# Book Blocked on KDP



## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Hello there,

I am new here so apologies if I am posting this in the wrong location.
If there is a more approriate area for me to post this question please let me know 

I have received an e-mail from KDP 4 days ago asking for me to confirm my copyright. I didnt know what was happening so I responded back saying "I confirm ... ".

I got another email back saying the same thing, same email copy and paste. I responded back more firmly and a little angrily I said I confirm again.

This is what they wanted as acceptable documentation.

- Acceptable documentation can include:
- A contract or statement from the author or publisher verifying you retain exclusive publishing rights
- An e-mail from the address listed on the official author or agent’s website
- For authors using a pseudonym, copyright registration or statement of pseudonym use

After my 3rd email response they blocked my book.

I then drafted a simple statement to address the second item above and sent that through. My book waas all mine except the foreword was a contribution by a friend. It was all referenced properly and i even have me as the author and her as the foreword contributor on amazon.

they responded again saying that they wont be publishing my book at this point.

i dont know what to do anyone have a similar experience, any help is much appreciated, i am quite stressed at this point


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

It sounds to me like they found something somewhere which casts doubt on who the copyright holder is, and you failed to prove anything to them.

Has any part of the book been posted online anywhere? Especially under a different name?

It might be useful if you were more specific about details of the book in question. And the emails Amazon sent you.


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## Not any more (Mar 19, 2012)

I think it costs $35 and a little bit of time to get an official copyright. Sounds like something you might have to do.


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## TaraCrescent (Mar 21, 2015)

I had this happen to me in the past on a book that's permafree. I went back and forth with them for a while, but what ended up resolving the issue was I forwarded them the the email thread between my editor and me discussing the book (word copies were attached.) Maybe that'll help?


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

> My book waas all mine except the foreword was a contribution by a friend.


I personally wouldn't name this person in the upload. This could have been the problem. The friend might have to send in a statement regarding their part of the book. They technically own the copyright to part of your book now, since this part is _their_ work, not yours.

Don't name editors or cover designers in the contributor box, either. These folks can be listed in an afterword, or in the case of the cover designer on the copyright page, but shouldn't be put in as contributors when uploading the file. If they require you to do so, find someone else.


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## Mark E. Cooper (May 29, 2011)

When I've had these All I've had to do was reply using my publisher imprint's email (domain) and as this is the one I used for my KDP account it's really easy to just hit reply. So far so good.


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

Mark E. Cooper said:


> my publisher imprint's email (domain)


err...what's that?


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## Mark E. Cooper (May 29, 2011)

TimothyEllis said:


> err...what's that?


My company/imprint/copyright holder all use my company domain impulsebooks.co.uk By replying from my publisher email address (same domain) I've had no issues.


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## dianapersaud (Sep 26, 2013)

Polleo1985 said:


> Hello there,
> 
> I am new here so apologies if I am posting this in the wrong location.
> If there is a more approriate area for me to post this question please let me know
> ...


What do you mean by "referenced properly"?

Is this your book fiction or non fiction?

I've had that happen. I had to email them saying
I, REAL NAME, wrote TITLE NAME, under PSEUDONYM NAME. I also included the first date of publication on Amazon.
My pseudonym's email address is the one I use for KDP, so that takes care of one of their requirements.

In my case, I hadn't updated the book in over a year. I simply updated some keywords and it triggered the copyright verification email.
It took three emails to clear it up. I just repeated the same information.


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

TwistedTales said:


> The OP will just have to keep trying to guess what's offending them. Failure to do it within the quiz show time limit will result in undeserved punishment.


Which is why if the OP can supply some decent information, someone here should be able to pick the problem easily.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Mark E. Cooper said:


> When I've had these All I've had to do was reply using my publisher imprint's email (domain) and as this is the one I used for my KDP account it's really easy to just hit reply. So far so good.


This is worrying. Do you think a link to your website would do?


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

LilyBLily said:


> If your friend contributed a foreword,
> ....
> Also, remember that if the foreword was in essence or explicitly a work for hire and your friend ceded copyright to you, you do own the full copyright and you do not need to list the other person as a contributor.


I dont understand this. Why would a foreword be considered a contribution?

If it is considered a contribution, and the author has to be listed as a contributor, then surely the easiest remedy is to remove it, and resubmit the book with only the single author. Alternatively, it should only need a note from the foreword writer saying they grant all copyright rights to the author of the book. Which also wouldn't then need the contributor to be listed.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Thank you all so much for your responses, it is much appreciated.

I thought I was doing the right thing by listing the person as a foreword contributor.

It is a health book, a diet cookbook.
It is actually a book I wrote detailing my experience in overcoming a health issue.

I have sent in a signed statement physical printed statement with signatures that i own all copyright and i had my friend countersign on the bottom agreeing to the statemen and i received a 5th email 3 hours ago saying we uphold our decision and they just pointed me to the content guidlines for KDP which for me does not make sense.


I honestly do not know what I have done wrong which is the worst part. What is to say the same won't happen to the next book I decide to update.

Another publisher i know  has had the same thing happen to her. She got the same email and she merely responded 3 times to their same email asking what is wrong and bang her book got blocked as well.

This really seems unfair and injust the only thing I did wrong was respond angrily to the second and third emails and i should have contained my anger but i couldnt i have since reverted to 'nice' emails

what do i do guys? so gutted.

Do you know if I will be able to keep the royalties I earnt thus far?

to answer some of the questions, the KDP account is in my personal name and i just have the one author name a pseudo name.

I opened the account in oct 2016 and this was my first book that this has happened to.

i am scared to make any changes to my second book in fear of the same thing happening. the worst part of all this is i dont know what i did wrong.

I thought i was doing the right thing as from the beginning i have always done everything by the book


thank you all again


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Thank you.

I did a bit of searching yesterday on Google and noticed that there was a link in youtube, someone has created a new account on youtube and has my book cover advertised there which then points to some pdfreads website which i was told is a scamming site where they want to collect your details.

I have contacted youtube about the copyright for the video showing my book but what can i do about the other website?
Is there a google help line where I can report this website?

I definitely have only 1 account, i read a lot about sticking to the rules and heard all the warnings about not messing with amazon and specifically for that reason i have tried to do the right thing. In my last email to kdp this morning i said if i have done something wrong please let me know so I can correct it but i dont know.

I have invested a decent amount of money in these 2 books and i am wondering if i will get any royalties if the book is now blocked (note the 2 month waiting period). anyone have any experience with that.

is there a point even now to get on to the US copyright website and take out copyright on the book?

Has anyone had success in overturning the Block, if so how did you go about it.

any information is much appreciated. I am absolutely gutted and just when I have find my niche and things were going well I am now considering throwing the towel in because I simply can't be spending more money on books only to find out when the next update occurs that I will be blocked for some unknown reason.

To answer your question I paid for images from a stock website again I didnt not take anything from online, the images were downloaded from a paid account.

Thank you all once again.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

I'd get the copyright registration and use that. Usually answering the email from the email address associated with your website is sufficient which is what I do, but a copyright registration would give you some firepower. I don't think there is any way to be sure it would work, but if you make money from the book, it would be worth the small cost to try.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> This is worrying. Do you think a link to your website would do?


