people will listen. I, Jaime Buckley, am the original and ONLY author/copyright owner of Demoni Vankil AND the President/Exclusive Owner of both publishing companies in this situation.
I want to roar and put a hole in the wall.
If you havenât read the original story up to this point, read âDEMONI VANKIL is being...uhhhhâ. The whole situation was explained in full. Hereâs a microwave recap:
I want to republish Demoni Vankil on Amazon. The story has been revised & edited, but only real difference between the two versions, are:
The new cover;
Höbin is now the author, not me, and;
The book is being published under Perspicacious Publishing, instead of On The Fly Publishing (which is now legally dissolved).
The last article ended with me submitting my latest information and then receiving a reply from âEdenâ (my baby sisters name, so she has to be somewhat cool). I can wait five days for a reply, right?
Nope. I Grew Impatient
Here it is, getting close to the publication launch date of September 22nd, and Iâd not received word from Amazon. What was Eden thinking?
Didnât she know how important this was to me? Was she ignoring me?
What if she hadnât even started the process, or looked at my documentation? Could those speed dates gone awry skewed her perspectives? Or maybe those all night New Amsterdam Gin binges finally caught up to her? But why should I suffer a delay to publication, just because Bob didnât call her back after their blind date?
I mean, could a guy really get into a gal that worked for Amazon, and was paid to not listen to the truth?
It was then I realized that maybe trusting in Eden wasnât such a wise choice in my part.
âŠshe had some serious problems.
So I did what any frustrated, exhausted, high-strung author would do in that situation. I pushed harder. Iâd given everything theyâd asked for, met their guidelines, so what was taking so long?
Hereâs the email I sent:
Eden,
It's been four days...what's the verdict for publishing Demoni Vankil?
I still don't understand why there's a problem. Just by logic, you can see,
and can find the information by looking at the book files :
All the books being put into print are from the same account -- *mine*.
All the copyrights in both books are from the same person -- *me*
I explained that the previous publishing company was dissolved, and
the new one created, both of which are owned by the same person -- *me*.Both publishing companies have THE EXACT SAME ADDRESS.
I realize your "rules" state that a note or letter from me, saying that I
hold the rights doesn't count.
But how am I supposed to prove that I own everything and all rights...?No one has the right or ability to vouch FOR me.
I never mentioned Bob. Between you and me, I think that was a smart play.
Every time Iâve contacted Amazon, I try to explain the train of thought and logic behind the rights. I strive to provide the very documentation required BY THE GUIDELINES from their site. Yet nothing has worked. This âAmazon Content Review Teamâ wasnât accepting anything. So was I confident that this effort would meet with success?
Not really, but I was hopeful.
Marco Joelâs Reply
Who the hell is âMarco Joelâ?
It wasnât until I got this reply a day later, that I noticed each and every email I receive from the Amazon Content Review Team had a new name attached to it. Could this be the problem? All of these emails back and forth and I havenât been communicating with the same person.
Now, you can say, âWell Jaime, itâs a team, not a person.â
*pause*
Okay. Youâre right. But then again, do you really believe that? A âteamâ?
Do you know how many times Iâve had a book rejected on a proof, saying that it didnât meet their âstandardsâ? Iâm saying this as a person who uses the exact templates they provide, and submit them. Books that Draft2Digital accepts, which supplies to platforms like Barnes & Noble and even Apple BooksâŠspecifically known for getting their panties in a crumpled mess if your dimensions arenât perfect. Books that Ingram Spark, one of the largest book publishers and distributors on the planet accepts without a single flag!
Iâm just saying that Iâve done this so many times, Iâve experienced Amazons âcustomer serviceâ and âstandardsâ from a few angles. On one book, which theyâd refused to publish for over a yearâŠyes, a YEAR, because of their âpublishing guidelinesâ, Iâd had enough. I took a day off work and called in, prepared to wait all day if I had to.
When I finally got through the maze, I refused to talk to grunts. People NOT from the USA, and where âEnglishâ is a second languageâŠor fourth. âWhoâs in charge?â Iâd ask, over and over again. When I had the decisions maker on the phone, I asked the man what the hell was wrong that my book was being rejected repeatedly.
Tell me what needed to be changed to comply and I would do it.
âI donât understand,â he said to me over the phone, âwhy hasnât this book be approved? It perfectly complies to our publishing guidelinesâŠâ
âBecause your staff doesnât understand, apparently,â I poked. âThose are the original files I turned in.â
âIâll make sure this getâs approved by the department.â
That was it. I wasâŠdismissed from the conversation. There was no explanation, no apology, nothing. The book has been selling ever since, which Iâm grateful for, but I hope you can see where and why I question Amazonâs âteamsâ? My experiences have been identical to the ones I get through hosting companies and their âcustomer serviceâ. Places like Bluehost, who have a handful of guys, likely trapped in a cubicle â each plugged in front of multiple screens â holding multiple conversations with people at the same time through a chat queue.
I say this, because my son-in-law worked for Bluehost for nearly a decade doing that exactâŠsameâŠthing.
Iâm a number in a queue, and hereâs what I got next:
Hello,
Thanks for your patience while we reviewed the following book(s):
Demoni Vankil
Luckyfeller, Höbin (AUTHOR); Buckley, Jaime (EDITOR)
ID : 55980831
We've reviewed the documentation you provided. Based on our review we're not confident you hold the necessary publishing rights.
We found that content in your book has been previously made available on Amazon by Drew Briney. To publish your book, please respond with documentation confirming that your rights do not conflict with the rights held by that publisherâ.
Please reply to confirm your publishing rights within 5 days. Otherwise, the book(s) will be unavailable for sale on Amazon.
For more details about KDPs copyright guidelines, visit Help: https://kdp.amazon.com/help/topic/G200672400
If you have questions or believe you've received this email in error, reply to this message.
