In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Member Q&A podcast, hosts Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black discuss what happens when Amazon or Google Play suddenly terminates author accounts, including how ALLi can help advocate on members' behalf.
Other questions include:
- Should authors distribute through Gardners or IngramSpark, and what sales volume is required for Gardners
- How can authors verify whether a publisher or publishing service is legitimate before working with them
- What is ALLi's position on Kindle's controversial “Ask This Book” AI feature
- How should authors respond to unsolicited phone calls from people claiming to be literary agents
- What options exist for getting publishing rights back from a traditional publisher who refuses to return them
Listen to the Podcast: When Amazon Closes Your Account
Show Notes
- ALLi Self-Publishing Ratings Directory
- ALLi member dashboard (submit questions, access Discounts and Deals)
- Writer Beware (publishing scam watchdog, run by Victoria Strauss)
Have a Question?
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About the Hosts
Michael La Ronn is ALLi’s Outreach Manager. He is the author of over 80 science fiction & fantasy books and self-help books for writers. He writes from the great plains of Iowa and has managed to write while raising a family, working a full-time job, and even attending law school classes in the evenings (now graduated!). You can find his fiction at www.michaellaronn.com and his videos and books for writers at www.authorlevelup.com.
Sacha Black is a bestselling and competition winning author, rebel podcaster, speaker and casual rule breaker. She writes fiction under a secret pen name and other books about the art of writing. She lives in England, with her wife and genius, giant of a son. You can find her on her website, her podcast, and on Instagram.
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Non-members looking for more information can search our extensive archive of blog posts and podcast episodes packed with tips and advice at ALLi's Self-Publishing Advice Center.
And if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally.
Read the Transcript
Michael La Ronn: Hello and welcome to Self-Publishing with ALLi. This is the Member Q&A Podcast, where we answer all of your self-publishing questions, from coming up with your novel all the way through to marketing and rights licensing. I'm Michael La Ronn, and I'm joined by Sacha Black. What's up, Sacha?
Sacha Black: Hi! How are you?
Michael La Ronn: I am fantastic — at least I like to pretend I am. Just working on books, which is probably a requirement for both of us.
Sacha Black: You would think that writing books would be the majority of what we do. That is the romantic image, isn't it — sitting in front of a window, cat on the shoulder, leisurely getting words down with a coffee.
Michael La Ronn: I miss those days. The further along you get in your author career, the more you miss the writing. It just gets more complex the longer you do it and the more successful you become.
Sacha Black: So much more complex. I had a bit of a realization a few months ago that I need to reshape the business so I'm 70% writing and 30% everything else. That might be wishful thinking and I'll end up at 60/40, but if I aim for 70/30 and get 60/40, I'll live with it.
Michael La Ronn: What are you working on right now?
Sacha Black: I'm working on the sequel and finale to a duet, while simultaneously world-building for the next series, which has a prequel I need to write fairly rapidly. Plus a kind of secret project — a fun trial that we're doing to see if it works, something that will let us use the warehouse in a different way.
Michael La Ronn: I'm working on book projects — my romance series continues, and I've got some short stories coming out in anthologies. There's also a Kickstarter I'm helping promote for one of those anthologies. Never a dull moment. Let's jump into the questions.
Question 1: Gardners or IngramSpark?
Michael La Ronn: Our first question came in via email: Gardners or IngramSpark — what are your thoughts?
Sacha Black: IngramSpark can feed Gardners — not automatically, but Gardners can order through Ingram. I've been into Waterstones and they've said they can get my book through Gardners, and the only way that's possible is through Ingram, since I'm not set up directly with Gardners.
Gardners won't take you unless you're selling a significant volume of physical books. They're primarily a UK distributor and wholesaler — they hold stock and distribute to bookstores, including Waterstones and libraries. They're one of the biggest suppliers in the UK. But getting in requires actual print runs, setup fees, and storage fees. You need to be shifting thousands of books, not ten or twenty a month through Ingram. And they're a fairly traditional institution, so expect barriers as an independent author.
What they typically do is have you do a big offset print run through a company like Clays or CPI, and then deliver to Gardners for storage and distribution. They also offer print-on-demand services through Ingram, which is how bookstores end up getting my books through them. So it's not really an either/or — for most indie authors, IngramSpark is the practical route, and Gardners may come into play later if physical sales volume warrants it.
Michael La Ronn: So this really needs to be part of a very considered business strategy — you have to be selling a lot of books just to get through the door, which is probably outside the realm of most listeners, not because they're not selling, but because most readers are going to be buying digital rather than print.
Sacha Black: Right. And Gardners is a fairly traditional institution, so expect some barriers as an independent author.
