Fun With the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Team

Introduction

I'm preparing to publish two derived works. Both are unique because they have been edited to put women in the leading roles. The underlying works are public domain books.

I checked the guidelines and also found this excellent example of how you should set up the author metadata for a derived work book: https://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Zombies-Jane-Austen-ebook/dp/B004HW7E6U/

Hopeful that I'd done the right thing, I submitted the books to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.

Then, things got weird.

Indeed, things became so ridiculous that Charlie suggested I create a record. So, here we go...

Fun with the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Team

1. Thursday 18th February 2021: Email Received from the KDP Team

I checked my emails and found the following:

Subject: Action needed for 2 Amazon KDP book(s)

Hello,

During our review, we found that the author and title information you entered for the following book(s) may cause a misleading customer experience.

The Land That Time Forgot by Fry, Penelope (AUTHOR); Burroughs, Edgar Rice (AUTHOR) (ID: 39949206)

Poirot Investigates by Christie, Agatha (AUTHOR); Fry, Penelope (AUTHOR) (ID: 39811575)

Inaccurate book details can lead to a disappointing or confusing experience for readers.

Examples of inaccurate author and title information may include:

• Author name and/or title information does not match between the cover and interior content

• Author name and/or title information does not match between the cover and/or interior and book details

• Author name and/or title information does not match the print edition of the same book

• Author name and/or title information does not match the original public domain work or underlying work

• All original contributors, including translators, for the original public domain or underlying work are not listed for your book

Review your book(s) for accuracy, update the contributor(s) and/or title information by following the steps below, and resubmit the book(s) for publishing within 5 days.

1. Go to your Bookshelf

2. Click the ellipsis button ("…") under KINDLE EBOOK ACTIONS next to the book you want to update

3. Choose "Edit eBook details." This will take you to the Details page

4. Edit the necessary details

5. Click "Save and Continue." This will take you to the Content page

6. Click "Save and Continue." This will take you to the Pricing page

7. Click the publish button at the bottom of this page

Please update your book(s) details or respond to this email within 5 days. Otherwise, the book(s) will be set to "Blocked" in your Bookshelf and will be unavailable for sale on Amazon.

For more details about KDPs eBook metadata guidelines, visit Help:

https://kdp.amazon.com/help/topic/G201097560

If you have questions or believe you've received this email in error, reply to this message.

Thanks for using Amazon KDP.

I was baffled. Which one of the scenarios inside the 5 dot points were the problem? I had dilligently checked the guidelines before submitting the books, and also copie the metadata configuration of an accepted best selling book as a reference.

2. Thursday 18th February 2021: Phone Call and Email Response

I explained the situation to a member of the KDP Team on the phone. They said that they couldn't give me any advice and told me to send a reply email instead, asking for more specific feedback. They said they'd make a note in the system about my call and send it to the review team too.

As suggested, I sent the following email:

Hello KDP Team,

Thank you for your email.

I respect your rules and did a lot of reading before publication. I thought I had entered the book details correctly, but clearly I misunderstood the requirements. I'm sorry! I am really keen to do the right thing and comply with the guidelines. Could you please provide me with more information about the problem with each of my books so I can fix the issues?

My sister is an experienced author, but I have only just started learning! I'd really appreciate your advice.

Kind regards,

Penelope

3. 18 February 2021: Reply Email from the KDP Team

The KDP Team were quick to reply, as follows:

Subject: Alert from Amazon’s Content Review Team – Case #02351314

Hello,

Thanks for your message regarding the following book(s):

The Land That Time Forgot by Fry, Penelope (AUTHOR); Burroughs, Edgar Rice (AUTHOR) (ID: 39949206)

Poirot Investigates by Christie, Agatha (AUTHOR); Fry, Penelope (AUTHOR) (ID: 39811575)

During our review, we found that the title listed may cause a misleading customer experience.

We found that your book(s) are misleading because:

• Author name and/or title information not matching the original public domain work or underlying work

The title and author information you enter in KDP for public domain works must match the original work.

When publishing a translation, both the original author and translator must be listed as contributors.

Review your book(s) for accuracy and make any necessary corrections within 5 days.

To resubmit your book(s):

1. Go to your Bookshelf

2. Click the ellipsis button ("…") under KINDLE EBOOK ACTIONS or PAPERBACK ACTIONS next to the book you want to update

3. Choose "Edit eBook details" or "Edit paperback details." This will take you to the Details page

4. Edit your details

5. Click "Save and Continue." This will take you to the Content page

6. Click "Save and Continue." This will take you to the Pricing page

7. Click the publish button at the bottom of this page

Please take action within 5 days or your book(s) will show as "Blocked” in your Bookshelf and you will be unable to offer it for sale on Amazon.

If you have questions or believe you've received this email in error, reply to this message.

Thanks for using Amazon KDP

Jesse

Amazon Content Review Team

Ok, so the title information was a direct match to the original public domain work / underlying work. So, I guessed that they wanted the Authors changed to match the original. That would mean I'd need to remove myself as an author.

I was worried about this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, readers could think that they're buying a copy of the original book! This be misleading could cause negative reviews.

4. 18 February 2021: Reply Email to the KDP Team

I spoke with the KDP Team on the phone again. The person I spoke with explained that the review team does not communicate by phone, only by email. They said they'd send a note to them, and suggested I email them again to explain and seek advice.

I sent an email to the KDP Team to explain:

Hello Jesse,

Wow! Thanks for your super-fast reply!

I still don't understand, I'm sorry! Is it that the rules mean I need to delete myself as a co-author if I've written a derivative work? Or, should I change the title if I want to keep myself listed as a co-Author? I'm happy to do what ever is needed!

I used the book description and author treatment of this book as a guide on how I should treat my derivative works: https://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Zombies-Jane-Austen-ebook/dp/B004HW7E6U/ I hope that helps give you a feel for the fact my objective is to change the work and that's why I'm keen to be able to be listed as a co-author.

What do you recommend please?

Kind regards,

Penelope

5. 19 February 2021: Reply Email from the KDP Team

This reply came in, responding to the email I'd sent the day before:

Subject: Alert from Amazon’s Content Review Team – Case #02351314

Hello,

During our review, we found that the author and title information you entered for the following book(s) may cause a misleading customer experience.

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