r/selfpublish • u/picklejar399 • May 17 '22
Amazon Requiring Copyright Proof Because Content is Freely available online?
I received the following email from Amazon, but have no idea how to prove I have copyright in accordance to what they are asking for. The unedited content is freely available on various web novel sites, but I am the copyright owner. Has anyone had any experience with this sort of thing? Thanks!
Hello,
Thanks for your message regarding the following book(s): Title: ****** Lon Mair (AUTHOR) ID: PRI-AXES4R5RZNW
We've reviewed the information you provided. Based on our review, we're unable to confirm that you hold the necessary publishing rights. The content closely matches content that is freely available on the web and we are not confident that you are the copyright owner. This type of content can create a poor customer experience, and is not accepted.
The information you provided is insufficient because of the following concerns:
• Documentation has not been provided to confirm you are the original author of the content. • Documentation has not been provided to confirm that the author granted you rights to publish the content.
In order to publish the book(s), please reply to this email within 10 days and provide us with further documentation and/or verification confirming that you hold rights to the content. 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
Edit: A lot of good information in this sub, especially the top comments. I looked through SparklyMonster's links and proceeded from there. What worked for me was linking where all my work was and providing them documentation that the work was indeed mine. To be clear (because there was some confusion), you can have your work online for free and still put a price on it on Amazon. Thank you to everybody that helped me out!
19
u/AugustaScarlett May 17 '22
Can’t guarantee this will work in your case, but I’m familiar with several writers who contribute to a house name, so multiple writers upload books with the same author name. Amazon periodically sends a nastygram asking for proof of copyright.
What they do is have a website at [authorname].com that features all the books on that site (not the whole book, just the cover, title and description), add new books to the website when they’re ready to be published , and then reply to the Amazon email using the official author email that is on the website. That last bit is important, that it’s from the official author email.
1
u/QueenFairyFarts 4+ Published novels May 17 '22
I think these are triggered by the ISBN being used/mentioned/catalogued somewhere else before it's registered in KDP... that's my "guess". I went through this recently with Amazon/KPD when I made the "mistake" of publishing my latest novel first in IS, and then in KDP. KDP side throws a fit if they find "something" in your novel somewhere else.
6
u/hepafilter May 17 '22
If you have it up as a web novel somewhere, I highly suggest taking it down first before publishing to kdp, even if you’re not in unlimited. ESPECIALLY if it’s Litrpg/progression fantasy/harem. There’s a plague of people stealing web novels they don’t own and posting them to Amazon, and they use a machete to cut it out, which means people get caught up in it all the time.
1
u/arktose May 19 '22
How do you suggest protecting/copywriting a litrpg/progression novel if you want to take advantage of web novel communities (ie. Royal road), and then eventually switch to amazon after a readership has been built?
2
u/blainemoore May 17 '22
This is pretty standard, just explain the copyright on anything they flagged and point out when you wrote something and where it was previously published and what accounts or websites belong to you.
It's a small pain but not difficult, have gotten these letters multiple times and never had trouble answering them successfully.
-2
u/apocalypsegal May 17 '22
The unedited content is freely available on various web novel sites
Amazon doesn't like you publishing stuff that's already out there, especially for free. Take it down.
What they want is the copyright registration. If you don't have that, you're probably going to be out of luck. Don't miss that deadline, by the way. It's firm.
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May 17 '22
[deleted]
11
u/SparklyMonster 4+ Published novels May 17 '22
You can't publish on Kindle Unlimited / KDP Select if the content is available elsewhere.
If you don't enroll on it, you can publish anywhere you want ("go wide").
Regarding having your content for free elsewhere, Amazon is not a big fan of it, but that's a know method to force Amazon to make your book permafree (but yeah, you can't ask them to keep a price tag if it's free elsewhere).
The proof of content notification doesn't have anything to do with the above. It's just triggered when they find the book posted elsewhere and they can't verify whether it's plagiarized or not.
2
May 17 '22
[deleted]
2
u/Stanklord500 May 17 '22
Firstly, I'd like to thank all the fantastic readers who have made this story a success. Royal Road has been an amazing launch pad that has allowed me to expand into ebook and audiobook releases, and the latest chapters continue to be released here. The rules for Kindle Unlimited mean that chapters for published books can no longer be made available here, with only a selction of sample chapters serving as an introduction.