You don't even need to include a link. I invariable say, "I am sending this via e-mail from the address listed on my author website as per your instructions. I confirm that the copyright is mine."

If I were the OP, I would also demand it be escalated to a supervisor, if he has not already done so.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

LilyBLily said:


> If your friend contributed a foreword, then your application for copyright should cost $55 and include the friend's name and the specific part of the book the friend wrote. It can take over a year to get an actual copyright certificate, but the Copyright Office will send you an immediate email confirmation of your application, which you can forward to Amazon.
> 
> When I did a book with two contributors, Amazon automatically queried my right to copyright, and I sent the Copyright Office email and that ended it. However, the Copyright Office had some additional queries about my rights later on. In your case, since both of you are living, right to copyright should be clearer.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your suggestion. I have typed up a simple word document titled statement and this is exactly what I wrote actually:

STATEMENT:

I (real name), author and publisher, publishing under the pseudonym name of (pseudo name) confirm that I am the author, the publisher and the owner of ALL copyright for the following book:

(full details of book)

Please consider this is a formal statement confirming that I exclusively own all copyright to this book.

Signed

(real name)
(pseudo name in brackets)

signed

foreword contributor

I sent this in twice and the latest email said after reviewing information we are upholding our decision to block.

The book is currently blocked so as you know I cannot make any changes.

I have the US copyright notice in draft mode at the moment, shall I complete it claiming full copyright to it or acknowledge the foreword contributor.

Again I am assuming this is the problem. the publisher who i mentioned in my previous post was the only author and has no idea what the 'reason' for her being questioned is.

Shall I keep sending information through, such as editors comments and this copyright until they revert the decision.

thank you once again, it really does help hearing your views and experiences. Good to know I am not alone in this rollercoaster ride.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

OMG!

Just did a search and realised someone is selling my book on a site called cheapesttexbooks.com
They have all my books on their site, what the hell?

I have emailed them demanding it be taken down immediately.

How does this even happen?

So upset about this


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Piracy abounds. No need to get upset or excited. The vast majority of the time, the book file isn't actually available, it's just a scam to get credit card details and/or to download malware of some sort. You must send a DMCA notice (you can find examples on the web), as a simple email won't do.

Send the proper copyright claim in a response to the last email you received. Don't start over with a new email to customer service. Ask to have a supervisor look at your issue. As a positively last resort, use the jeffbezos @ email address.

You haven't been singled out, it's nothing personal. This happens all the time, and it seems Amazon is a bit flaky now on getting the idea that the person is indeed the copyright holder. It takes more than one email now (always responding to an email, never starting new), when it shouldn't. You probably triggered something having two contributor's names, and only sending one verification back.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

she-la-ti-da said:


> Piracy abounds. No need to get upset or excited. The vast majority of the time, the book file isn't actually available, it's just a scam to get credit card details and/or to download malware of some sort. You must send a DMCA notice (you can find examples on the web), as a simple email won't do.
> 
> Send the proper copyright claim in a response to the last email you received. Don't start over with a new email to customer service. Ask to have a supervisor look at your issue. As a positively last resort, use the jeffbezos @ email address.
> 
> You haven't been singled out, it's nothing personal. This happens all the time, and it seems Amazon is a bit flaky now on getting the idea that the person is indeed the copyright holder. It takes more than one email now (always responding to an email, never starting new), when it shouldn't. You probably triggered something having two contributor's names, and only sending one verification back.


Thank you kindly. I know I shouldn't get over excited. I guess I am totally new to this and it is hurtful to see piracy occur. It hurts when you see other people trying to sell your product and it may be that which is causing my dramas.

You mentioned to check in the TOS but there was nothing I could see there. I have no pornography in the book, its health content and a cookbook.

I don't believe I have any offensive content there is only the word "Crap" in there which was quoting a doctor that said to me in the consultation "no wonder you feel like crap" in reference to seeing my test results for my health condition.

That is the only offensive thing I can think off, again if it was offensive, no problem, tell me and I will change it .

Shall I obtain a contribution agreement of some sorts and ask my friend to complete and sign it? Would that help?

Ideally I would like this situation resolved and then I would take our copyright only in my name, remove all the foreword contribution as it simply is not worth it.

I've received 1 confirmation that I should be getting the royalty up to the point when the book is blocked, can anyone else confirm that. Recouping any of the funds invested is critical for me.

Very grateful for each and every one of your responses. Thank you. Polleo


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

JRTomlin said:


> I'd get the copyright registration and use that. Usually answering the email from the email address associated with your website is sufficient which is what I do, but a copyright registration would give you some firepower. I don't think there is any way to be sure it would work, but if you make money from the book, it would be worth the small cost to try.


Thank you JRTomlin. I do not have a website unfortunately. All I have is an e-mail under the pseudo name. Everything else is on Amazon.
I have no other content outside Amazon besides a simple facebook page for the pseudo name where I just post links to my book on Amazon.

With the copyright registration should I claim all copyright in the application or should I formally acknowledge the forward contributor?

Shall I create a simple webpage for myself. There would be a bit of work in that and I don't know how I would go about doing that but if it will help perhaps I should get the ball rolling on this one as well.

Thank you kindly.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

TwistedTales said:


> Sorry to hear that, Polleo. I have no idea what their issue is. I keep an eye on google for our books, even though we're no longer exclusive to Amazon. Just now I found Google was once again showing 100% of one of our books. Don't get me started on Google - between the endless price changes and deciding on a whim to show 100% of content, we've finally suspended all of the books on their site.
> 
> If you're exclusive (ie in KU), and more than 10% of the book is somewhere other than Amazon, then they'll query your copyright and accuse you of infringing KU TOS. You have to monitor the web for your books. I once found and site with mine and others books available without needing to download.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your response.


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Polleo1985 said:


> Thank you JRTomlin. I do not have a website unfortunately. All I have is an e-mail under the pseudo name. Everything else is on Amazon.
> I have no other content outside Amazon besides a simple facebook page for the pseudo name where I just post links to my book on Amazon.
> 
> With the copyright registration should I claim all copyright in the application or should I formally acknowledge the forward contributor?
> ...


I think most of us do have at least a basic website. But you could add your email address to your Facebook page and include a link to it in your email to Amazon to see if that's acceptable. I might say, "I am Jane Doe (pen name: Becca Mills), and I am the sole copyright owner for the book Nolander (ASIN:B007R6PPZA). I am sending this message from the email address associated with my pen name. My web presence for this pen name is a Facebook page, and you can see this email address listed on that page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/bccamlls/about/. I have found text from this book at the following sites: pirateURL1, pirateURL2, pirateURL3. These are piracy sites that have posted my work without my permission. I am attaching copies of the DMCA notifications I have filed with these sites. Also attached is a copy of my request for U.S. copyright registration." Something like that might do it.

These copyright queries are extremely common. I get one every time I update one of my free books. I had to jump through quite a few hoops last time, as they wanted a complete list of everywhere the books or text from them appear online, which is awfully difficult to produce once books get distributed to six zillion little places. It's put a significant damper on my willingness to update my books, that's for sure.


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## CrazyHorze (Jan 28, 2017)

Did they block your account or your book?


