Don’t Let Your KDP Account Get Shut Down

Amazon’s KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is one of the best tools indie authors and publishers have. It allows us to make our books available to buyers all over the world.

Even with the availability of other publishing platforms, losing your KDP account can be devastating. And getting it restored ranges from extremely difficult to impossible.

So how can you make sure your KDP account stays in good standing? It’s really simple: Follow KDP’s rules—even if you don’t like them.

KDP lists its content guidelines here:

https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200672390

Violating those guidelines can result in the content (your books) being removed from Amazon and your publishing account being suspended or terminated.

The most common reasons KDP accounts are taken down include:

Copyright infringement and plagiarism. If you publish something that infringes on someone else’s copyright, Amazon will take action against your account. Copyright infringement refers to the unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of a copyrighted work. Plagiarism is using someone else’s ideas, words, or work without proper attribution, presenting them as your own. Be sure everything in your books is original or, if it’s not, that you have secured the rights to publish it.

Offensive content. This area is not as clear as copyright infringement. KDP’s policy states:

We don’t sell certain content including content that we determine is hate speech, promotes the abuse or sexual exploitation of children, contains pornography, glorifies rape or pedophilia, advocates terrorism, or other material we deem inappropriate or offensive.

You may disagree with KDP’s position on what it considers inappropriate or offensive, but KDP makes the final determination.

Low-quality content. As a company, Amazon is committed to delivering a positive customer experience. If you try to publish books that are poorly formatted, filled with errors, or lack substantive content, Amazon will remove them, and your account will be at risk.

Manipulative practices. Using unscrupulous tactics to boost your book’s visibility can result in account termination. This includes misleading keywords, fake or incentivized reviews, deceptive information in descriptions or metadata, and other unethical techniques.

Violation of KDP’s terms and conditions. This is Amazon’s platform, and Amazon makes the rules. Those rules are clearly spelled out in the KDP Help Center. It may not be exciting reading, but it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with KDP’s terms and conditions before you do something that could get your account terminated.

What happens when you break a KDP rule?

If you publish a book that violates KDP’s terms and conditions, Amazon will usually notify you by email, outlining the nature of the violation and maybe providing guidance on how to resolve the issue. Depending on the severity of the offense, KDP may temporarily or permanently remove the content. Authors are often given the opportunity to correct the violation or appeal the decision.

If the violation is severe, or if there are repeated violations, KDP may suspend or terminate the account. If that happens, don’t panic—it doesn’t do any good. Instead, carefully review the notice to understand the reason behind the suspension or termination.

If you can, correct the issues and make sure your book adheres to all KDP guidelines. Create a plan of action that addresses the issues and submit it to KDP Support. Be patient; it may take a while to get a response. And be polite—being rude or demanding isn’t likely to get your account restored. If your appeal fails, you may want to consult an attorney.

If your KDP account is shut down, do not just open another one. This is a violation of KDP’s terms and conditions. If (more likely when) KDP figures out that’s what you’ve done, your new account will be terminated.

Produce quality, operate with integrity

If you produce quality books and operate your publishing business with integrity, you shouldn’t have any problems maintaining your KDP account in good standing. But even ethical publishers make mistakes, and sometimes KDP’s violation detection system gets it wrong. Protect your KDP account by understanding the rules and knowing what to do if a problem arises.

Need legal help?

This is a totally unsolicited recommendation. Kathryn Goldman with Creative Law Center focuses on the special legal needs of creative professionals, writers, artists, photographers, designers, and entrepreneurs. Creative Law Center’s membership program provides access to a wide range resources, including live workshops; form contracts, documents, checklists, and templates; a reference library; and legal services. And Kathryn manages to make these dry legal topics interesting and even fun. If you need legal help, start with her.