Question 2: How Do I Verify If a Publisher or Service Is Legitimate? (Lisa)
Michael La Ronn: Next question is from Lisa: how can I verify if a particular publisher or publishing service is legitimate?
First port of call: our Self-Publishing Ratings Directory at selfpublishingadvice.org/ratings. It's free to search, and our watchdog John does a really good job of scanning the industry — shining a light on providers worth working with and the ones worth thinking twice about. He's not shy about giving his opinion. If the company you're looking at is listed there, you should get your answers quickly. If it's not listed, reach out to us via the contact form and we'll pass it along to John so he can do his due diligence.
Beyond that: ask around in your network. Other authors will tell you if someone is legit or dodgy. And it's amazing what a targeted Google search can surface — just type in the company name plus ‘scams' or ‘controversy.' Negativity tends to fuel the algorithms, so the bad stuff surfaces faster. Writer Beware, run by Victoria Strauss, is another excellent resource.
Also watch for red flags within specific service categories. With an editor, for example, if they're asking for a percentage of your royalties, run. There are best practices for each type of service provider. Use the ratings directory, do a targeted search, ask in your network and in the ALLi member forum, and you'll drastically minimize your chances of working with a bad actor.
Question 3: My Amazon Account Has Been Closed (Nicole)
Michael La Ronn: Next question is from Nicole. Her Amazon account has been closed — Amazon accused her of bad activity and she feels that's not what happened. She's trying to figure out how to talk to someone and get the case reviewed.
Sacha Black: This is a lot of authors' worst nightmare. The first thing I'd say is: don't give up. Keep asking them to escalate it. And come to the ALLi Help Desk — explain the full story, give them all the history, screenshots, all the evidence you've got.
Michael La Ronn: We do have a relationship with KDP where we can try to advocate on members' behalf. We can't make any promises, but it's an additional avenue we can offer. Write us in confidence at [email protected] with the details of what's going on, and we'll take it to Amazon and do our best to get someone to review the case. We wish you the best of luck, Nicole.
Sacha Black: Random fact: I was looking something up with my kid the other day and discovered Amazon has 1.5 million employees globally.
Michael La Ronn: That is bigger than the population of many cities. I wonder how many people work specifically for KDP. I wish it was a million — then maybe we'd all get our questions answered faster.
Question 4: ALLi's Position on Kindle's ‘Ask This Book' Feature (Dixie Ann)
Michael La Ronn: Next question is from Dixie Ann, asking about the Kindle ‘Ask This Book' feature — which would answer any question about a book you've read so far, with no spoilers. Has ALLi heard of this and does it have a position?
Sacha Black: I've personally heard of it, though I don't know ALLi's official position.
Michael La Ronn: There is some pending litigation around this feature and a lot of open questions — does Amazon have the license to do this, is it copyright infringement? ALLi's position on copyright in general is that authors deserve to be paid for their work and deserve fair compensation, and our copyrights should be respected. But as to how this particular feature shakes out legally, it's just too soon to say. We don't have a great deal of control over it since it's in the hands of litigation right now. As things become clearer, you'll see our position clarify too.
Question 5: Issues Adding Books to the ALLi Bookshop (Anne)
Michael La Ronn: Next question is from Anne, who is having some issues adding her books to the ALLi bookshop. If you're running into any issues with the bookshop, reach out to us at [email protected] and we'll connect you with Melissa Addey, our Campaigns Manager who oversees it. We're still building the bookshop out and adding features later this year, so we can't promise it's 100% bug-free, but we're working to resolve issues and can point you in the right direction.
Question 6: Google Play Account Terminated After 15 Years (Niku and Jim)
Michael La Ronn: Next question is from Niku and Jim. After 15 years of self-publishing with Google, they've received a termination notice and their account has been shut down. They have a significant number of books published there.
Sacha Black: We do have connections into Google as well. Same advice as the Amazon situation: keep appealing, keep submitting evidence, and simultaneously put together a report for ALLi of everything that's happened — the order of events, screenshots, anything that helps. Get it to the Help Desk as soon as you can. We can't make promises, but we can try to help and advocate on your behalf.
Michael La Ronn: Give us the information and we'll engage our contacts at Google and see what avenues we can pursue. It must be that time of year — this seems to be a theme today.
Question 7: Unsolicited Call from a Literary Agent (Charles)
Michael La Ronn: Next question is from Charles. He recently received an unsolicited call from an independent literary agent who wanted to endorse his books to the TV and film industry, and he's understandably leery. What's your advice?
Sacha Black: Red flag. How did they get your phone number?
