I had always wanted to write a book and have it published, but this first publishing experience proved to be a giant headache and a source of stress. I spent so much time editing, finalizing, and formatting my book. I got it up and published by my publishing house; I went through all the hoops and paperwork to wake up to this...

Your account has been terminated.

Why?

No warning! There can be many reasons for a terminated account, but I was told that my termination was because they believed I didn't have the necessary rights to publish my book. I figured this might be an issue with my name as the name I go by publically and on my book differs from my legal name. I had decided to change my name, but I never made it official on paper, so my publishing company was under my legal name, but Amazon saw me as my public name. I messaged and messaged, and messaged explaining the above in hopes they would reinstate my account, but all I got back was the same cut-and-past email saying:

"Upon review, we're upholding our decision to close your account and remove your books from sale on Amazon."

After more messages, I got this message.

"As previously stated, we detected activities in your account trying to manipulate our services, which is a violation of our Terms and Conditions."

I didn't give up; knowing the power and reach of Amazon, I couldn't just post on other platforms and cross my fingers. I wanted to do big things with this book, so I sent more messages, and eventually, I got this:

"Thank you for your email concerning the status of your account. After reviewing your response, we have reinstated your account, and you may submit titles for possible publication."

This entire process took about two months. For anyone not in publishing, that is like a death sentence for your book. When you first publish, there are many benefits to being a new title, but since my publication date was months before the reinstated account, I lost many of those benefits. To top it off, my Kindle book still hadn't been published, and it was taking a while for it to go up, so I preemptively contacted Amazon to make sure I didn't have the same issue as before.

I got a message back that said:

"Your title is experiencing a temporary delay in publishing. Our teams are working hard to review and publish your books as quickly as possible."

Thankfully, messaging them ahead of a possible termination proved extremely fruitful as I received another message stating:

"During our review, we found that your book contains interior and/or cover content that's available from a different publisher. We need you to confirm your publishing rights before the book is made available on Amazon."

I sent them the requested documentation to prove ownership, and my book was published and is now fully available. I recommend following up any time your Kindle version takes time to be available. I firmly believe this was an indication of an issue.

Don't give up on getting your account reinstated; keep messaging, be reasonable and polite, and speak to them as you would a friend; remember that behind that email is a person, and you need their help to sort this issue out. Be prompt in your response, and ensure you supply what they ask to prove you own the rights to your book. I will also say to beware of scams and fake Amazon emails, as they can happen. Amazon emails generally have a case number and will say Amazon with a verification tick next to their sender name. Message Amazon preemptively if you see any delays in making your title available on Kindle.

Although this has been incredibly frustrating, it has also been a great learning experience for me. It does seem that Amazon has a monopoly on the book publishing and marketing industry, and it is worth being on their platform for exposure and accessibility. Since being back on Amazon, I have been able to start a free promotion for my book, and I spent a nice portion of time in the free top 10 titles for the categories my book is in. I was also in the top 100 books in my category. If you've had your account terminated, stay hopeful and know that it's not over unless you decide to give up. You spent time writing your book, and it needs to get out into the world. Your words will help someone. Have faith and keep promoting your book.