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## LadyG (Sep 3, 2015)

When you say that your book has recipes, are they recipes that you created yourself, or did you get them from somewhere? Maybe some of your recipes are similar to recipes in other cookbooks. Perhaps that's the problem?


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

CrazyHorze said:


> Did they block your account or your book?


Just my book (for now), I hope it's not the account!

I made small updates to both the paperback version as well as the ebook and they blocked the paperback and the ebook is live but under review still, so I am expecting that one to be blocked also as it's the same content.

Thank you


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

LadyG said:


> When you say that your book has recipes, are they recipes that you created yourself, or did you get them from somewhere? Maybe some of your recipes are similar to recipes in other cookbooks. Perhaps that's the problem?


The recipes are original. I mean I did get ideas from other places but the actual recipe is unique, again to the best of my knowledge.
If any of the recipes were similar to some others that is completely unintentional and I would expect them to point that out to me because I honestly would have no idea.

In short the book is:

- Intro & main text
- recipes
- foreword (by friend) and properly acknowledged in the book as well as in the book setup (i.e. hyperlink to her author page as the foreword contributor)
- cover, stock image purchased and designer designed the text, heading, etc.
- stock images used for recipes, most of the recipes were inspired by sourcing the stock image first (i.e. soup with broccoli photo inspired me to develop a broccoli soup, jsut using that as an example). Stock images all purchased.

That is what the book is comprised off.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Becca Mills said:


> I think most of us do have at least a basic website. But you could add your email address to your Facebook page and include a link to it in your email to Amazon to see if that's acceptable. I might say, "I am Jane Doe (pen name: Becca Mills), and I am the sole copyright owner for the book Nolander (ASIN:B007R6PPZA). I am sending this message from the email address associated with my pen name. My web presence for this pen name is a Facebook page, and you can see this email address listed on that page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/bccamlls/about/. I have found text from this book at the following sites: pirateURL1, pirateURL2, pirateURL3. These are piracy sites that have posted my work without my permission. I am attaching copies of the DMCA notifications I have filed with these sites. Also attached is a copy of my request for U.S. copyright registration." Something like that might do it.
> 
> These copyright queries are extremely common. I get one every time I update one of my free books. I had to jump through quite a few hoops last time, as they wanted a complete list of everywhere the books or text from them appear online, which is awfully difficult to produce once books get distributed to six zillion little places. It's put a significant damper on my willingness to update my books, that's for sure.


Becca Mills, thank you 
I do have an e-mail address for my pen name but that is just for marketing and promotional purposes and also to communicate with my customers, etc.
Are you suggesting I display this e-mail on my Author Facebook page and that I then send a fresh e-mail to amazon saying this is my e-mail etc.
This pen name e-mail address is not associated with my KDP account in any way, just my personal (Real name) 
The e-mail address is my personal email address that I created which is where I have received the initial communication from KDP and the same e-mail I am using to go back and forth with them (up to the 6th email now)

I can create a webpage, if that will help I can do that.
Would you suggest creating a webpage in the author's name or can it be a different web address to that of the name? the .com domain for my author name is taken but I can always get another extension .info .co etc.

One last question, sorry - the DMCA notification, how do you actually do that.
I saw my book listed on a website called www.cheapesttextbook.com I contacted them and asked them to remove any reference to my book.
I did a search online and it said it costs $199 per site to be removed, which is very expensive.
Any further guidance on this process would be appreciated.

Thank you again


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

UPDATE:

After my signed statement (Signed by me and the foreword contributor stating it's my copyright) was sent to them, they responded back saying that they uphold the block despite reviewing the information.

I then wrote back a very polite email stating that could they please explain what has gone wrong. I said I am a loyal Amazon customer and have and want to continue following the rules, etc.

I asked for feedback to see what has gone wrong. I got back the following email.

"Hello,

Thank you for your email concerning the status of your account.

Unfortunately, we need some more time to look into the matter. We are sorry for the delay and for any inconvenience it may cause you. We will be in touch within five business days.

Thank you for your patience."


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

Out of left field:

Sometimes when something doesn't go the way we want it to, the reason is the cosmos is trying to get us to go a different direction.

In this case, perhaps the message is Amazon is not the best place for your book, and all this is trying to tell you to get it loaded wide on all the other platforms. Maybe your book suits one of them better, and you'll be far more successful there.

If this was me, I'd be taking it as a message it was time to go wide. Or looking at it a different way, if Amazon dont want you, stuff em, go find someone else who does. I'm sure Apple and Smashwords will be happy to see you. etc.


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## joyfuldesigns (Feb 24, 2017)

I actually had this happen one time with one of my books when I did an update on it.  After research, I found a website that had posted my entire ebook on their site (without my permission) and was giving it away free! 
I contacted the owner of the site and demanded it be taken down immediately, and I threatened them with legal action.  They removed it.  That was what Amazon was catching, and didn't know who the real copyright owner was.  I used copyscape to find this website, by putting my ebook content in.  Perhaps you could try that?


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

TimothyEllis said:


> Out of left field:
> 
> Sometimes when something doesn't go the way we want it to, the reason is the cosmos is trying to get us to go a different direction.
> 
> ...


If I cannot resolve this then that might very well be the way to go ... I just don't see a reason for not wanting my book, its based on health, its actually intended to help people and there are plenty other books in the same niche.

Anyways - maybe you have a point, we'll see where I end up with this.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

joyfuldesigns said:


> I actually had this happen one time with one of my books when I did an update on it. After research, I found a website that had posted my entire ebook on their site (without my permission) and was giving it away free!
> I contacted the owner of the site and demanded it be taken down immediately, and I threatened them with legal action. They removed it. That was what Amazon was catching, and didn't know who the real copyright owner was. I used copyscape to find this website, by putting my ebook content in. Perhaps you could try that?


I actually opened an account with copyspcce and did this yesterday, there was only 1 paragraph similar which were our copyright disclaimers.

No other matching content, 0% similarity.


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## JTriptych (Aug 23, 2015)

I guess if Amazon keeps blocking your book you could try contacting Jeff Bezos directly. I heard some authors got things moving on different issues, so its worth a try if they refuse to listen.


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Polleo1985 said:


> Becca Mills, thank you
> I do have an e-mail address for my pen name but that is just for marketing and promotional purposes and also to communicate with my customers, etc.
> Are you suggesting I display this e-mail on my Author Facebook page and that I then send a fresh e-mail to amazon saying this is my e-mail etc.
> This pen name e-mail address is not associated with my KDP account in any way, just my personal (Real name)
> ...


Yes, Polleo, that's what they want -- the third thing on the list they sent you:



> - Acceptable documentation can include:
> - A contract or statement from the author or publisher verifying you retain exclusive publishing rights
> - An e-mail from the address listed on the official author or agent's website
> - For authors using a pseudonym, copyright registration or statement of pseudonym use


If your pen name is "John Smith," they want to see a website for John Smith that clearly belongs to the author of the book in question. They want that website to have a publicly visible email address. And they want you, Polleo1985, to send them an email from that publicly advertised John Smith email address. It's a way of showing that the pen name really is yours. For instance, the email associated with my KDP account is [email protected], but when they question my copyrights, I email them from [email protected], which is the address visible on my website and my Facebook page. The website, whatever it is, should clearly belong to your pen name.



