My Amazon KDP account was terminated and it’s still unclear exactly why. No specific book was named, no behavior was identified, and no example was provided. My access was revoked, my books were removed from sale, they kept my unpaid royalties.

I am sharing what happened and what authors should know about the risk of building a writing business on a single platform.

I received an email (below) stating my account was being terminated immediately for “activities attempting to manipulate our services.” The thing is, I have not manipulated Kindle Unlimited reads, reviews, rankings, or platform metrics in any way. I have never opened multiple KDP accounts. I used one account tied to one email address.

The absence of clarity is very frustrating. How can I fix what I can’t see. I can I form a proper case or response, when I receive an unclear explanation of what I did wrong?

Being told only that “activities” occurred, without context or evidence, leaves no path forward.

My books follow the KDP publishing guidelines. Most are resources for writers (inspired by this website), including word lists, character name guides, and setting references.

As of this writing, the decision has been described as final. I have submitted a formal appeal and provided a plan of action outlining my commitment to compliance and prevention of any unintended policy violations. It was denied and all other emails I have sent to KDP have gone unanswered.

Update April 2026: My account still has not been reinstated. I’ve received no response from Amazon to my recent emails requesting a review.

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Email from Amazon

Subject: Alert from Amazon about your account

Hello,

We are terminating your account effective immediately because we have found activities in your account trying to manipulate our services.

In addition to closing your account:
• You’ll no longer be eligible to receive outstanding royalties.
• You no longer have access to your account. This includes editing titles, viewing reports, and accessing other account information.
• Published titles will be removed from Amazon.

As per our Terms and Conditions, you aren’t allowed to open any new KDP accounts.

See our Terms and Conditions:
https://kdp.amazon.com/terms-and-conditions

If you have questions, you can reply to this message.

Regards,

Amazon KDP

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The risk of building a writing business on a single platform

Relying on a single platform carries risk. Even when you follow the rules, enforcement decisions can happen without explanation and without a clear path to appeal. Every author should plan for distribution beyond one retailer.

Click here for a list of other places to publish your stories: Self-Publishing Companies to Consider Beyond Amazon KDP.