Actually, @Marzena Krawczyk described the optimal system yesterday: "I use ProtectMyWork site to upload all my book before publishing, and for my bestseller I also got US copyright certificate (took me 3 month to receive it) so I hope this to be bulletproof strategy." @Laura Diaz @Elena Baldwin @Martin M. I will add a little bit to it. Protect My Work is a service that immediately generates a digital certificate with a unique reference number and the registration date, providing independent, credible proof of your copyright. At any point in time, if Amazon's bots ask you for proof of your copyright, you can instantly make them happy by providing a nice document. It's a really good idea to protect your manuscripts before uploading to review services and before sending them to freelancers on Fiverr, Upwork, etc. Also, non-conventional tricks, like collecting readers' emails by selling your coloring books on Etsy, can be protected. But wait, there's more! For Premium tier members of the Guild, we got 20% discount (£8.50 to be exact) for the first year. You can get the link in the Classroom

Since we already have two special offers for Guild members, it's time to disclose our affiliate policy. All affiliate activity in 2026 is not meant to be a source of income, but a tool to improve the Premium-tier experience. Some links (like Protect My Work, for example) are discount-only, not providing any commission. Other links provide special discounts for members and a commission to the Guild. In such cases, all earned commission will be used for Premium-tier services. If you have any good affiliate links with discounts for Guild members, you can use them in relevant conversations with a clear explanation of the service and discount provided by the link. Under such conditions, it's OK to earn affiliate commission. Important distinction: you should not write a post or comment with the single goal of earning a commission – value to Guild members must be provided first. Do you have any ideas to add to the topic?

Most authors worry about piracy. But there's a much more dangerous threat: Copyright Weaponization. On Amazon, your original content isn't just an asset - it's a vulnerability. Bad-faith actors are now using Amazon's own "Safe Harbor" tools to sabotage legitimate creators. Here is how the "Strategic Sabotage" loop works and how to protect your account. The Trap: "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" Amazon operates under a "notice-and-takedown" regime. Because they want to avoid legal liability, their systems are hard-wired to: - Act First, Verify Later: They remove content immediately upon a claim, favoring the claimant by default. - Shift the Burden: You are forced to "prove a negative" (that you didn’t steal your own work), usually within a 5-7 day window. - Automated Bias: AI bots handle these claims. If a bot sees a similarity, you get the "strike" - even if the other person stole from you. Tactics to Watch For - "Ghost" Content: Thieves using your manuscripts or scrape your "Look Inside" preview, publish it themselves, and then report you for plagiarism. - Retaliatory Strikes: If you report a copycat, they file a false counterclaim against you, resulting in a "confidentiality deadlock" where both accounts are suspended. - Trademark Trolling: Bad actors trademark common phrases used in titles (e.g., "Mamma Bear" or specific niche keywords) to retroactively wipe out top-selling competitors. Your Defensive Checklist To survive the "copycat era," you need a defense-first workflow. Don't wait for a strike to happen: 1. Register with the USCO: A formal Federal Copyright Registration is your "Silver Bullet." 2. Use Independent Witnesses: Services that provide digital timestamps are available. This creates an indisputable record that your work existed before the thief's version. 3. Keep the "Paper" Trail: Always save your original layered files (PSD, AI) and early manuscript drafts. Flattened PDFs or Canva receipts are often rejected as "low-weight" evidence.

I am running ads on KDP but wanted to explore FB ads. I saw on youtube that facebook Ads can be a cheaper option than KDP and also a way to bring in external traffic which can boost reviews as well. I'd love to hear thoughts from the community on this. Did you try it and how did it work out for you?

I checked my U.S. Amazon account and found that only the last 19 reviews are still visible. On Amazon.de, all my reviews are still intact. If you are archiving Amazon review messages in the States, I would be interested to know your situation. Do you still have reviews published before September 2025 visible in your account?