Polleo1985 said:


> One last question, sorry - the DMCA notification, how do you actually do that.
> I saw my book listed on a website called www.cheapesttextbook.com I contacted them and asked them to remove any reference to my book.
> I did a search online and it said it costs $199 per site to be removed, which is very expensive.
> Any further guidance on this process would be appreciated.
> ...


The DMCA is a U.S. law governing copyright conflict in the digital environment. If a copyright of yours is being infringed, you need to send the site hosting the infringing material a DMCA notification of copyright violation, often called a "take down" notice. You need to include the correct info, and keep in mind that it is a legal notice, so lying on it = perjury. You can find directions for writing one here. Major sites like Amazon often have a copyright complaint form they prefer you use. If not, there should be an email address for copyright complaints.

Since the DMCA is a U.S. law, it generally has no effect on piracy sites, which can be hosted in any nation. So don't expect your book actually to be taken down. You just file the notification to show Amazon you're claiming and trying to protect your copyright. All that said, usually Amazon doesn't worry about pirate sites, so that may not be the problem here.

JTriptych is right about writing to Jeff Bezos. I know it sounds crazy, but that's the way to break through the layers of less empowered people, sometimes. His address is [email protected] But from the recent email you got -- the give-us-five-days thing -- it sounds like you may have been bumped up to KDP supervisory levels, so you might want to send the email from your publicly visible pen name email address and then wait a bit to see what happens. Good luck! 

Edited to add: Filing a DMCA notification is free and do-it-yourself. Don't pay someone else to do it for you. That sort of thing is 100% scam. $199 ... whatever site that is should be ashamed.


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## Guest (Feb 27, 2017)

Polleo1985 said:


> - stock images used for recipes, most of the recipes were inspired by sourcing the stock image first (i.e. soup with broccoli photo inspired me to develop a broccoli soup, jsut using that as an example). Stock images all purchased.


My guess is this is the problem and what they are flagging you on. You don't own the copyright, you are using stock photo which you have a license to, but do not own the copyrights to (you also will have a bear of a time on the copyright filing, as you can only copyright your parts). Ideally, a recipe book should be using your own photos of the finished product, but since you are using stock art:

1. check your licenses - make sure you are allowed to use them for a book and if you need to put credits on any image usages (depends on the source); if any were editorial, you probably do 
2. if none of your other correspondence has done so, you need to explain to Amazon that you are using stock photography, that you have acquired the appropriate licenses from [whichever stock art is is], and offer to supply copies/proof of those licenses if needed


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

Anma Natsu said:


> My guess is this is the problem and what they are flagging you on. You don't own the copyright, you are using stock photo which you have a license to, but do not own the copyrights to (you also will have a bear of a time on the copyright filing, as you can only copyright your parts). Ideally, a recipe book should be using your own photos of the finished product,


Yes.

Seriously, it is worth taking the time to prepare each recipe yourself, and photograph it as professionally as possible. Remove all the stock photos, and replace with your own.

Then advise Amazon you've done this.

Even if this isn't your problem, it could bite you on the arse at some time in the future, where a reader thinks you've ripped off the photos, and flags it with Amazon as copyright infringement. And it could be this is what's happened. Multiple people flagged your photos as copyright infringement.

It would be best to remove this problem from ever biting you again. Make sure your book is 100% yours. And its stated in the book they are.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Becca Mills said:


> Yes, Polleo, that's what they want -- the third thing on the list they sent you:
> 
> If your pen name is "John Smith," they want to see a website for John Smith that clearly belongs to the author of the book in question. They want that website to have a publicly visible email address. And they want you, Polleo1985, to send them an email from that publicly advertised John Smith email address. It's a way of showing that the pen name really is yours. For instance, the email associated with my KDP account is [email protected], but when they question my copyrights, I email them from [email protected], which is the address visible on my website and my Facebook page. The website, whatever it is, should clearly belong to your pen name.
> 
> ...


Thank you Becca for that valuable advice. I will get on to creating a website tonight.

Is it ok if the website displays the email adress [email protected] or do I need to go next level and have a proper domain email such as [email protected]

I am still not 100% clear on who to send the DMCA notification, do I send this to the website I think is copying me or to a particular department?

In my ignorance I didn't even know who Jeff was lol, I do know now.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Should I obtain the copyright (from https://eco.copyright.gov/eService_enu/start.swe?SWECmd=Login&SWECM=S&SRN=&SWEHo=eco.copyright.gov) now in the current state that the book is in, i.e. foreword contributor and the stock images and exclude those from the copyright or wait until I have an opportunity to fix the book.

That would mean I would have to get unblocked first in order to make any changes to the book, so perhaps I need to go for the copyright right away, may have answered my question here.

Has anyone gone through the copyright here, do you provide your real name and still tick the "pseudonym name" option or do you leave it at the pseudonym name?

thank you all in advance


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

I honestly was not aware about the stock photos. I thought I had a license to use them which I do but now I am realizing that maybe that doesnt mean i have copyright.

If they would at least tell me what it is and allow me to change the actual manuscript i would remove all the photos until such time i could bake them all myself and photograph them.

If only they would unblock the book


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Polleo1985 said:


> I honestly was not aware about the stock photos. I thought I had a license to use them which I do but now I am realizing that maybe that doesnt mean i have copyright.
> 
> If they would at least tell me what it is and allow me to change the actual manuscript i would remove all the photos until such time i could bake them all myself and photograph them.
> 
> If only they would unblock the book


Yes, sadly, a license only allows you to use the image under certain circumstances. The photographer retains copyright.

A lot of stock photo sites say you can't mass-sell products where the photos are the main/a significant feature. So an image used on a book cover is fine, because people are buying the story, not the cover. But printing the image on a T-shirt and selling the shirt isn't allowed, because the product wouldn't have its value without the image.

I'm not a lawyer and I haven't gone into the nitty-gritty, but a recipe book probably falls under the latter case, where the images are integral to the product and it's considered overstepping the bounds of the license. Some stock photo sites offer extended licenses for a few hundred dollars which allows you to use the image on merchandise. (The photographer continues to own the copyright)

If the book really is restricted due to the photos, Amazon's not likely to unblock it. You may need to republish it under a new ASIN. NOTE: Amazon can be very twitchy about authors republishing blocked books. It's something you could lose your account over. I would only try this after consulting an author who has been through this process (I haven't) and rewriting or reformatting large sections of the book. Or, or course, getting Amazon's blessing first. Which can sometimes be very difficult.

Sorry this happened to you. =( It's not a fun experience and it sounds like you put a lot of effort into this book. I truly hope it can be resolved quickly and with minimal stress.


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## Guest (Feb 27, 2017)

Polleo1985 said:


> Has anyone had success in overturning the Block, if so how did you go about it.
> 
> any information is much appreciated.


One of mine got blocked a while back. It was a book I had once offered free. I had the same emails you described. In frustration I sent a reply, seomthing like this:

_Thank you for your mail about XXXXXXXX

I wrote the title XXXXXXX and I am the legal copyright holder. YYYYYY is the publisher i.e. also me.

I really do not know what else you want from me or what further information I can supply.