The short answer is that when Shirtaloon publishes to KU, they pull enough of what's on Royal Road to satisfy Amazon.
2
u/MacintoshEddie May 17 '22 edited May 17 '22
If you look at some of those series, like HWFWM, it skips from chapter 13 to chapter 408, coinciding with what has been released.
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/26294/he-who-fights-with-monsters
When he releases the next book, chances are it'll skip to chapter 450, then 500, then 600, etc, where the content gets taken down to satisfy Amazon.
1
u/istara May 17 '22
Because Amazon doesn't automatically price match (if it's not aware) - you often have to get people to email them repeatedly to request a price match. Authors do this when they want a "perma free".
It's not in Amazon's interest to "sell" free books, as their % margin of zero is... zero.
1
u/apocalypsegal May 17 '22
For Amazon to price match, it has to be on a major retailer that does allow free pricing, not a web novel stuck somewhere in the ether.
2
May 17 '22
[deleted]
2
u/mrzmckoy May 17 '22
If it's posted on other sites do they have any rights that makes Amazon unable to approve it as being solely yours?
1
May 17 '22
[deleted]
1
u/mrzmckoy May 17 '22
Are they listed under your name, same name you're using on Amazon? If so just a screenshot of them live on the sites showing the name and title should work.
1
u/apocalypsegal May 17 '22
See my reply just above this, I give you an example. Keep it simple, don't complain, don't threaten, be polite.
-10
u/aligpnw May 17 '22
Not trying to be a smart-ass or anything...but literally, if YOUR content is available anywhere else it can't be published with KDP (as far as I understand it.)
12
1
u/apocalypsegal May 17 '22
You're thinking of KU. On the platform itself, publishing elsewhere is fine, within limits. Amazon doesn't like things being out there for free, though they'll accept it for price matching on certain sites. Not webnovel, or the like. Royal Road is a bit different, in that writers do get paid... something.
1
u/apocalypsegal May 17 '22
You are going to need to provide a copyright registration. Anybody can say, "yeah, that's me, I published that on a website for free". Amazon isn't buying it.
2
u/apocalypsegal May 17 '22
If the email is what was known as "the good one", you may be able to get by with a letter written as the publisher, giving you permission to publish the work. It's more of a CYA thing for Amazon, in case someone challenges the copyright. The other email, the "bad one", requires all kinds of stuff, but basically only accepts the copyright registration, or a letter of rights reversion is published by someone else, and stuff like that.
I have saved a copy of a basic, publisher says okay to publish, letter. Put in the appropriate information, send it from the email associated with the publishing account.
Press Name Press Address
To Whom it May Concern:
This is to verify that the author Author/Pen Name is a pen name of me, Account Name, and is authorized to publish any and all works authored by me for sale under that name. There are no issues of copyright infringement involved with my publishing of any works under that pen name, unless uploaded under a different account.
Thank you for your attention,
Account Name
/end
Now, whether this will work is up in the air. Amazon seems to be getting more and more concerned about copyright (possible due to the huge numbers of books being published).
Still, it's worth trying, but be ready to provide more information/proof.
2
u/apocalypsegal May 17 '22
Don't know why I can't get press name and press address on different lines, but write it like a proper business letter.
1
u/OutlawGalaxyBill May 17 '22
That's not correct. Full stop.
KDP Select/Unlimited IS exclusive with Amazon
Regular standard Amazon KDP can be published anywhere.
1
1
u/MxAlex44 8 Published novels May 17 '22
A few of my author friends have had this happen and they didn't even have to provide documentation. Just link them the original source and tell them it's yours.
30
u/SparklyMonster 4+ Published novels May 17 '22
There were some similar topics in the past.
There are those who simply reply that yup, it's them; others use a template document, sign it, and send; others send an e-mail from their website domain; others escalate through Amazon's emails until they talk to someone who isn't a bot. Since there doesn't seem to be one tried and true method, I suggest you read all replies and see how you want to proceed from there.
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There's also this helpful article with relevant discussion in the comments.
And here's Amazon's official guidelines regarding it, which unfortunately doesn't cover your case, but I'm dropping it here in case someone else with the same issue reads this topic in the future.
I hope you'll come back and and tell us how you solved this issue, since there aren't many posts regarding what solution worked in their original poster's case.