Michael La Ronn: Big red flag. And a word of caution: in some US states, particularly California, a phone call can be considered a verbal contract. You have to be really careful about what you say or imply on the phone with someone like this. I'd avoid those conversations entirely.
As for vetting: unless your book is genuinely selling at a very high level — top 100 on Amazon, heading toward a seven-figure traditional deal — you're just not going to get approached by legitimate agents. Agents make money when you make money, so they only want to represent people who are going to make them money. An unsolicited approach at the start of your career or when you're selling a modest amount is a red flag.
If you do want to look into it further: check if they have an IMDB profile if they're claiming to be a Hollywood agent. Check Writer's Market or Publishers Marketplace — you can get a monthly subscription just to do due diligence. Search for them online, see how long their website has existed, whether there's a verifiable history, whether their photos check out, whether they have a LinkedIn profile. And ask in your network or the ALLi forum whether anyone has heard of them or been approached by them.
Sacha Black: And honestly, just don't pick up the phone.
Michael La Ronn: Yeah. Just because someone calls themselves a literary agent doesn't mean they can do the job — it's not a regulated profession. If you are going to go that route, you want someone with a real track record, or someone newer who's part of a reputable agency with experienced mentors. Good luck, Charles.
Question 8: Getting Rights Back from a Traditional Publisher (Victoria)
Michael La Ronn: Next question is from Victoria. She has nine books with a traditional publisher, is now making less than $50 per quarter, has politely requested her rights back, and the publisher continues to refuse. Does she have any recourse, or should she consider those books abandoned?
Sacha Black: What does your contract say? A lot of contracts will have a reversion clause — if you sell fewer than X number of books per year, you have the right to request your rights back. I'd strongly recommend reading Take Back Your Book by Caitlin Lynagh — it's quite short, very to the point, and takes you through the whole process. You'll need to meet certain criteria: all print copies sold, less than 10% left, certain sales thresholds, and so on. Read that book, and find your contract.
Michael La Ronn: Agreed — Take Back Your Book is the one I recommend too. And read your contract carefully for any loopholes. Now, Victoria is in the US, so here's a sobering but potentially useful piece of information: there is a provision in US copyright law that does allow you to revert your rights even from a life-of-copyright contract, but you have to wait 35 years after signing. After that point, there's a legal process — it involves notifying the publisher within certain timelines, legal filings, possibly a lawyer. It's a pain, but it exists specifically to protect artists who signed bad contracts early in their careers. Just Google '35-year copyright reversion' and you'll find what I'm talking about. As far as I know the US is the only country where this exists, so if you signed a life-of-copyright contract elsewhere, that's a harder situation. And the broader lesson: don't sign life-of-copyright contracts.
Question 9: IngramSpark Revision Promo Codes (Trina)
Michael La Ronn: Next question is from Trina: can members access a promo code for free IngramSpark revisions?
Sacha Black: Revisions may actually be free now. All member discounts and deals are inside the member portal at allianceindependentauthors.org — log in, go to Discounts and Deals, and you can search by category or by company name. I believe Ingram changed their policy so that uploads are now free, and I think members may also get a number of free revisions per month. But check IngramSpark's site directly to confirm the current policy, and check the member portal for any additional promo codes.
Michael La Ronn: Yeah, I think it's up to five revisions. It's funny — that used to be one of the most popular questions on the show, and now things have changed. Always verify with IngramSpark directly since policies update quickly.
Question 10: Getting UK Reviews (Patrick)
Michael La Ronn: Last question is from Patrick: I need UK reviews for my book. Any advice?
Sacha Black: Go on social media and ask. Look for UK-specific reader groups on Facebook — check the rules of each group before posting, since some have specific posting days. Ask your mailing list if there are any UK readers who'd like a free copy in exchange for a review. You could also do a free or discounted run — price the book at free or 99p and try to get a BookBub, or stack promotions through services like Freebooksy or Bargain Booksy. If you get 10,000 downloads, a percentage of those will leave reviews. A low-cost Facebook ad specifically targeting the UK is another option — either tied to a free day, a discount, or even full price, though ads take some skill to get working.
Michael La Ronn: I'd add Reddit to that list. Reader communities gather there and it's been surprisingly useful lately. Just follow the subreddit guidelines the same way you would with Facebook groups. Alright, Sacha — that was our final question.
Closing
Michael La Ronn: Thank you for listening to Self-Publishing with ALLi, the Member Q&A Podcast. You can submit your questions by logging into your ALLi dashboard at allianceindependentauthors.org — there's a link in the menu that takes you to a form where you can ask your question, and we'll do our best to get it on the air. We're working through questions at a good clip right now, so we need more. Please send them in and we'll answer them next time. Thanks, Sacha. Bye.