Yours etc_

Wasn't expecting much, but they unblocked it and apologised.

Actually, whenever I have fallen foul of their system, which has happened a few times now, I always reply in a polite tone and try to address their concerns as thoroughly as I can. As someone above has said, it can require some guesswork, but it seems to work for me.

Good luck with it.


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

Polleo1985 said:


> If only they would unblock the book


What exactly do you mean by that?

Have they prevented you from uploading a new version, or just removed the submit button?


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

TimothyEllis said:


> What exactly do you mean by that?
> 
> Have they prevented you from uploading a new version, or just removed the submit button?


Please find attached screenshot, I can't click on the continue setup button.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Don't know how to insert an image  

It says blocked on the paperback version and it says review in progress for the kindle

Both wont allow me to click on the continue setup button, its greyed out or on hold 

So I cannot make any updates to the book anymore


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Hello guys,

I wish I knew how to attach a screenshot of the kdp bookshelf.
Basically the paperback has a big red blocked on it and the continue with setup button that yo uwould normally press to make changes is greyed out "cannot be clicked".
the ebook version of the book is still LIVE but has the review in progress so i suspect they will block that anyday now as well as its the same file.

I have completed the website tonight and sent the email from the pen name email address which is featured on the website which is what you guys recommended.

I also replied politely again that i am happy to oblige to all requests.

in hindsight i shouldnt have responded angrily in email 2 and 3  that can be my lesson learnt

If it is the photos than I can take them out its not a problem at all i want to oblige and keep them happy, they just need to give me the opportunity to change the book which i cant at the moment as its all stuck in blocked mode


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## CrazyHorze (Jan 28, 2017)

If you did a search for the text and your book is the only one with your text, then it must indeed be the images. Maybe Amazon is now actually not just scanning for text, but also for images in trying to uncover copyright infringements. When you buy stock images, then the images necessarily will be all over the internet and Amazon should be able to find the infringements easily. 

What stock image website did you use? We can try and find out what kind of rights you have to the images you bought. Maybe that is what Amazon is looking for.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

I'm wondering if my file of rejections from trad publishers over the years will be sufficient proof of copyright if this should ever happen to me


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Hello everyone received another email which reads along the lines of " We are glad to be of assistance.

Do get back to us if you have further questions/concerns regarding images on Amazon.

You may create a new case for any other imaging related concerns by using the “Contact Us” option in Vendor Central.
"

does this imply that images are an issue.

The images are under a standard license meaning they can be used in books such as these


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

CrazyHorze said:


> If you did a search for the text and your book is the only one with your text, then it must indeed be the images. Maybe Amazon is now actually not just scanning for text, but also for images in trying to uncover copyright infringements. When you buy stock images, then the images necessarily will be all over the internet and Amazon should be able to find the infringements easily.
> 
> What stock image website did you use? We can try and find out what kind of rights you have to the images you bought. Maybe that is what Amazon is looking for.


I used images of meals/foods from 123rf.com based on what I can see I have a license to use the images.

Shall i respond back to the latest email and say i have a license to use the photos refer to the license agreement on the providers website and offer to take them out of the book if that is what is causing the issue, they probably wont unblock the book for me to upload a new file though?


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Could not find the vendor contact us details or anything for imaging from amazon, any ideas?


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Have a read of the FAQ and the licensing on http://www.123rf.com/license_summary.php

i suspect you'll need extended licenses for the images you used.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

My book has been totally removed from Amazon 

The kindle book was still available but that has now been removed as well.

I am absolutely gutted. I still don't know what I did wrong, if it was the images well I am happy to fix whatever they want me to fix or remove it.

Why are they doing this !!!

arghhhh


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## CrazyHorze (Jan 28, 2017)

As long as they don't close your account, you still get your money and you can completely rework the book and try uploading it again. If they close your account you lose your money and any chance to try again. Let's hope for the best!


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## AllyWho (May 16, 2015)

Polleo1985 said:


> I am absolutely gutted. I still don't know what I did wrong...


I read this thread, and my understanding is that the issue is using photos you didn't take/own appropriate licenses on, of food to pair with the recipes. As a person who buys cook books, it would annoy me to have a stock photo of someone else's meals, as opposed to an actual photo of the recipe.

Surely a simple fix would be to make the recipes, take your own photos of the finished dish, and re-format the book using photos you have taken and owned.


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## CrazyHorze (Jan 28, 2017)

How many images were in this book? How many pages in total?


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Polleo1985 said:


> I used images of meals/foods from 123rf.com based on what I can see I have a license to use the images.
> 
> Shall i respond back to the latest email and say i have a license to use the photos refer to the license agreement on the providers website and offer to take them out of the book if that is what is causing the issue, they probably wont unblock the book for me to upload a new file though?


You might be able to contact 123rf.com and get confirmation that the licenses you've purchased are adequate for your use of the photos. Stock photo licensing is confusing. Having to get an extended license rather than the standard one can make a photo cost $350 instead of $20 -- it's a big difference. Different things can bounce you into extended license territory, so it's good to check with the stock photo site you're using to be sure.

It's incredibly frustrating that Amazon won't explain to an author what's wrong in cases like this. How hard would it be to send a form letter that has "interior use of stock photos" checked off (if that is, in fact, the problem)? Not much we can do about that feature of the company, but it's maddening. 

For future use, here are some directions on how to insert images into your KBoards posts:

To insert an image, first you upload the image to a website of some sort -- your own site, Photobucket, Shutterfly, Flickr ... whatever. I use Photobucket. Once you have a URL that will lead you to the photo on the web, you come here and click the image button:










You'll get a set of image tags:










You paste the URL for your image between the tags:










If you need to adjust the size of the image, you can add a height tag inside the image tag brackets:










Result:










This is especially useful when posting covers, since those images tend to be gigantic.


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

Seriously, I think you have your wake up call.

You need to take your own images. Fortunately, Kindle images dont have to be all that high quality, so what the average phone takes these days, cropped and down sized, will more than adequate. The book may need better, but I'd concentrate on getting the Kindle done first.

These things happen for a reason, and i know its a lot of work to take your own photos, but its worth doing.

Take this as a good thing, making you complete your project all the way through instead of the short cut you took.


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## ShayneRutherford (Mar 24, 2014)

Polleo1985 said:


> I honestly was not aware about the stock photos. I thought I had a license to use them which I do but now I am realizing that maybe that doesnt mean i have copyright.


Do you have the extended license for those stock photos? Because I'm pretty sure that when the stock is being used as part of the content of the book, instead of just the cover, you need the extended license, which is going to be expensive.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

ShayneRutherford said:


> Do you have the extended license for those stock photos? Because I'm pretty sure that when the stock is being used as part of the content of the book, instead of just the cover, you need the extended license, which is going to be expensive.


No I don't I realise that this may have been an issue, I thought what I had in place was perfectly fine but looks like it wasnt, again they haven't confirmed anything just said you're guilty pretty much they havent even said its the images.

Again, my first book, honest mistake I am willing to do whatever it takes to fix the issue but there is no one to contact or turn to, all a bunch of automated messages

I am considering throwing the towel and cutting my losses for the money invested into the books thus far


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

Polleo1985 said:


> I am considering throwing the towel and cutting my losses for the money invested into the books thus far


No.

