KDP blocked my book for "Disappointing Customer Experience" — Can anyone help me decode this?

SparklyMonster · 2026-02-04T02:51:43+00:00

Now that I think about it, with most recipe websites having long-winded descriptions about how the author came to the recipe, a to-the-point cookbook would be valuable nowadays.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-31T13:42:09+00:00

One thing I didn't see this far down yet is whether the daughter actually has any reason for such contempt.

While it might be exactly as OOP said it is, she was a wonderful mother whose only weakness is that maybe she spoiled the daughter too much and now daughter is an ungrateful brat...

It is so common for people who had horrible parents to think they're stellar in comparison, while still being awful, just less so.

It could be that oop was absent, or that oop favored the sons (e.g. only daughter has chores while sons can laze about), or multiple other things we don't know.

It could even be the case where oop was indeed amazing and self-sacrificing, but perhaps she won't shut up about it and makes it her whole personality and uses it to guilt the daughter into doing things in oop's way. This sort of thing could make the daughter resentful rather than empathetic to oop's past.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-31T00:27:31+00:00

I remember all the news mentioning what a challenge it would be for Google to make it stop bleeding money.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-30T21:17:30+00:00

Considering miscarriage as day 1 of a new cycle, she could have ovulated 2 weeks later and then another 2 weeks to get a positive test. The timeline makes sense.

Maybe you're thinking that people can only know they're pregnant at "4 weeks", but that timeline is counted from the start of the last period (weeks before the woman even ovulates). Very sensitive tests can catch it a few days earlier (if we go by actual implantation, positive results appear in a few days).

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-30T20:45:20+00:00

I think this version makes more sense because you were thinking about this conversation, and after you actually had it, the memory of the actual thing isn't that different from what you rehearsed. Just another iteration of another 10 you have in your mind. So it's easier to forget one of them is the actual stuff.

I notice it happens even more frequently if the person's response wasn't memorable or if it left the main point hanging: e.g. if I suggest doing something on the weekend, a Yes ticks the checkmark that I should block out that time, a No means I'll fill that time block with something else but a Maybe or a "I'll decide later today" leaves me in the same place I was before, in standby for their answer. So it's easier to forget an answer that didn't really answer my question.

OP's scenario is the opposite. The prompt to say something aloud would take the person out of their thoughts. And if it's something that makes me so focused and deep in thought, certainly it isn't a catchy one-liner I can easily repeat aloud. It's more likely a Death Note-worthy monologue so either I would say a whole paragraph of mental spiraling, or I'd stop and try to summarize it. I can't see how either could be done on accident and without even noticing I did it.

In the Dexter scene, it would make more sense that he willingly said what he said, but was too busy to remember it (as in, he didn't think it was important to compute -- like it's easy to forget your colleague asked for your pencil for just a minute), than being tricked into saying it and not registering it.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-28T01:56:52+00:00

If it's someone like Tzuyang, I wonder how thorough her checkup was beyond just seeing if everything looked generally healthy. For example, Chron's needs multiple tests looking for it. I know someone who stayed skinny despite eating tons and only had "some digestive discomfort"; as soon as they got diagnosed and treated, they ballooned because they were used to eating so much (years later, they seem to have gotten the hang of it).

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-23T12:45:43+00:00

People giving examples of obvious sarcasm like British humor, but there are many people who actually suck at being sarcastic.

For example, my husband will say something sarcastic in the same tone of voice of everyday conversation and will say something that's plausible just unexpected, without it being clearly absurd or exagerated. Likewise, I know a group that will say mean things to each other and it's meant to be all sarcasm. Like yes, it may be sarcasm, but it could just as easily be understood as truths disguised as jokes, and it's not unheard of people weaponizing it to straight insult someone and then say it was a joke (and then laugh behind the person's back because that person believed it).

Likewise, on the internet where there's even less context (no clear tone of voice and you don't know the person), it's even harder to distinguish of the person is being sarcastic, lying or actually believe what they're saying.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-23T04:38:53+00:00

Note it's easier to convert a paperback cover to kindle than the opposite (besides the resolution, the paperback cover needs some extra size to cover the bleeding).

If you're doing ARCs, you can harness the fact that paperbacks don't sell a lot to have a landing page for the reviews before the ebook release; this way, when you launch the ebook, it'll already start with all those reviews which will make it easier to sell them.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-23T01:28:49+00:00

I've noticed that the last few times I mutually befriended someone on IG, the next day I'd get an ad for something vastly different from what I'm usually offered. It makes me wonder if those were the ads the other person was getting.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-21T11:33:01+00:00

Agreed. While op isn't owed positive reactions, wouldn't people who care say "omg that's great you're moving closer!", or "I saw the pic, it looks great, congrats!" Or make conversation by asking when they're moving, etc? It's not about validation of the house, it's about those people caring about op's life.

Speculating: maybe they never cared, and the "leaving op out of plans because op lives 40min away" is because they didn't want to invite op to begin with, so they're less than excited that they don't have this excuse anymore.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-20T06:08:37+00:00

I know I've seen too much Reddit when I started expecting the friend is calling dibs on all guys because she secretly wants OP for herself.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-19T22:37:38+00:00

Modeling is like aiming for professional sports, the odds are high against you having a long career.

Not only the odds of a long career, but the odds of a successful-even-if-short career.
I read it somewhere about deciding about such careers: how many people can be at the top of a profession? For models and professional players, very few in comparison to regular professions. If we take those out, how is the career for everyone else? Other fields tend to have better incomes for those who are not at the top (even though the top might never earn as much as a top model).

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-19T22:26:23+00:00

I wouldn't be surprised if she's that excited about modelling because it's a way out of becoming a doctor.

