If Amazon has terminated your KDP account, save the notice and identify the reason it gives. You can then prepare a review request using the instructions Amazon sent you. Opening a replacement account to start again is not allowed under the KDP terms.
First, make sure the account really has been terminated. A blocked book, an empty Bookshelf and a sign-in problem are different issues. Here is how to tell them apart and decide what to do next.
Start with the actual notice
Keep the complete Amazon message in front of you. Its date, reason and response instructions tell you more than the word “blocked” on its own.
1. Check what Amazon has blocked
Read the KDP message and compare it with what you can see in the account, if you still have access.
- You cannot sign in, but have no KDP termination notice: first check the sign-in issue through the support route in KDP’s help guidance.
- Your Bookshelf is empty: check that you signed in with the email address for your usual KDP account. KDP’s guidance explains that using a different address can lead to a different Bookshelf.
- One title has a Blocked status: the restriction may concern that book. The status alone does not establish that the entire account has been terminated.
- The notice says your account or KDP agreement has been terminated: prepare an account review request that addresses the stated reason.
If just one book is blocked, do not immediately upload another copy. KDP’s official guidance directs you to support. A book with Blocked status cannot be edited, published or deleted from the Bookshelf.
2. Write down three details from the notice
A short note is enough. Record the following details without relying on your memory of the message.
- The reason: for example, a concern about rights, content or book details. If it is vague, mark it as a question to clarify.
- The reference: the date, any case reference, and the titles or book identifiers Amazon mentions.
- The action requested: what information Amazon wants, where to send it, and any deadline it states.
Read the earlier emails too. A short final reply may refer to an issue explained more clearly in the first message. Keep the entire exchange, including any appeals you have already submitted.
3. Gather evidence for that specific issue
A small, organised folder is more useful than a large collection of unrelated attachments. Start with the concern and choose the document that helps answer it.
- Save KDP’s messages and your replies in date order.
- Keep the original book and cover files involved, if you still have them.
- For a rights concern, find the agreement or permission covering the particular content.
- For a title or description issue, keep the disputed wording and prepare a separate corrected version.
- Separate changes you have already made from changes that require restored account access.
For example, Amazon questions an image on your cover. Saying “I paid a designer for it” does not explain which rights you received. Find the agreement and the licence for that image. If a record is missing, say so. Do not present a reconstruction as an original document.
4. Use the review route in your notice
The KDP Terms and Conditions provide for instructions to appeal a termination you believe was made in error. Start with the notice sent to you. Do not assume that another author’s contact route also applies to your account.
Explain which point you want reviewed, identify the supporting evidence and describe any actual corrections. If you found a problem in your catalogue, separate that from parts of Amazon’s decision you dispute. Give the reviewer a clear point to check.
Avoid repeatedly sending the same answer under different subject lines. If Amazon requests another document, answer that request and keep the new message with the rest of the case.
What if Amazon says the decision is final?
A further review or reinstatement cannot be promised. There is, however, a documented Northline case in which KDP confirmed a final decision on 2 September 2026 and notified the author of account reinstatement on 16 September 2026.
The work addressed the allegations, previous appeals and a documented publishing plan. Reinstatement allowed titles to be submitted for review. It did not mean every book automatically returned to sale, or establish that royalties had been recovered.
Our KDP account reinstatement page includes anonymised extracts from both messages and explains the steps taken.
How long will it take, and what happens to royalties?
Another author’s timeline is not a deadline for your case. Check the response for your own account to see what remains outstanding. Royalties also need a separate check against the notices and available reports: requesting a review does not confirm a payment.
Need help understanding the notice?
Request a KDP case review and share the notice along with the appeals you have already sent. The initial review is free. If we agree to take on the case, the fee is agreed in advance and payment follows the agreed account reinstatement.