This is a learning curve. Take the lesson and do the work. Fix the book.

If the photo manipulation after taking the photos puts you off, there has to be people here who will help you do it for free or very cheaply.

Just ask.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

TimothyEllis said:


> No.
> 
> This is a learning curve. Take the lesson and do the work. Fix the book.
> 
> ...


TimothyEllis, they will not allow me to make any changes. Both the kindle and paperback have a big bold BLOCKED on both of them in my kdp account.

I cannot click the button to update the book it has all been disabled thats what I am saying I have no opportunity to fix any mistake i made  and i am not 100% clear on the mistake also, it may be the image but it may not they haven't explained ...


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

Polleo1985 said:


> TimothyEllis, they will not allow me to make any changes. Both the kindle and paperback have a big bold BLOCKED on both of them in my kdp account.
> 
> I cannot click the button to update the book it has all been disabled thats what I am saying I have no opportunity to fix any mistake i made  and i am not 100% clear on the mistake also, it may be the image but it may not they haven't explained ...


Ok. You need to step back and get a grip.

First, keep talking to KDP. Keep asking them to tell you exactly what the problem is.

Second, make the recipes, photo the results, remove the old photo, insert the new photo.

The time to do this, gives time for something to work out on the KDP end.

Third, consider renaming the book completely.

Fourth, upload to Smashwords and Apple, and get the book out there on all the other platforms.

Fifth, once some time has passed to allow for any other problem to become known, upload the new book to KDP again.

I also suggest you find someone here you trust who has the knowledge and experience to spot potential problems, and send them the current book, so they can look at it for you. The problem might be obvious to someone else.

It might feel like it, but the world hasn't ended, and KDP are not the be all and end all of the universe. I'm sure there are a lot of successful authors out there who boycott Amazon for one reason or another.

Try to stay positive. There is plenty you can still do. Just pick your self up, and get back to working the book.


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## SC (Jan 6, 2017)

AliceW said:


> I read this thread, and my understanding is that the issue is using photos you didn't take/own appropriate licenses on, of food to pair with the recipes. As a person who buys cook books, it would annoy me to have a stock photo of someone else's meals, as opposed to an actual photo of the recipe.


Ditto. If I buy a recipe book that has pictures, I absolutely expect the pictures to be of the actual recipe, not some food that's sort of like it. Using stock photos for that is false advertising IMO. If people bought your book, used it, and then realized you did that, I'd imagine you'd get some negative reviews. The whole point of photos in a recipe book is to show what the resulting food looks like. Using stock photos is akin to using a stock photo for your profile picture on a dating site just because you think the model kinda looks like you.

I suggest you do as Timothy Ellis says. Take a step back, take some deep breaths, maybe take a week off from this and then examine whether you think it's worth the additional expense to try this book again. If so, make all the recipes and take photos of the resulting food, then use those photos. If you decide it's not worth the expense at this time, you could always set it aside to try again once you have some money to do it and once this experience isn't so fresh and raw. You could also think about making a cook book of recipes with inexpensive and few ingredients (so the cost is minimal). I'd imagine something like that would have a good market, since quick, inexpensive meals are probably something a lot of people are looking for.


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## JTriptych (Aug 23, 2015)

Polleo1985 said:


> TimothyEllis, they will not allow me to make any changes. Both the kindle and paperback have a big bold BLOCKED on both of them in my kdp account.
> 
> I cannot click the button to update the book it has all been disabled thats what I am saying I have no opportunity to fix any mistake i made  and i am not 100% clear on the mistake also, it may be the image but it may not they haven't explained ...


Mr. Ellis is right. Dont give up. Since they blocked your book you can always re-upload it as a brand new book with the pictures you took so everything belongs to you. Problem solved. Think positively.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

JTriptych said:


> Mr. Ellis is right. Dont give up. Since they blocked your book you can always re-upload it as a brand new book with the pictures you took so everything belongs to you. Problem solved. Think positively.


Thank you all. Sorry for the carrying on, it's just that its the first book it took me 3 months of hard work to get going and then bang.

I thought we were not allowed to republish a banned book. I read somewhere if t hey catch you doing that they will ban the account.

I will continue to try and work with KDP. I have created a website, taken out copyright via the US site and also provided a signed statement so we will see what happens.

I definetly learnt a lesson here and learnt so much about copyright in the last couple of days i just hope i can still salvage this book.

Again I thought its not allowed to reupload the same book even if you change the cover, title remove the photos etc.

Should I remove or is it even possible to remove any traces of this book such as the ISBN and so on.

Thank you all it does mean a lot to get your advice, not fun going through this on your own!


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

Polleo1985 said:


> Again I thought its not allowed to reupload the same book even if you change the cover, title remove the photos etc.


Widen your thinking.

Just because KDP ban it, doesn't mean its banned everywhere. Just KDP.

The rest will view it as a new book, on its own merits, against their own rules.

You may not be able to put it on Amazon. But you may find the book is better suited to Apple or B&N anyway.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

TimothyEllis said:


> Widen your thinking.
> 
> Just because KDP ban it, doesn't mean its banned everywhere. Just KDP.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your advice, wasn't even aware of the other providers, I spent 3 months basically learning about Amazon.

Do you suggest I remove all trace of the current book and the current ISBN, is it possible to remove the book from existance ?

I still have hope that they will come around and unblock me but looking less likely by the day, its already dragging on for 6 days

thanks again

Interested how do you reference the book cover design, do you give it a special mention in your disclaimer i.e. design by designer xxxxx (c) 2017 etc?


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

Polleo1985 said:


> Thank you for your advice, wasn't even aware of the other providers, I spent 3 months basically learning about Amazon.
> Do you suggest I remove all trace of the current book and the current ISBN, is it possible to remove the book from existance ?
> I still have hope that they will come around and unblock me but looking less likely by the day, its already dragging on for 6 days
> thanks again
> Interested how do you reference the book cover design, do you give it a special mention in your disclaimer i.e. design by designer xxxxx (c) 2017 etc?


I wouldn't bother doing anything with the current book. Let it play out. It wont matter to any of the others. Just copy the exiting book to a new file, and get on with replacing the photos. In the meantime, research Apple and Smashwords and the rest, on how to upload to them.

For me, cover designer gets a mention in the Acknowledgments section in the back-matter. There is no copyright mentioned for the cover.

You dont need an ISBN for ebooks, only paperbacks. So I'd just let that go as well. At least until you get a new paperback sorted, but dont do that until you ahve the ebook uploaded on every other platform there is.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

AliceW said:


> I read this thread, and my understanding is that the issue is using photos you didn't take/own appropriate licenses on, of food to pair with the recipes. As a person who buys cook books, it would annoy me to have a stock photo of someone else's meals, as opposed to an actual photo of the recipe.
> 
> Surely a simple fix would be to make the recipes, *take your own photos of the finished dish*, and re-format the book using photos you have taken and owned.


I was involved in the food industry prior to my writing life. Taking photographs of food is a very specialised area. I had to provide some chocolate cakes for the photographer to take pics to go on the chocolate cake box. We used at least 6 - 7 cakes. Had to use glycerine to get the shine on the chocolate. Cutting the cake in half was a nightmare and we had to pair different halves. I've had a lot of respect for food photographers since then. Mind you, that was many years ago and maybe things are easier now .


