I have a few works online. Some are Christian, while others aren’t. Many years ago, before the Internet was even accessible to outsiders, people got their dial-up bulletin boards. More than a few of these bulletin boards (BBS) became early adopters of the Internet.
So, a friend and I decided to start a bulletin board and feature our pastor’s sermons so that others could read them. Some thirty years later, those files, all but two, were lost. I found the two remaining sermons and contacted my former pastor to ask permission to use them in an eBook format and place them online. Of course, he granted permission, and I created two eBooks:
Biblical Teachings of Dr. Gene Pritchard
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GL15KB6)
Controversial Subjects And What The Holy Bible Says About Them
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GSVL1GX)
They stayed up since I first uploaded them, around August 24, 2021. No complaints. No sales, but then Amazon is hard to get anything Christian advertised. A few weeks before the end of 2022, I decided people who read the books might want to contact Dr. Pritchard about the book’s content or donate to his vibrant ministry in Orlando. So I added his name, the church’s physical address, and various email addresses and uploaded it to Kindle.
Imagine my surprise when I received this from Amazon:
Hello,
During our review, we found that the publishing rights you selected for the following book(s) appear to be incorrect:
Controversial Subjects: And What The Holy Bible Says About Them by Larck, Floyd (AUTHOR); Pritchard, Gene (AUTHOR) (ID: 36525062)
Based on our review, the content included in the book(s) listed above is in the public domain. As a result, we will not be offering your book(s) for sale on Amazon.
Public domain books are allowed; however, you must select the public domain option under Publishing Rights during title setup. Public domain works are ineligible for the 70% eBook royalty program and KDP Select.
In order to publish the book(s), you will need to submit it as a new book in your KDP account with public domain selected under Publishing Rights.
Amazingly, both books have been for sale on Kindle since mid-2021. They now claim the materials are “public domain,” in their estimation.
So I answered them:
This book was put on Kindle Friday, November 19, 2021, 10:45:17 PM, and is a Pastor’s sermon material. The last upload I made was to add a note to readers about the pastor’s current church. Nothing else in the content, which has been on Kindle since Friday, November 19, 2021, 10:45:17 PM, was changed. The pastor is still alive, so I don’t see how his sermon materials could be classified as public domain.
The next day they replied:
Hello,
Thanks for your message regarding the following book(s):
Controversial Subjects: And What The Holy Bible Says About Them
Larck, Floyd (AUTHOR); Pritchard, Gene (AUTHOR) : 36525062
After further review, we’ve decided to uphold our previous decision and won’t be making the book(s) available for sale on Amazon.
So there you have it… In a review of an eBook after a minor update, Amazon labeled it as “public domain,” thus nullifying my arrangement of a beloved pastor’s sermon. Amazon did this to avoid applying the “censored” label to the eBook. If you’re wondering what may have triggered the “public domain” claim by Amazon, you can review the Table of Contents listed and make your own decision.
WHAT IS THE SIN UNTO DEATH? – (Controversial Subject Two)
WHY DOES GOD ALLOW SICKNESS AND SUFFERING? – (Controversial Subject Three)
WHY DOES GOD NOT ANSWER PRAYER? – (Controversial Subject Four)
WAS THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST LITERAL? – (Controversial Subject Five)
CAN A PERSON WHO IS TRULY SAVED EVER LOSE THEIR SALVATION AND GO TO HELL? – (Controversial Subject Six)
HOW CAN A PERSON FIND THE WILL OF GOD IN EVERY DECISION? – (Controversial Subject Seven)
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT SPEAKING IN TONGUES? – (Controversial Subject Eight)
WILL THE CHURCH (THE SAVED) GO THROUGH THE GREAT TRIBULATION – (Controversial Subject Nine)
WAS JESUS BORN OF A VIRGIN? – (Controversial Subject Ten)
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE? – (Controversial Subject Eleven)
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT ABORTION? – (Controversial Subject Twelve)
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT PORNOGRAPHY? – (Controversial Subject Thirteen)
WHAT CAN THE RIGHTEOUS DO? – (Controversial Subject Fourteen)
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY? – (Controversial Subject Fifteen)
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT CAPITAL PUNISHMENT? – (Controversial Subject Sixteen)
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT CHANGES OF EMPLOYMENT? – (Controversial Subject Seventeen)
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT DRUGS? – (Controversial Subject Eighteen)
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL – (Controversial Subject Nineteen)
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT CREMATION? – (Controversial Subject Twenty)
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT BANKRUPTCY? – (Controversial Subject Twenty-one)
So, what to do? Well, you can download the titles below at no cost to you.
Download Controversial Subjects And What The Bible Says About Them (epub)
Download Controversial Subjects And What The Bible Says About Them (mobi)
Download Biblical Teachings of Pastor Gene Pritchard (epub)
Download Biblical Teachings of Pastor Gene Pritchard (mobi)
Censor Information Resources
- How much copyright censorship is OK?
- Shadow banning
- Section 512 Study
- The US Copyright Office Section 512 Study: Why the Entertainment Industry Is Claiming Victory