Amazon control

[Guymullins]

I am currently running an advertising campaign for one of my books on Amazon. One has to submit the ad before publication. Two days ago, I was told to change the ad as it did not conform to Amazon requirements. Too political? Even though it is a novel?
I re-worded the ad and re-submitted it.
I got this in return.

Thank you for using Amazon Marketing Services to advertise your book. Your ad campaign has been approved. Your ad is now eligible to be displayed on Amazon.com.

Unfortunately, your ad campaign has not been approved to run on Kindle E-readers for the following reason(s):
Your book cover displays a gun or ammo.

This may not be news to you who live in the USA, but I must admit to be flabbergasted at the way the media controls "freedom of speech" in the US.

[tonyz]

Yup. Amazon, PayPal, Google, Facebook, some big banks, most large news providers...all incorporate policies, official and unofficial, or employ talking heads which lean anti-Second Amendment to varying degrees. Some hard left, some a bit more subtle, but the message is there - pounding the young 'uns who have yet to succumb to the Socialist/Commie/"Progressives" Borg.

[Dusty]

Disgusting.

[Barbarian]

^^LMAO!!!! That's a winner for sure.

Seriously though, I read, usually, at least one ebook per week. I see a plethora of covers featuring firearms on the kindle book shop, so this may be a recent change to a more draconian policy. As we near the election, you can feel the marxist desperation building like in no other cycle I've lived through, so far.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by Barbarian

^^LMAO!!!! That's a winner for sure.

Seriously though, I read, usually, at least one ebook per week. I see a plethora of covers featuring firearms on the kindle book shop, so this may be a recent change to a more draconian policy. As we near the election, you can feel the marxist desperation building like in no other cycle I've lived through, so far.

They were pretty desperate when Ronnie took names. Easier to cheat then, too.
Incidentally, I need to order a Team knife. Same procedure, I assume?
Not to hijack...

[Barbarian]

PM inbound.

[Penn]

The only remedy is a 1st amendment suit brought before the court.

[alelks]

Hmmm! Double Standards?

https://www.amazon.com/Smithys-Cupbo...s=ereader+guns

https://www.amazon.com/American-Gun-...&keywords=guns

[Guymullins]

Originally Posted by Barbarian

^^LMAO!!!! That's a winner for sure.

Seriously though, I read, usually, at least one ebook per week. I see a plethora of covers featuring firearms on the kindle book shop, so this may be a recent change to a more draconian policy. As we near the election, you can feel the marxist desperation building like in no other cycle I've lived through, so far.

As I understand it. Amazon will sell the book on Kindle, they just refuse to advertise it. The next book is a follow up on the bin Laden raid. I will rethink the cover to try to feature boomerangs instead of "gasp" assault rifles, with magazines and "eek" suppressors fitted.

[Guymullins]

Funny. Now, after the elections, Amazon are running the ad campaign that they refused to run, multiple times, without any argument.
The extent of media meddling in politics has really come home these last few months. The fury of the American media at Trump's victory has exposed the extent to which the people, from cartoonists to journalists and media bosses, have been invested in left wing propaganda. Over the water, the impotent rage of the British media to the vote of the common man to the Brexit question shows that this sickness is a world wide plague.
For many years I have been sceptical of Conspiracy Theories, but I am having to rethink old beliefs.
Thank you mainstream media people, you let the mask slip and we are all better informed because of it.

[Flagg]

The single most obvious(to some) common correlation between BREXIT and a Trump victory is the complete and total shock felt by left of centre mass media, entertainment, and education sectors.

They are completely out of touch and possess zero ground truth.

Those three legs forming the foundation of the left of centre base are living in a hybrid cross marketing echo chamber.

It's confirmation/conformity bias run dangerously rampant.

Thy were stunned, shocked, and surprised because they have been so out of touch.

The lesson I take from it is to try and prevent my friends living right of centre to avoid falling into the same dangerous mirrored herd thinking.

[miclo18d]

Originally Posted by Guymullins

Funny. Now, after the elections, Amazon are running the ad campaign that they refused to run, multiple times, without any argument.
The extent of media meddling in politics has really come home these last few months. The fury of the American media at Trump's victory has exposed the extent to which the people, from cartoonists to journalists and media bosses, have been invested in left wing propaganda. Over the water, the impotent rage of the British media to the vote of the common man to the Brexit question shows that this sickness is a world wide plague.
For many years I have been sceptical of Conspiracy Theories, but I am having to rethink old beliefs.
Thank you mainstream media people, you let the mask slip and we are all better informed because of it.