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## Michael Murray (Oct 31, 2011)

I don't think it's 123rf itself, (unless you used content marked as editorial use only) though it might be you need to send the agreement from 123rf to Amazon. Looking at http://www.123rf.com/faq.php #11, it's pretty clear that using (non-editorial Use Only) images in a publication is fine unless you sold 500,000 copies . If you did, well then hire a photographer.

I generally feel that the seeming randomness of Amazon's blocking and re-categorization recently is more the result of customer reports than any organized scripts - someone looked at your book, thought, "hey those images are not taken by the author" and reported it to Amazon. Amazon isn't going to read your publication notes to see if you have the license for the images (which should be in your book somewhere to cya), they are just going to send you a nastygram and let you sort it out.


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## dianapersaud (Sep 26, 2013)

JTriptych said:


> Mr. Ellis is right. Dont give up. *Since they blocked your book you can always re-upload it as a brand new book *with the pictures you took so everything belongs to you. Problem solved. Think positively.


First, if the book is BLOCKED, it's grayed out and only Amazon can do anything with it. Authors can't do squat. It's not clickable.

Second, if Amazon has already BLOCKED that specific book, uploading it again under a NEW ASIN CAN risk your account. Maybe the rules are different for Non Romance and Non erotica Authors. But I wouldn't risk it.

If the problem really is the copyright on the images, REPLY back to the same emails and ask. Ask if they will allow you to add your own images. If they give you permission, then fix it as some of the posters suggested.


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## Alpaca Lou (Mar 14, 2016)

dianapersaud said:


> First, if the book is BLOCKED, it's grayed out and only Amazon can do anything with it. Authors can't do squat. It's not clickable.
> 
> Second, if Amazon has already BLOCKED that specific book, uploading it again under a NEW ASIN CAN risk your account. Maybe the rules are different for Non Romance and Non erotica Authors. But I wouldn't risk it.
> 
> If the problem really is the copyright on the images, REPLY back to the same emails and ask. Ask if they will allow you to add your own images. If they give you permission, then fix it as some of the posters suggested.


^This.

You can't get around a banned book by re-working it and re-uploading it. They'll just ban your entire account if you do that. (Even if you've re-worked it to try to avoid the problems that got it banned in the first place. The ban is Amazon's way of saying to never upload that book again, in any form.)

Always register your copyrights with the US Copyright Office (even if you are not from the US.) It's only $35 but it lasts a lifetime, and it's worth it.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Alpaca Lou said:


> ^This.
> 
> You can't get around a banned book by re-working it and re-uploading it. They'll just ban your entire account if you do that. (Even if you've re-worked it to try to avoid the problems that got it banned in the first place. The ban is Amazon's way of saying to never upload that book again, in any form.)
> 
> Always register your copyrights with the US Copyright Office (even if you are not from the US.) It's only $35 but it lasts a lifetime, and it's worth it.


Thank you all - will definitely NOT be doing that, do not want anymore trouble from Amazon whatsoever. This has been a learning experience in itself even though I didn't intentionally do the wrong thing.

Have taken out copyright on the book, for some reason it cost me $55 - never mind.

Will do that with the next books the moment they are published.

Thank you all for your help and contribution. Has been a good learning experience for me.


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Polleo1985 said:


> Thank you all - will definitely NOT be doing that, do not want anymore trouble from Amazon whatsoever. This has been a learning experience in itself even though I didn't intentionally do the wrong thing.
> 
> Have taken out copyright on the book, for some reason it cost me $55 - never mind.
> 
> ...


Tim's advice to replace the photos and put the book up at the other vendors is good. As for Amazon, yeah, don't try to reupload the book there, but do keep pushing KDP politely. Ask to be bumped up to a supervisor. Remember, you can call them on the phone if email isn't working. (One of our members reported getting through to KDP on the phone by calling Amazon at 866-216-1072, identifying herself as a KDP author, and asking to speak to someone in the KDP support department.)


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Becca Mills said:


> Tim's advice to replace the photos and put the book up at the other vendors is good. As for Amazon, yeah, don't try to reupload the book there, but do keep pushing KDP politely. *Ask to be bumped up to a supervisor.* Remember, you can call them on the phone if email isn't working. (One of our members reported getting through to KDP on the phone by calling Amazon at 866-216-1072, identifying herself as a KDP author, and asking to speak to someone in the KDP support department.)


The bolded.

Only don't ask. Tell. Don't deal with the bottom tier CS further. A simple but courteous: "Escalate this to a supervisor and I will wait to speak to them." is all that is required. They are required to act on it and unlike some companies, it does actually go up to a supervisor.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

One more consideration:
Is it possible one or more of your recipes appear somewhere else or are identical to someone else's content?


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

It looks like all of your advice has paid off! The ebook has now gone back to LIVE and the paperback through KDP is LIVE but it says publishing still.

It has been like that for 4 days now, it says it can take up to 72 hours to appear (it still doesn't appear on amazon) but it has been 4 days + now.

Should I just wait or contact them again?

Also I need to change the paperback from colour to black and white ... people tell me that i should unpublish from kdp and do the black and white version through createspace?

any thoughts on how to execute this properly?


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Polleo1985 said:


> It looks like all of your advice has paid off! The ebook has now gone back to LIVE and the paperback through KDP is LIVE but it says publishing still.
> 
> It has been like that for 4 days now, it says it can take up to 72 hours to appear (it still doesn't appear on amazon) but it has been 4 days + now.
> 
> ...


Big congrats, Polleo1985! Good for you for being persistent! 

So, the ebook is live but the KDP-published paperback is not? Is that the problem?


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Becca Mills said:


> Big congrats, Polleo1985! Good for you for being persistent!
> 
> So, the ebook is live but the KDP-published paperback is not? Is that the problem?


Thank you Becca for all your advice also 

Yes my only problem now is that the paperback is still in "LIVE - Updated Publishing". It says there it could be up to 72 hours but it has already been 4-5 days.

I have emailed KDP last night and they responded saying they need more time to look into it.

I am not sure if I should just leave it or keep contacting them I am worried they maybe have a breakdown in their neurotransmitters and decide to block the book again.

The less interaction I have with KDP the better it seems.

I want it completely LIVE because I want to remove the book and publish an 'image free' black and white book with CS which is my next issue - how I do that properly.

Thank you


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

dianapersaud said:


> First, if the book is BLOCKED, it's grayed out and only Amazon can do anything with it. Authors can't do squat. It's not clickable.
> 
> Second, if Amazon has already BLOCKED that specific book, uploading it again under a NEW ASIN CAN risk your account. Maybe the rules are different for Non Romance and Non erotica Authors. But I wouldn't risk it.
> 
> If the problem really is the copyright on the images, REPLY back to the same emails and ask. Ask if they will allow you to add your own images. If they give you permission, then fix it as some of the posters suggested.


Yes, you never upload a new file to get around a block. Thus are accounts terminated. Those accounts are not reinstated.



