We would like to provide an update regarding recent issues members have had with Amazon.
Rank stripping/miscategorization of titles:
Amazon has said that BISAC is one of the primary indicators they use to determine what categories a book belongs in. Currently, for Kindle editions, Amazon has the "erotica" BISAC as a subcategory of Literature and Fiction, not Romance. We encourage members to check the BISAC codes they or their publisher have chosen. We have asked Amazon to consider adding an "erotic" subcategory to Romance in its Kindle store (it is already a subcategory of Romance for physical editions). We have no reason to believe the recent rank-stripping was related to the new FOSTA-SESTA bill as we saw some conversations suggest. If you continue to have this issue, please contact Amazon at this email address (crm-sra-compliance@amazon.com) and they will assist you.
Authors affected by KU scammer sweeps:
As Amazon works to combat scammers and those looking to take advantage of their Kindle Unlimited platform, some legitimate authors have been caught up in the mix. For right now, we can only encourage members who have been affected to contact Amazon as soon as the issue arises, and if the issue cannot be resolved, to contact RWA so that we can speak to Amazon on the member's behalf.
We have regular, ongoing conversations with Amazon regarding these issues and others. Through this relationship, we work to advocate for our members on a macro level and on an individual author basis.
For members who need author relations assistance regarding these or other matters, please contact Carol Ritter at Carol.Ritter@rwa.org.
