Amazon and the Great Big Mess

Last month I introduced you to #cockygate – the result of indie romance author Faleena Hopkins trademarking the word “cocky.” As of this writing, the situation is unchanged. An update on the status of the court case in the Southern District of New York is expected no later than Friday, July 6^th. Retired lawyer turned author Kevin Kneupper’s petition to cancel the trademark is still working its way through the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO). If Kevin’s petition is denied, Romance Writers of America (RWA) is standing by to submit another. It could be months before this insanity ends. In the meantime, other authors are following in Faleena’s footsteps and applying for trademarks on common use words and phrases. Fortunately, an anonymous Good Samaritan created Cockybot which looks for new trademark submissions and tweets about them giving others a chance to challenge the submission before it gets approved. Intrigued? Follow Cockybot and search on the cockygate hashtag on Twitter for the latest information.

Another issue that came to the forefront during #cockygate is the issue of book stuffing, specifically as it impacts Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing marked the beginning of non-vanity self-publishing, now known as independent or “indie” publishing. For the first time, authors were able to take full control of the publishing process. Did this mean that crappy books were published? Absolutely. However, many (I believe most) indie authors take their writing seriously and produce the best books possible, paying out-of-pocket for editors and book covers. Best-selling novels such as The Martian, Wool, and Fifty Shades of Gray began life as self-published novels. Many authors unable to get a traditional publishing contract were soon able to make a living from their writing. Then, Amazon introduced Kindle Unlimited, a subscription service for books, and everything changed. 

Initially, authors enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited program received a flat royalty, based on the price of their book, each time ten percent of their book was read. Enter the scammers, those individuals more interested in gaming the system than putting in the effort to produce and publish quality work. The Kindle Unlimited market placed was flooded with short (and ultra short) stories priced at ninety-nine cents. The length of the stories ensured that readers hit the ten percent mark quickly and the author got their full royalty. (Now, I’m not saying that all short story writers are scammers. I myself have published several short stories and intend to publish more.) 

Amazon retaliated against the scammers by changing the program so that authors are paid per page read. The payment amount fluctuates month to month but averages less than half of one cent per page. (Yes, you read that right.) Authors decried the change, warning Amazon that the new system was even more fertile ground for scammers and their fears have been realized. Amazon has admitted it has no way to accurately determine the number of pages in a book. Say what? Authors who once made a decent living with their books watched their income dry up. Many removed their books from the program; they had to in order to survive. But not the scammers. They not only found a way to survive, they have thrived, many raking in an estimated six figure salary per month. How is this possible? Simple. Amazon hasn’t been enforcing its own Terms of Service (ToS).

Many authors put additional information in the back of their books; it’s a great way to give readers a sneak peek at an upcoming release. Amazon’s ToS has always stated that the bonus material shouldn’t be more than ten percent of the length of the book but, since they haven’t enforced it, the scammers have been book stuffing. Book stuffing consists of adding multiple full-length novels at the back of the book. Many of the most notorious scammers have active fan groups that they then encourage (or in some cases, bully) into flipping to the end of the book, often without reading, so the author gets paid for what may be a 2000-3000 page “book.” There’s even a term for the process, it’s called the Kindle Flip.

Amazon also rewards authors for producing quickly. The quicker an author releases new work, the more Amazon’s algorithms reward them by making their books more easily visible. So, many of the scammers produce new “books” every week or two. How is this possible? Many employee the services of ghost writers. The ghost writers are paid a pittance for their work which the scammer then uses to pad his/her books and bank account. So, what’s the big deal? The scammers gaming the system are basically pushing the honest authors out. The scammers pages read and books sold awards them Kindle Bestseller status which comes with its own monetary bonuses. In fact, many of Amazon’s bestseller lists, especially in romance, are populated almost exclusively by book stuffers. This makes the lists themselves basically useless. 

Image courtesy of Depositphotos.com

Amazon has created a monster that it seems unwilling to slay. But, why should it? Amazon is in the business of making money and the scammers bring in a lot. People have been reporting stuffers to Amazon for over three years to no avail. But, if Amazon doesn’t do something to fix this problem – and fast – the only authors left in the Kindle Unlimited program will be the scammers. And readers aren’t going to keep their Kindle Unlimited subscriptions if the only books available are stuffed books, many of which just recycle the same material in different order. Many honest authors, including me, are pulling their books from Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon has recently shut down a few stuffers but only time will tell if they are serious about fixing the program or if these scammers were just sacrificial lambs on the altar of author outcry. If you’d like to read more, I recommend the following articles:

Open Letter to Jeff Bezos by Suzan Tisdale

Cassandra Dee and Mosaic Book Stuffing by David Gaughran

David Gaughran has been a warrior on the forefront of book stuffing for years so you can find many posts on this topic on his site.

To see the latest, search for #getloud on Twitter.

Are you a member of Kindle Unlimited? Have you encountered any stuffed books?

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