Amazon inconsistencies - Incompetence or they just don't care?

[TimothyEllis]

I've just done major edits for my first 2 series, and they really needed it.

But Amazon are refusing to either push the new versions to readers, or place an Update Available link on Manage Your Kindle.

They want me to prove they were major updates, but I don't track changes, and I don't archive all versions, so I have no way of doing that.

Amazon on the other hand, have every single version of every single book, and are quite capable of doing the comparisons themselves. But instead, they want me to do the work, when I can't do it.

They also keep quoting the crap about losing bookmarks, highlights, and notes when an upgrade is made, and yet I had a fan tell me just now on FB that he WANTS all those removed, and can't find a way of doing it.

So I have readers who want the new version, and Amazon won't make them available to them.

And yet, at the same time, authors doing a lot better than me are constantly getting Update Available links on their book in Manage Your Kindle, and I download the new versions each time and don't notice any differences. So I'm feeling more than a little discriminated against.

It highlights the whole 'force us to fix the goofs they find' thing, which appears to be pointless since no-one gets an update anyway.

They know the version has been updated each time, and I would have thought updating the version number was all that should be needed to automatically get an Update Available link on your book.

So is this incompetence, rules which make no sense and are not enforced equally, or does Amazon just not care about the 'reader experience' after all? If the latter, did they ever?

[alhawke]

So I have readers who want the new version, and Amazon won't make them available to them.

And yet, at the same time, authors doing a lot better than me are constantly getting Update Available links on their book in Manage Your Kindle, and I download the new versions each time and don't notice any differences. So I'm feeling more than a little discriminated against.

There should be a notification on our bookshelf to tell if updates were pushed to prior purchases. All my edits are chapter samples for sequels or book links in the back matter. Yet I have no idea if the updates were ever sent. It'd be nice if they were. From what you're saying, they probably weren't.

I'm guessing another bot problem. But if a human can fix, they could be discriminating. Did you contact them direct? I hope you can push your updates.

[TimothyEllis]

But if a human can fix, they could be discriminating. Did you contact them direct? I hope you can push your updates.

Direct, how? I'm in Australia, so I can only respond to their emails (which get ignored), or send them another one, which gets the same bots treatment.

[Mammasan]

Can't you just highlight/submit the most major changed part and see if that scores you the Update link from them? If it doesn't, just resubmit adding the next major part you changed. I would think you'd cross their threshold eventually, without having to knitpick each change.

[TimothyEllis]

Can't you just highlight/submit the most major changed part and see if that scores you the Update link from them? If it doesn't, just resubmit adding the next major part you changed. I would think you'd cross their threshold eventually, without having to knitpick each change.

There was no major changes, and we're talking 17 books. I don't remember anything specific I changed. I could probably find a few of the places, but not prove they were changed. And not for every book.

When I did second editions for the first 2 books several years ago, I did actually keep an archive version, so was able to get Word to compare them. But I didn't do that this time.

[notthatamanda]

Put something on your author page or website saying the books have been revised but readers will have to contact Amazon individually and request the updates? I'm pretty sure as a reader I have done that, but I can't remember what for, I think because the book wasn't loading correctly?

I know your point was Amazon is discriminating against indies and you may be right about that, but this may be a way to make your readers happy. And if Kobo or B&N or Google pushes through updates better you can point that out on your website too.

[TimothyEllis]

I know your point was Amazon is discriminating against indies

It's not Indies.

But anyone not at the top of the charts.

I get regular updates on Glynn Stewart's books for example. But then, maybe it's if you have a publisher account or not, and he seems to, given the extra stuff he has through author central on his book pages.

[Hopscotch]

Face the same but in getting updated vers of my own ebooks for myself.  Had decided to delete books from my AMZ contents list and rebuy for newest vers.  Now will see how Timothy manages it.

[notthatamanda]

I plugged my tablet in and I'll try to see (in several hours) if one of my books has the latest version. If not I'll ask them to update it.

Hopscotch - did you ask them to get you the latest versions? As a customer or as an author/publisher?

[PJ Post]

I'm going to go with "don't care".

Like most businesses, they're concerned with whatever their new shiny idea is - because that's how you make supervisors look good and get raises and promotions. Think of it like an ass-kissing pyramid scheme. It's never been about the customer, and especially not about the vendors. Amazon has always been a fantastic platform and, at the same time, the biggest, inefficient pain in the ass to work around.

