When Amazon Rejects Documented Proof

This has gotten so bad, even the fictional characters from this book are pissed off.

Did you notice the cover change? Look closely.

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First I tried the truth. Then I tried reason.

When that didn’t work, I tried giving them what they asked for.

…now I just want to make fun of their complete abundance of stupidity.

Yes…Amazon is STILL challenging me.

I’ll state this again, but I’m 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 haven’t read the original story up to this point, read ‘DEMONI VANKIL is being...uhhhh’. The whole situation was explained in full. Here’s 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 ‘Eden’ (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 I’d not received word from Amazon. What was Eden thinking?

Didn’t she know how important this was to me? Was she ignoring me?

What if she hadn’t 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 didn’t 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 wasn’t such a wise choice in my part.

…she had some serious problems.

So I did what any frustrated, exhausted, high-strung author would do in that situation. I pushed harder. I’d given everything they’d asked for, met their guidelines, so what was taking so long?

Here’s 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 I’ve 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 ‘Amazon Content Review Team’ wasn’t accepting anything. So was I confident that this effort would meet with success?

Not really, but I was hopeful.

Marco Joel’s Reply

Who the hell is ‘Marco Joel’?

It wasn’t 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 haven’t been communicating with the same person.

Now, you can say, “Well Jaime, it’s a team, not a person.”

*pause*

Okay. You’re right. But then again, do you really believe that? A ‘team’?

Do you know how many times I’ve had a book rejected on a proof, saying that it didn’t meet their ‘standards’? I’m 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 Books…specifically known for getting their panties in a crumpled mess if your dimensions aren’t perfect. Books that Ingram Spark, one of the largest book publishers and distributors on the planet accepts without a single flag!

I’m just saying that I’ve done this so many times, I’ve experienced Amazons “customer service” and “standards” from a few angles. On one book, which they’d refused to publish for over a year…yes, a YEAR, because of their ‘publishing guidelines’, I’d 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 ‘English’ is a second language…or fourth. “Who’s in charge?” I’d 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.

“I don’t understand,” he said to me over the phone, “why hasn’t this book be approved? It perfectly complies to our publishing guidelines…”

“Because your staff doesn’t understand, apparently,” I poked. “Those are the original files I turned in.”

“I’ll make sure this get’s approved by the department.”

That was it. I was…dismissed from the conversation. There was no explanation, no apology, nothing. The book has been selling ever since, which I’m grateful for, but I hope you can see where and why I question Amazon’s ‘teams’? My experiences have been identical to the ones I get through hosting companies and their ‘customer service’. Places like Bluehost, who have a handful of guys, likely trapped in a cubicle — each plugged in front of multiple screens — 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 exact…same…thing.

I’m a number in a queue, and here’s 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 publisher​.

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?

You’re…not confident I hold the necessary publishing rights?

Are you %$#@$!! joking?

I got so mad, so fast, I’m still dealing with heartburn four hours later.

That’s it. With all my gathered patience, I believe I’ve tried to comply. I’ve done all I could to follow Amazon’s 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 they’re hourly employees with some stupid list they don’t even understand themselves.

No more. It’s 10:45pm, I haven’t 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:
• 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.

• A signed copy of the agreement between the author and the previous
publisher
This was provided. I attached the ‘Revision of Rights letter from April
24th, 2023 from On The Fly Publications, to Höbin Luckyfeller’

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 ‘send’ at 12:09am, I was grateful this was not a face to face meeting. Apparently I’m still not a very good person. Honestly I thought I had more patience than this. I should have more patience than this — because the truth is — I don’t know these folks. There’s no way for me to know what’s happening on their side.

Then again, I didn’t choose their job. If you can’t 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 wife’s) 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 you’ve 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 was…

You can apply that to Amazon, those working for the Amazon Content Review Team, OR me personally…and I think you’d be correct.

If you’re 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 wasn’t complying to their own terms. But that can happen.

This wasn’t my first time. Don’t expect it’ll be the last. That is, unless you help me spread the word about Life of Fiction. Once there’s enough readers here, I plan on taking a completely independent route and make books exclusively for you.

That’s the eventual goal.

…and I’ll part company with Amazon once and for all.

Remember that on September 22nd, 2023 (that’s THIS Friday, BTW), you can get the digital version of Demoni Vankil from me (not Amazon), for 50% off…24 hours ONLY. Use the promo code: PYOOG4AXW4

If you’re 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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