Jumping Ship: Why I’m Leaving Amazon KDP

From a Reader’s Perspective: Losing Ownership Rights

For years, readers—myself included—purchased eBooks from Amazon with the understanding that we owned them. Just like when you buy a paperback or hardcover book, the expectation was that once we paid for an eBook, it was ours to keep, to read on any device, and even to lend to friends or family, just as we would with a physical book.

However, Amazon KDP has shifted its policies in ways that fundamentally strip away these basic consumer rights. They now make it clear that when you buy an eBook from their platform, you’re not actually purchasing the book—you’re only licensing it. This means that if a book is removed from Amazon’s platform for any reason, they have the “right” (or what they claim is their right) to remove it from your personal library, even though you already paid for it—without offering you a refund.

Imagine walking into a bookstore, buying a book, taking it home, and then one day, the bookstore decides to send someone to your house to take that book off your shelf—without your consent and without reimbursing you. That’s theft, no matter how Amazon tries to legally justify it in their Terms of Service.

Adding to this, Amazon restricts which devices you can use to read your eBooks. That’s the equivalent of a bookstore telling you, “You can only read this book in your house. You can’t take it on vacation, to a friend’s house, or even read it on a different device.” That level of control over something that was paid for is unacceptable.

Another troubling issue is Amazon’s ability to alter eBooks after purchase. I’ve seen instances where covers change without warning—sometimes shifting to a movie adaptation cover that I never agreed to buy. According to Amazon’s own policies, major changes should require a second edition release, but they seem to ignore their own rules. As a reader, I should receive exactly what I paid for, and if I want a different version, I should have the choice to buy it separately.

From an Author’s Perspective: Why I’m Leaving Amazon KDP

As a writer, these changes deeply affect how I want my books to be treated. I want my readers to be able to enjoy my books freely—on whatever device they choose and without fear that Amazon might suddenly revoke access. When someone purchases my eBook, they should own it just as they would a physical book, with no strings attached.

Beyond that, Amazon’s business practices have become increasingly author-unfriendly. The lack of transparency, sudden changes in policies without direct notification, and the overall control they exert over both readers and authors make it clear that they do not have our best interests at heart.

Although this has never happened to me personally, Amazon KDP has been known to terminate an Author's account without warning and —seemingly— without reason. Then, to top it off they're still able to make money off of the Author's eBook(s)/book(s), while the Author is left with not getting paid their rightful royalties.

For these reasons, I’ve unpublished my eBooks—as well as my paperback books—from Amazon KDP. Unfortunately, I have a strong feeling that once my eBooks are taken off their platform, Amazon will also remove them from readers’ libraries without issuing refunds. That isn’t just unfair—it’s unethical, and quite frankly, theft.

What’s Next?

I have purchased a set of ISBNs, and have assigned an ISBN to my Paperback book, and an ISBN to each of be eBooks. My Paperback book will become available SOON on Barnes & Noble, and my eBooks are becoming available, on Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and will be available on other platforms —soon— as well.

Additionally, I am in the process of making my eBooks available for purchase directly from my website; Midnight Nova is already available for purchase here on my website. That way, you can truly own the eBook you buy—no restrictions, no licensing loopholes, just a straightforward purchase.

That’s all for now. Until next time, be kind and stay safe.