I beg your pardon, all, if this topic has already come up! I've been in touch by IM with Madman about book covers, and the topic of Amazon came up. I mentioned that I happened to know that, on Amazon, there are many cheats, counterfeiters, and other scammers. For instance, for one of the authors I used to know (on a previous forum), someone downloaded his book cover, altered it (badly), and used it to sell a cheap-plastic AI-created bit of tat. Ugh! I was curious to see how widespread this problem was, so I googled "why is amazon marketplace so full of criminals" ... and found that this problem is far from new. As long ago as December 2018, The Verge ran a story on this, claiming that all kinds of dirty deals and tricks are being carried out on Amazon, from 'five-star fraudulent reviews' to phony fires, defacement of products (to receive free products), etc. Two years ago, a huge, six-state-wide crime spree (reported on NBC) ended up with stolen goods being stolen on Amazon, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace. (Not long after, NBC reported that some Amazon sellers were kicked off the site after unknowingly selling stolen goods. Coincidence? 'Unknowingly'? I don't know). I then googled "why does amazon allow thieves to steal books" ... and, oh my $deity$. Results like "Amazon now allows copyright thieves to upload Your book" (from reddit, so not sure how true or not this is). But also results from KDP (e.g. Someone Stole my Book and is selling it in Amazon! (31 May 2024)), Extremetech (Update On My Stolen Book (and Job) on Amazon (25 April 2018), and even Fox News: Connecticut man arrested for stealing, reselling library books (30 January 2025, i.e. just 6 days ago). Hilariously, the google search also brought up a book on sale at Amazon called "Why Usually Honest People Steal". My answer is simple: because they're greedy, and they hope to get away with it. According to the Extremetech article, crooks on Amazon not only plagiarize books to cash in on profits, but can also steal people's identity in order to launder money (from Krebs on Security.com). Luckily, the Extremetech article also includes tips on what to do if your book is stolen. Sorry to rattle on about it like this, but after about an hour's research, I have been left feeling confused and very discouraged. I'm sorry if this seems obvious, but I have some questions: 1. Given that crime on Amazon seems to be so rampant, why in the name of sanity should anyone publish there? 2. Are there ways to protect myself against criminals like these? 3. Is it true that the only way to protect myself is simply not to publish on Amazon at all ... or am I being paranoid? Thank you in advance for reading (and replying!)
Because for many, it's still the only viable, easy way to get their books out and circulating. I've not published there, but I've heard from some who do, that it's the best place to self publish. According to your links, I'm not sure I'd agree with them. It's all very disheartening. I too am a wee bit paranoid. I once had an article I wrote about a real (supposedly) cursed town get stolen and used on someone's blog. I left a nasty visible comment on their board about it being used without my permission. They took it down swiftly. Honestly, it was not a very well written article, one of my first, but it wasn't theirs. I'm pretty damn rabid when it comes to thievery. Copyrighting everything takes money. Yes, technically it's yours the moment you create it, but in order to fight, you might want that little bit extra. That and internet searches for your work are the best ways I can see to stay vigilant. I think that if you want your stuff published, your taking a chance no matter where or what services you use. People are oppurtunists, but you must fight back always. Too many people don't, that's a problem in itself. Hopefully in the end the risk is worth the rewards.
Thank you, Naja. Yes, I would copyright my work (and apply for ISBNs) as soon as I'd feel ready to publish. I think my work is ready, but only as a DOC file; I know how to turn it into a PDF, but there are still some things I don't know, like: 1. ... converting it into a Kindle file (or epub file). I've no idea how easy or otherwise it would be. 2. ... creating a book cover. I don't have Photoshop or a similar tool, and I've no idea how to use them. That's why I was messing around with AI tools, and trying to work them out. Also, when I would ask an artist to create a cover, and he/she would ask "What are you looking for?", I would have a better idea. 3. ... other tasks (e.g. copyright/ISBN)? I'm sure there are other things I've missed, but I've no idea. *shrug* It might be a good idea (maybe?) to create a "free sample" with a watermark that people can download -- e.g. a few pages with a watermark -- for each of my books. Then, if people download the free sample and like it enough to pay for it, I could release the full work. What do you think?
I wonder if a majority of people might be on the lazier side and think that pressing download twice is just too much work. I kid, mostly. It's a pretty good idea, worth a shot.
Ruth 1. Amazon provide a Kindle previewer which you can download. Kindle previewer will import a .doc file and create a file suitable for upload to KDP. You check the file in the previewer and alter doc file as necessary. Then upload altered doc file and preview again. Repeat as required. 2. Book cover is more difficult if you do not have the required skill set. 3. A standard template for copyright and ISBN are again provided by KDP. Amazon automatically provide a "Read A Sample" when you publish via KDP. Anyone considering buying will read that sample before parting with cash. I have no control over the sample length but in both my books they are more than enough for someone to judge about six chapters.
