Dear Kindle Direct Publishing,
I’ve been publishing to the Kindle store since 2012, when my debut novel Sade on the Wall was a quarterfinalist in your Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. I’ve published dozens of titles in your Kindle store since. I’m so grateful for the platform you provide indie authors and how it revolutionized self-publishing. However, I’m deeply concerned about how you’re implementing AI.
Many authors have expressed concerns about the beta Kindle summaries feature, provided by AI. A number of complaints have been filed about errors in the summaries and trope lists the AI generates for books. There is no way for authors to opt-out of this feature, nor is there any way for us to correct the errors.
Authors spend hours crafting summaries, descriptions, trope lists, and more to market our books. We’re required to input some of these things into our book’s metadata in KDP. I’m not sure why KDP decided it was necessary to roll out an AI tool to do this, inefficiently at that, when authors make these resources readily available in KDP and on our websites and social media. I’m also not sure why there’s no way for authors to opt-out (personally, I’d prefer if something like this was opt-in).
Furthermore, KDP has yet to explain how authors’ books are being used by the AI or update your TOS regarding this feature. My books are involved in lawsuits of multiple instances of AI companies using artists’ work to train their LLMs without knowledge or permission. I don’t consent to my work being used with or to train any AI. I want to ensure that my work isn’t used without license. Your lack of response to authors’ queries about how our books are being processed by the AI is most concerning, especially in light of all these lawsuits.
I’ve decided to pull all my titles from the Kindle store until these issues are addressed. I’d like to see KDP continue working directly with authors for marketing materials, rather than rely on AI. I’d like to see AI tools and features made opt-in and editable for authors. And I’d like to see your TOS updated to outline in clear, direct language how authors’ books are being used.
KDP was once an underdog, supporting authors who are also underdogs. I’d like to see this dynamic and relationship continue. I’m so grateful to the many other platforms available to authors for carrying on this spirit, and I hope that KDP will course-correct.
Thank you for the time we’ve had together, and thank you for hearing me out.
Sincerely yours,
Elizabeth Barone
Photo by appshunter.io on Unsplash
AI should not be used. Authors write their own summary for a reason. They have a better understanding what the readers are looking for, before purchasing a book on Kindle. If Kindle want to remain in business of having books for their kindle you need to have options available for the authors concern their contexts.
Melanie
Good to hear from you. It has been quite awhile. I am even more than happy to see that you have taken a stance against Amazon’s flagrant disregard for authors rights, and the use of your books for AI training without permission.
My first intro to Amazon books was with an Amazon, which I used for years. Then it became outdated and I found an Samsung tablet. I have almost 700 books on the Kindle which I never use anymore A lot of them sideloaded. I can’t even download them because of proprietary formats only unable on a kindle or a Kindle app.It was brought to my attention, by another indie author, that Amazon can without notice or justification, close my account and in doing so can pull all Kindle books back. Even if I paid for them. It has been years since I bought a book from Amazon. And was schooled by a few indie authors of the unfair Amazon treatment of authors.
Oh I still shop at Amazon for items not found locally, but no books. I still use the Samsung Tablet with a 3rd party Book app that reads about 16 Book and document formats. It’s much better than the Kindle App.
As for AI I think it has taken the world by storm. You can see TV commercial that are so obviously AI generated, you get AI generated spam emails & texts/Spam and now the scammers have embraced AI. It is so bad that I Tell telemarketers that due to AI and the fact that I don’t know if you are who you say you are I’m sorry I can’t help you, have nice day…..good-bye! And that’s a shame. AI was supposed to be a good thing.
I guess it’s time for me to get off my soap box and let you go. I’ve ranted enough. It’s just that it’s not just me and a few other Indie authors that I follow. You have taken a big step in putting yourself in control of all aspects of be an author of read worthy books.
Good luck and God Bless Robert
👏👏👏 hoping and praying that you get somewhere with this.
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