It's not a conspiracy THEORY, if it's true. Just a plain ole conspiracy.

Conspiracy THEORIES usually have a spectre that is able to self deny the "evidence" of said conspiracy. i.e. "The CIA made crack to keep the blacks down in the ghetto", when you ask the CIA if this is true, they deny it. That is proof for the theorist. (Much like a cop asking you, "When did you stop beating your wife, Mr. Mullen's?) the denial is proof and no actual proof is needed.

The news media is communist and they proudly admit it!!!!! Not a theory!

[RomanCandle]

Originally Posted by Guymullins

Funny. Now, after the elections, Amazon are running the ad campaign that they refused to run, multiple times, without any argument.
The extent of media meddling in politics has really come home these last few months. The fury of the American media at Trump's victory has exposed the extent to which the people, from cartoonists to journalists and media bosses, have been invested in left wing propaganda. Over the water, the impotent rage of the British media to the vote of the common man to the Brexit question shows that this sickness is a world wide plague.
For many years I have been sceptical of Conspiracy Theories, but I am having to rethink old beliefs.
Thank you mainstream media people, you let the mask slip and we are all better informed because of it.

Mike its only theory until the practicals have been done and the final exams sat.

After that its called the rest of my life livin this sh*t.

[Guymullins]

Another thing about Amazon that raises suspicion. An old friend, who I am sure many Americans on this site know, Jim Hooper, the owner in the 70's and 80's of Zephyr Hills Drop Zone in Florida, sent me a message that he had tried, on numerous occasions, to write a review of my first book, Battle for Cassinga, but Amazon would not allow him to do so. The Cassinga book exposes the way in which the Communist guerrillas in South West Africa and Angola used the UN, and in particular, the UNHCR to fund their terrorist activities in the 70's. I mailed Amazon to ask why this was happening, but despite their promise to revert within 24 hrs, I am still waiting for an answer after a week.
Very peculiar.

[Flagg]

Originally Posted by Guymullins

Another thing about Amazon that raises suspicion. An old friend, who I am sure many Americans on this site know, Jim Hooper, the owner in the 70's and 80's of Zephyr Hills Drop Zone in Florida, sent me a message that he had tried, on numerous occasions, to write a review of my first book, Battle for Cassinga, but Amazon would not allow him to do so. The Cassinga book exposes the way in which the Communist guerrillas in South West Africa and Angola used the UN, and in particular, the UNHCR to fund their terrorist activities in the 70's. I mailed Amazon to ask why this was happening, but despite their promise to revert within 24 hrs, I am still waiting for an answer after a week.
Very peculiar.

Having worked for Amazon back in the early days, I think it would be highly unlikely Amazon would be doing anything to proactively prevent reviews that go against the grain of the company's(and owners') mean political average.

What I have seen is the company take an aggressive tone on removing reviews after they've been posted largely thru community intelligence from the "report abuse" link for each review.

For example, Megyn Kelly's book was hammered by Trump supporters with highly negative reviews.

So much so that it made "the news".

Amazon pruned those political posts, likely thru force ranked abusive review reporting.

On the other side of the political continuum, Ivanka Trump endorsed women's fashion products were attacked by Hillary supporters en mass.

To Amazon's credit they weeded all of them out as well.

But if you look at Megyn Kelly's book review and Ivanka Trump endorsed products the average reviews are shockingly bad.

I suspect this is a combination of:

A) Megyn Kelly's book and Ivanka Trump branded products are horrible value

B) Intentionally malignant reviews have shifted to focus on product rather than politics to achieve the same negative reputational effect, up thru and including confirmed purchase of product to ensure reviews are "sticky" due to "confirmed purchase" status. Basically, haters financially enriching those they hate in order to attack their reputation.

I dont view Amazon as "evil" politically. The company and its ownership certainly lean left of centre. Effective online community activism(which is something the left is better at than the right, but the right is improving) will force them to stay in the middle, if not slightly left of centre...or they'll risk losing business if they don't play Switzerland in the online ideological battleground.

In the early days we wanted to take down "the man".

Amazon has itself achieved market dominance and has morphed into "the man" now taking the incumbent monopoly seat.

And that's usually a bad thing for innovation, because all unchecked monopolies inevitably try to aggressively kill any innovation they don't develop or acquire.