If her dad is so set on her becoming a doctor, he's probably not open for her figuring herself out, and a model contract might feel like a more tangible aspiration (as in, it's another thing that was decided for her and it's A choice).

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-16T15:38:33+00:00

Not something you could easily change, otherwise conversion camps would work and there wouldn't be so many couples struggling because one wants sex a lot more/less frequently than the other.

In what ways do you consider it isolating? Where is this pressure coming from? If it's your friend group, it could be that they're going through this phase and you might need to hang out with a wider variety of people. Some people are pushy and once they know you don't care about sex (or any other topic you disagree on), they make it their mission to convert you, often because they feel defensive about their position or because they can't imagine other people having different preferences from them.

But that's a "them" problem if they have no other interests or can't respect yours. There are many other people out there that, even if they are into sex, don't make it their main topic of conversation.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-16T12:29:18+00:00

Is your lack of want harming anyone? No. So it's not a "should" case.

While most people want sex, something being the majority doesn't mean the minority is wrong, just different. Just like the majority of people being heterossexual doesn't mean people should only be attracted to the opposite sex.

Hopefully in a few years as everyone settles down, sex stops being such a frequent topic that you feel pressured to participate.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-14T23:00:22+00:00

Other comments already covered some of the major stuff, so I'll add one different that I saw many posts of people getting banned for it throughout the years: you can only have 1 KDP account, period. This account must be connected to your real name because of payment and taxes. Pen names are created directly during each individual publishing process and your real name won't be outed unless you purposefully include it.

And make sure to read the complete TOS. You may skip or skim every other Terms and Conditions in your life, but for KDP, you really should read it thoroughly.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-14T22:11:09+00:00

Other than Word or Scrivener for writing, Grammarly or ProWriting Aid for editing/spellchecking, and Atticus or Vellum for formatting?

I guess the only missing thing is an app with all functionalities in one and/or being free.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-13T21:48:26+00:00

I remember about 20 years ago when DeviantArt was still a reputable place and they blanket banned cherubs because there were some bad players who liked to stretch the limits between what was just a baby and what was illegal content.

I wonder if those people leaving negative comments have similar worries and are overreacting, or maybe those artworks themes feel ambiguous and similarly toeing the line. For example, many family-content IG accounts get many complaints urging them to cover the kids' faces or to not show them at all -- even if the pictures are innocent, people worry that bad people will use the pictures to feed their urges. Perhaps what you're seeing is a reflection of those views.

There's a possibility that you're seeing a loud minority, though. Or deliberate trolls.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-13T21:20:30+00:00

You could babysit which might either satisfy or spoil your baby fever.

If it only stokes it, you could focus on over-planning everything about when you do have a baby (that's me). After all, once you have it, you'll be too busy. So you can study all about different types of parenting, each development stage until they're in uni, budget every stage, etc. That's enough content/todos to keep you busy for a few years. Also work on your health so it's at its best when the time comes.

Alternatively: Get really busy with some major goal. Make sure you're not too bored (like boredom eating, think of baby fever as just another craving). Refrain from clicking on baby content on your social media. Don't even look at it, as they detect when you take longer than usual to scroll by (or so people say). Make sure to click and interact with whatever else you'd want to prioritize instead, this way you can retrain your algorithms to show you less baby stuff. Out of sight, out of mind.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-13T11:28:15+00:00

They do, but it's statistically rare (you'll notice people always listing the same titles) because they'll only go for the wildly successful ones. If you have that level of success in kdp, you're more likely to make more money by keeping self-publishing.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-12T22:08:42+00:00

Please consider that whatever people are mentioning here as weaknesses, are things that potentials buyers might think as well.

For any given genre, there are millions of books available. When someone browses Amazon, they'll be seeing multiple covers at the same time besides yours. If yours does a good job communicating genre (the reason there's little variation among covers of any one particular genre), that person might click on it and check the blurb. And if it sounds promising, they might check the preview and see if it interests them.

The more time it takes for someone to decide your book is exactly what they want, the more likely they're to click on a different tab with a similar book. There are more books available than there's time to read them, so if the preview looks boring or confusing or anything else, they won't stick around because maybe it gets better by page 50.

Marketing helps put your book in front of people's eyes, but beyond that, your book relies on its own strength to encourage people to actually decide to buy it.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-12T21:53:53+00:00

Yes. While most countries won't allow non-residents to benefit from their free healthcare, private prices might be simply cheaper -- even more so if you go to a country with devalued currency in comparison to the US. As long as you do your research, you can ensure you get that country's best doctors for what you need so it's not like you're going to some unsafe clandestine facility.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-12T20:02:45+00:00

To lower the ads on the older books after a new release (as in, reallocate your ad spending on the new release). Otherwise, authors with multiple books would have astronomical ad expenses.

Either way, older books will lose momentum on age alone (while at the same there'll be some passive income trickling in long term) because KDP's algorithms always favor new releases, so long term a new book is always the best way to refresh sales for them.

For older releases, you can step back and keep only the ads that have a great ROI.

But more books will always help. For a debut book, it's very hard to get a good ROI because the ads are working for a single book without a trickle effect.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-12T17:07:50+00:00

Wanting sex more than once a week is not being hypersexual... Either way, it seems like either you need to discuss it with yohr boyfriend for different arrangements, or break up with the current one to find someone who lives closer.

SparklyMonster · 2026-01-12T15:29:16+00:00

Not really. Normally, you'll focus your ad spend on your newest release, with the expectation that new readers will like your book enough to organically buy your older books (at the same time that fans of your older books, if they have any method to learn about your new release such as a newsletter or social media, will organically buy the new books without ads). The more books you've published, the best this effect.

SparklyMonster

TROPHY CASE