It's important to remember that KDP generates more income through AMS than it does through book sales.

Sorry, Tim. I got nothin'. 

[notthatamanda]

I'm going to go with "don't care".

Like most businesses, they're concerned with whatever their new shiny idea is - because that's how you make supervisors look good and get raises and promotions. Think of it like an ass-kissing pyramid scheme. It's never been about the customer, and especially not about the vendors. Amazon has always been a fantastic platform and, at the same time, the biggest, inefficient pain in the ass to work around.

It's important to remember that KDP generates more income through AMS than it does through book sales.

Sorry, Tim. I got nothin'. 

I assume you mean more income for Amazon? And also ebook sales? Is there a source for this? We've long wondered about KU and author payout versus what Amazon is making off of it. I'm curious.  (Sorry for going off topic Tim)

[alhawke]

But if a human can fix, they could be discriminating. Did you contact them direct? I hope you can push your updates.

Direct, how? I'm in Australia, so I can only respond to their emails (which get ignored), or send them another one, which gets the same bots treatment.

There's an interesting workaround where you can pair a US number to your account. I suggested fetching a US number through workarounds on the internet to a writer in the UK. You can get a number through ... (looking up) ... Skype. Try buying a US number. An author in the UK was able to do that to reach Amazon direct in the US when in crisis over a BookBub. (I'm guessing Amazon doesn't care where you live, they just don't want to pay international call fees).

I live in the US so I never tried it. But I don't know if talking to them direct will help any better. Good luck, Tim.

[Wonder]

Amazon pushed out an update to one of my books. They wanted me to explain what the changes were and I told them I fixed several errors including a repeated sentence I found and a garbled bit of formatting. But the book was only a week old and probably readers hadn’t had a chance to make too many bookmarks yet.

If it’s any consolation, not sure how many readers re-read old books. And your new readers will get better versions. So it wasn’t a wasted effort.

I was pretty surprised when I learned Amazon doesn’t auto-update content for Kindle.

Wonder

[TimothyEllis]

If it’s any consolation, not sure how many readers re-read old books.

All 5 of my series fit together as a serial story.

And my fans tell me they binge read from book 1.

Having actually done that myself, I now appreciate why. Couldn't actually put my own books down! 

[Lynn]

When I buy a book, I want the book I bought. And I want the edition I read unless I specifically update. I don't usually. If I don't like a book, I'm not wasting my time giving it a second chance, and if I do like a book, I don't want the parts I liked changed on an author's whim--what if I hate the changes?

I'm glad Amazon does updates the way they do.

Sorry, fiddlers. Amazon does this one thing right, IMO. :D

[TimothyEllis]

When I buy a book, I want the book I bought. And I want the edition I read unless I specifically update. I don't usually. If I don't like a book, I'm not wasting my time giving it a second chance, and if I do like a book, I don't want the parts I liked changed on an author's whim--what if I hate the changes?

I'm glad Amazon does updates the way they do.

Sorry, fiddlers. Amazon does this one thing right, IMO. :D

So you think a warts and all first book is better than a 6 years later cleaned up book, from the perspective of fixing all the niggling little errors left in through inexperience?

Sorry, can't agree.

Every single book I've ever bought has had a series of goofs in them that make me cringe every time I read the book, and there is nothing more important than the book being updated to remove them. Every time I re-read the same goofs, I cringe in the same place. And it destroys the will to re-read when they never get fixed.

That's all I've done. Cleaned up what I couldn't see 6 years ago.

I'm assuming you also believe that the goofs Amazon demands be fixed should never be fixed either?

[Lynn]

Sorry, we'll just have to disagree. Errors are all well and good fixed, but I won't update a book as a reader for that. I am not bothered by that stuff if I like a story.

As a writer, I fix typos and let the rest stand as a signpost of where I was at as a writer when I wrote the book. I do not go back and revise old books. Might screw up the good stuff.

We are clearly very different types of readers (and writers).

[idontknowyet]

There is an option for readers to update their own books. You don't need to push it through. If you are worried about the person that made the original comment that caused the correction. You could simply respond to their  review thanking them and telling them you made the changes and they can update their version of the book.

[TimothyEllis]

There is an option for readers to update their own books. You don't need to push it through. If you are worried about the person that made the original comment that caused the correction. You could simply respond to their  review thanking them and telling them you made the changes and they can update their version of the book.