Thanks for your cooperation,
Amazon KDP
Marco Joel
Amazon Content Review Team
Wait. What?
YouâreâŠnot confident I hold the necessary publishing rights?
Are you %$#@$!! joking?
I got so mad, so fast, Iâm still dealing with heartburn four hours later.
Thatâs it. With all my gathered patience, I believe Iâve tried to comply. Iâve done all I could to follow Amazonâs rules, answered questions, and provided each and every document outlined on their website. Yet I have been tossed from person to person, for all I know theyâre hourly employees with some stupid list they donât even understand themselves.
No more. Itâs 10:45pm, I havenât been on oxygen like my doctors said to, my baby girl has pertussis or the 100-day cough, is highly contagious, and now every breath I take feels like fire. RIGHT!!
*cracks knuckles*
Marco Joel, Eden, Erick, or whomever...
This has become quite annoying.
First, the fact that I talk to a different person in each and every email
response, makes me question your ability and motives. If this issue of
publication rights is so important to Amazon, why is it not addressed and
followed through by a single individual?
Is this process done through a queue?
I have to say, this provides zero confidence in the decisions being made on
this issue by your department.
How are my rights of exclusive ownership and publication supposed to be
resolved when my information and documentation is passed from person to
person, with no followup with me, the account holder? How am I able to
reason with and provide documentation if I don't even know how this
information is being looked at and considered?
Second, I sent your department the exact documentation required by your
guidelines.
Acceptable documentation may include:
âą A letter from the previous publisher reverting rights back to the author
This was provided, but I was then told that it was not "valid", because it
did not have the signatures of "both parties". What?? When do you EVER
receive a letter from someone, and YOU are required to SIGN it!?! Letters
are not contracts.
âą A signed copy of the agreement between the author and the previous
publisher
This was provided. I attached the âRevision of Rights letter from April
24th, 2023 from On The Fly Publications, to Höbin Luckyfellerâ
Now you say, "We found that content in your book has been previously made
available on Amazon by Drew Briney. To publish your book, please respond
with documentation confirming that your rights do not conflict with the
rights held by that publisher."
Here is my response to you:
No.
Drew Briney does not hold any rights.
Have you looked at that book? It's a compilation of complete works,
submitted by INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS! I've attached a screen shot from the book,
on Amazon's website, which states:
"Copyright ©2015 by each individual author. All Rights Reserved."
Each individual author. Each individual's rights. That's me, Jaime
Buckley.
But here is the most important part you're missing:
Drew Briney, an individual author, published that compilation on August
9th, 2015...but the Revision of Rights letter from On The Fly
Publications, to Höbin Luckyfeller was on April 24th, 2023.
That letter shows the publishing rights precedes Drews project (first
publication was Sep 21, 2011), and the publication rights were "released"
back to Höbin on April 24th, 2023, which supersedes any previous rights
Drew Briney may or may not have had.
So why am I required to prove anything pertaining to Drew Briney?
The ball is now in your court.
I await your reply.
When I crawled into bed after hitting âsendâ at 12:09am, I was grateful this was not a face to face meeting. Apparently Iâm still not a very good person. Honestly I thought I had more patience than this. I should have more patience than this â because the truth is â I donât know these folks. Thereâs no way for me to know whatâs happening on their side.
Then again, I didnât choose their job. If you canât do it, why are you there?
Took me a while to relax and fall asleep, but it was short lived. Woke a few hours later unable to breathe, a kicking headache, and I was ready for a fist-fight. Luckily my son wanted a ride to work, and my kids are magic for me. A few moments in the presence of their bright personalities and spirits (or my wifeâs) and my anger deflates like air from a balloon.
When I got back to the house, I dragged my exhausted butt to the office and checked my email.
Hello,
Thanks for your message regarding the following book(s):
"Demoni Vankil" ID: 55980831
We've reviewed the information/documentation you provided and approved the book(s) for publication. To complete the publication process, you'll need to resubmit your book(s).
Once youâve resubmitted, it can take up to 24 hours for your book(s) to appear as "Live" on your Bookshelf. Your book(s) will remain in Draft status until you resubmit your book(s) for publishing.
We wish you the best of luck in promoting and selling your book(s).
Thanks for using Amazon KDP
Mohammed
Amazon Content Review Team
Yeah. Thought so, cupcake.
I sat staring at the screen for a few minutes, and all I could think of wasâŠ
You can apply that to Amazon, those working for the Amazon Content Review Team, OR me personallyâŠand I think youâd be correct.
If youâre a creative and have to use platforms like Amazon, at some point you must realize and accept that if we want to use their services, we have to comply to their terms. I did comply to their terms, and finally lost it when even Amazon wasnât complying to their own terms. But that can happen.
This wasnât my first time. Donât expect itâll be the last. That is, unless you help me spread the word about Life of Fiction. Once thereâs enough readers here, I plan on taking a completely independent route and make books exclusively for you.
Thatâs the eventual goal.
âŠand Iâll part company with Amazon once and for all.
Remember that on September 22nd, 2023 (thatâs THIS Friday, BTW), you can get the digital version of Demoni Vankil from me (not Amazon), for 50% offâŠ24 hours ONLY. Use the promo code: PYOOG4AXW4
If youâre a writer or GM for a roll playing game, you might be interested in our 24 hour sale on my BOUNDLESS Journal. You can grab that for 50% off at the same time. Use the promo code: QIG8MNEJJL
Look at the top of both sale pages. If you tell a friend, you can save even more.
Until then,
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Great job getting your book through. Despite the stupidity of people who may or may not have been smart enough to even fully read what you sent them before sending you another email.
Canât wait to see what you do next.
Also excited to see the signed versions too.