> The images are under a standard license meaning they can be used in books such as these


I believe images for use such as yours require an editorial license, which is entirely different and costs more. So, judging by the new information you've posted, I'd say it's the images which are the problem. Why someone at Amazon can't just say so, and allow you to rework the book, is beyond me. All this time and effort, and the problem could have been solved with one email.

Okay, upon reading further, it seems the book is unblocked. This is your opportunity to replace the images with those from examples you've cooked -- and food photography can be tricky, but for a cookbook? Probably not that much, just get good, clear images at 300 dpi.

Also, why would you publish a cookbook without pictures of the recipes? I wouldn't buy that. Nor one in B&W. Part of the appeal of food is the color and texture.

I'm going to say something else, and don't take it wrong. Three months really isn't enough time to spend learning a complicated business. Maybe if you'd done fiction, you could have gotten the basics down. But nonfiction, with all the differences that involves? It's probably going to be a higher hill to climb.

I know from my own experience that there's a lot more to this self-publishing thing that it looks like when you first start checking it out. I wish I'd taken even more time before I published, and I researched for _six_ months! And I know, we're all eager to get this thing started, to get books up and hopefully making some money, but it's just not that simple. It's getting more competitive, harder to be seen, and the scammers are making Amazon, at least, hit things that don't look right harder and harder. Innocent authors, or those who make even basic mistakes, get caught up in it to the detriment of their business.

But, well, that's my two cents. Depending on the exchange rate, it might be worth something.


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## passerby (Oct 18, 2015)

Regarding the legal aspects: a woman named Helen Sedwick wrote a book called _Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook: The Step-by-Step Guide to the Legal Issues of Self-Publishing_. I found it to be very helpful when I was first starting out. It's available on Amazon, if you're interested.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

V.P. said:


> Regarding the legal aspects: a woman named Helen Sedwick wrote a book called _Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook: The Step-by-Step Guide to the Legal Issues of Self-Publishing_. I found it to be very helpful when I was first starting out. It's available on Amazon, if you're interested.


That's a useful resource.


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## JamesCraft (Aug 31, 2016)

Mark E. Cooper said:


> When I've had these All I've had to do was reply using my publisher imprint's email (domain) and as this is the one I used for my KDP account it's really easy to just hit reply. So far so good.


Yeah I have had to do this multiple times and never had an issue.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Hello Again!

In the words of Al Pacino 'just when I thought I was out they pull me back in'!
So the book was unblocked and it showed up as LIVE for the past 5-6 days.
The paperbook wasn't available for sale on amazon but I thought that was just the process of getting the book unblocked and live again on the searches.

After reading all your advice and considering everything I decided to unpublish the paperback and:

1. Remove all images from the book
2. Format to black and white
3. Amend disclaimer significantly giving mention and credit to the designer as well as the images used for the front and back cover
4. Removed all content from the foreword contributor.

I made all those changes on the kindle and that all went through fine.

I unpublished my book with KDP about 4-5 days, as soon as it was unblocked I unpublished it.

Last night I put the new book (black and white, no images, no foreword, etc) for upload with CS.

Then this morning I receive the following message from KDP:
_
I wanted to let you know that we've found an issue in your book xxxxxxx. As per our records we cannot prove that you have enough rights to publish this book in the Paperback sales territories.

At this point your book shows the status 'Unpublished' under your account, however, if you tr to republish this title it might show up as being 'Live' without actually being live on the different marketplaces._

SO, what do I do now?

Do I continue with the re-publishing with CS (its already in review) or do I not publish the paperbook anywhere.

I am vary of the warning comments that you all provided to me about republishing if the book is blocked and I thank you for that.

The book was unblocked (even though I think it may have been an error on their side) they unblocked it and I unpublished it before this last email came through.

What shall I do?

1. Allow the new version to publish on CS and have it link to my book, do not respond to the last email and just leave that as it is.
2. Do not publish it at all and cut the losses with the paperback - just have the ebook selling
3. Respond back and continue to argue the point (in the mean time I have applied for copyright, I have developed a site and sent them an email from the site as per their request).

The worst case scenario is that I get my account blocked (I guess, right?)

What would you guys do in this scenario?
I mean technically the book was not blocked when I unpublished it so ...

Polleo


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

Polleo1985 said:


> _I wanted to let you know that we've found an issue in your book xxxxxxx. As per our records we cannot prove that you have enough rights to publish this book in the Paperback sales territories.
> 
> At this point your book shows the status 'Unpublished' under your account, however, if you tr to republish this title it might show up as being 'Live' without actually being live on the different marketplaces._


This suggests they think your recipes are not original as well.

You need to send them a statement saying there are no longer any images in the book, and the text is 100% original and written by you.

Don't argue it. Just state it. If need be, you can get a justice of the peace to witness it for you and send them a scan of it.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

Why would they then only question the paperback version and leave the kindle alone?

I didn't argue I just responded back politely that it is all mine and attached the two pieces of evidence.

I am holding off on publishing the new revised black and white book on CS until I get some sort of resolution on this.

Timothy you must be from Aus,  since you mentioned JP.

You mean to write the original statement say all the content is min eand just get a JP to verify?

Would they even know what a JP is

cheers mate

polleo


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

Polleo1985 said:


> Would they even know what a JP is


*sigh*


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## Chinmoy Mukherjee (Apr 26, 2014)

Find out a country, where you can file  for copyright online and attach a snapshot of your copyright application.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Polleo1985 said:


> I am holding off on publishing the new revised black and white book on CS until I get some sort of resolution on this.


I'm sorry you're having all this bother with your book.

Are you sure it's a good idea to publish a recipe book with pictures of the meals/cakes in black and white? There's a reason why franchise restaurants such as Wimpy, KFC have pictures of their meals - people first taste with their eyes. I wouldn't be in a rush to do this as you only get one chance to make a first impression .


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I'm sorry you're having all this bother with your book.
> 
> Are you sure it's a good idea to publish a recipe book with pictures of the meals/cakes in black and white? There's a reason why franchise restaurants such as Wimpy, KFC have pictures of their meals - people first taste with their eyes. I wouldn't be in a rush to do this as you only get one chance to make a first impression  .


This is the no pictures at all version. And they still wont ok it.


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## Polleo1985 (Feb 25, 2017)

TimothyEllis said:


> This is the no pictures at all version. And they still wont ok it.


Well I am so confused with their communication I am literally losing my mind.

So I got another e-mail last night saying that my book will go live again and will show up in the store even though I unpublished it almost 6 days ago.

The new book (ebook and paperback) now have NO photos at all. It is just recipes and all in black and white.

I am actually planning to undertake a basic food photography course to learn how to take my own photos. I simply can't afford to outsource this.

The ebook has been fine its just the paperbook I am confused about.

Basically I have decided not to publish any paperbacks with KDP but all I want to know now is am I ok to publish this book in CS.

Will they give me trouble as in KDP and my biggest fear is that they would block the account.

To confirm, paperback now is unpublished and the ebook has been live for over a week no issues even after i uploaded the new black and white no images kindle.

I fixed t he disclaimer and made it clear who the designer was and also where the base photos for the cover designs came from.

Even put in a note at the bottom of the disclaimer to say pen name has full ublishing rights and owns all the content in this book.

Confusion maximus,


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