This is not that kind of situation.

And my point is, they CAN'T update the version if they want to, because Amazon isn't providing update links.

[Arches]

On the question of whether Amazon is incompetent or just doesn't care, I'm going for both. Bezos may have started Amazon with books, but he obviously doesn't care much about them anymore. KDP has so many glitches and hiccups that it's remarkable that the platform still exists at all. If you're a rock star in the Amazon world, you probably don't work for KDP, or if you do, you're doing your best to get out of there.

But can we really blame Amazon for prioritizing more profitable parts of the business? Most of us don't make enough money for them to justify allowing us to use the platform for free, but they do. If they were starting KDP from scratch now, I doubt they would set it up the same way, or they'd charge some kind of fee. Instead, KDP provides concierge service for its best sellers, and we get bots to help us. It is what it is.

[RPatton]

On the question of whether Amazon is incompetent or just doesn't care, I'm going for both. Bezos may have started Amazon with books, but he obviously doesn't care much about them anymore. KDP has so many glitches and hiccups that it's remarkable that the platform still exists at all. If you're a rock star in the Amazon world, you probably don't work for KDP, or if you do, you're doing your best to get out of there.

But can we really blame Amazon for prioritizing more profitable parts of the business? Most of us don't make enough money for them to justify allowing us to use the platform for free, but they do. If they were starting KDP from scratch now, I doubt they would set it up the same way, or they'd charge some kind of fee. Instead, KDP provides concierge service for its best sellers, and we get bots to help us. It is what it is.

The concierge for best sellers is just higher tier CS. They are not empowered to make any real decisions except "pass it on". Sure, it's a human saying "sorry", but the belief that authors mean anything to Amazon is hard for me to comprehend.

[LilyBLily]

I made a rather key change to a first in series last year, turning it from "clean" to "closed door" to match the rest of the series. I don't really care if Amazon doesn't offer an update to readers who already own the book; I simply want a better reading experience for the next people.

With all the romances available, nobody is likely to reread that book if they didn't like it the first time around. It has probably been deleted from most people's Kindles by now--which raises an interesting question. If they did delete it, and then they change their mind and want it back again, do they have to buy it all over again from Amazon or can they re-download it? And if the latter, do they get the revised version?

[TimothyEllis]

It has probably been deleted from most people's Kindles by now--which raises an interesting question. If they did delete it, and then they change their mind and want it back again, do they have to buy it all over again from Amazon or can they re-download it? And if the latter, do they get the revised version?

If they deleted it off the device, but not the cloud, then they can download it again.

As far as I know, they would get the exact same version, unless they get an Update Available button and click that.

[sliderule]

When I buy a book, I want the book I bought. And I want the edition I read unless I specifically update. I don't usually. If I don't like a book, I'm not wasting my time giving it a second chance, and if I do like a book, I don't want the parts I liked changed on an author's whim--what if I hate the changes?

I'm glad Amazon does updates the way they do.

Sorry, fiddlers. Amazon does this one thing right, IMO. :D

Nope. Disagree here.

I have several nonfiction books that have had a 2nd and Updated version released on the same ASIN. I would GLADLY buy the 2nd edition of the book but Amazon won't let me as I've already bought the book on that ASIN. And yet they also won't push the update for me either.

So a second edition of a book that is like, updated for 2020 from a 2016 version that I can't get. I can't buy it, and they won't update.

Sorry, I want that updated book. There was a reason I bought the book in the first place. It had relevant information I wanted. Now I can't access it.

What I've had to do is write a strongly worded letter to Amazon to push that updated version to me manually. Most of the time they do it.

[Anarchist]

I'm with Lynn on this one.

Once I read a book, there's minimal chance I'll reread it. So I don't care about updates. In fact, I'm irritated when updated books hit my Kindle, even from guys like Brandon Sanderson.

Non-fiction authors should release 2nd editions on new ASINs. If they release using the same ASIN, I assume the updates are insignificant.

If I were Amazon, I'd do things as they're being done. The last thing I'd want are millions of calls to the servers to accommodate every update to every book. It's not about the cost of data transfer. It's about server load.

[Lynn]

Non-fiction authors should release 2nd editions on new ASINs. If they release using the same ASIN, I assume the updates are insignificant.

Beat me to it. I was just about to say the same thing.