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A different Kindle thread - a writer's point of view

by ShayB
28 replies
I have seen multiple threads about how Kindle and Amazon are starting to pull books that are PLR content.

I've also seen threads that are basically "How can I get the cheapest content possible so that I can slap some kind of crap up on Kindle (and not get caught) so that I can try to make a few bucks?"

We are all marketers. I completely understand that.

But it bothers me when I see people using a wonderful resource in a way that was never intended to be used, and in the process lowers the quality of the experience for everyone.

Let me give you another point of view.

I have a manuscript that I have worked on for a month. It's my baby. I've worked on it, promoted it, and will soon be releasing it on Createspace and on Kindle.

I have other works that are going to be released on Kindle - original manuscripts that I wrote myself. I even use my own thoughts and everything. I didn't even start from PLR.

So the news that Kindle and Amazon are removing all of the garbage that has been slapped up there doesn't bother me in the least.

I've seen where some people are putting up hundreds of titles on Kindle in a short period of time by using PLR material.

I can only imagine the frustration of a buyer when they buy three different books that they think are by three different authors, trying to get a rounded view of a particular subject - only to find out that they have purchased the same exact book 3 different times with three different titles by three different people. I don't know about you, but I would be ticked.

Here's a revolutionary thought - why not produce books that are high quality and will develop a following? Maybe I'm just being too radical here, but it seems to me that might be more profitable in the long run.

For the writers on this forum, this news about Kindle and about Amazon is met with a round of applause. We welcome it, not fear it.

Here's a novel idea (I can hear you groaning at the pun, sorry!) - why not just try to use resources the way that they are supposed to be used? I could go on a long rant about how people misuse platforms all the time (Twitter, for example), and then complain about how it doesn't work or complain whenever they change the rules so that it makes what you're doing against the terms of service, or they complain when they get banned for violating the terms of service that they willingly went against.

But I won't. This is about Kindle. And writers.

I'd love to hear from some of the other writers on this - and from those who aren't.
#kindle #point #thread #view #writer
  • Profile picture of the author Steve Faber
    There are always those that take a shortcut, not to be confused with working smart instead of just hard, and in the process ruin things for everyone else. The Internet is replete with examples of this. Unfortunately, there is no reason to think it's going to change any time soon.
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    • Profile picture of the author Spy4Hire
      Originally Posted by Steve Faber View Post

      There are always those that take a shortcut, not to be confused with working smart instead of just hard, and in the process ruin things for everyone else. The Internet is replete with examples of this. Unfortunately, there is no reason to think it's going to change any time soon.

      Nicely put, Steve! Working smart is good as long as people don't leave out the "working" part. I've talked to so many people who want an easy 3-click answer. The Scammers LOVE these people - I have to turn them away and hope they realize they're just spinning their wheels.

      I HOPE we can change this way of thinking by providing some HONEST MARKETING and REAL BUSINESS methods, advise and tips here and all over the web.
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  • Profile picture of the author paul wolfe
    Amen to that.

    Kindle DP is revolutionary. For just about the first time in history you can publish your own words without having to conform to the whims of corporate gatekeepers. And get those words published on a major platform - that is absolutely incredible.

    I haven't published anything to Kindle - yet. But I fully plan to.

    One of the areas where Kindle may be potentially lucrative is in the area of fiction - see John Locke's eBook on how he sold a million copies on Kindle. The book will set you back $5 - but it's a really interesting read.

    Good luck with your project.



    Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author 1960Texan
    As a writer, this makes me happy. It's always angered me to see people using PLR and calling themselves writers. By the same logic I could hang a stethoscope around my neck and call myself a doctor.

    Will
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  • Profile picture of the author Caleb Spilchen
    I want to respond to this.

    The reason that Amazon originally banned it was due to a story featured in Reuters, which incorrectly featured a special offer from this very forum.

    I don't believe that "PLR" is garbage, it's not. Someone put a lot of hard work in preparing a PLR product. It's the same thing as ghost writing, except for the fact that it has wider distribution and more people have a right to move it.

    Look, I own a Kindle, and heck, I'd be pretty freaking pissed if I bought a book twice, but I believe you have 15 minutes to refund on a book. So If you bought the same one, you could just refund.

    I have a lot of respect for hard working individuals, but to claim that PLR is garbage, really bothers me - because I know of hard working PLR writers like Tiffany Dow, whose stuff on Kindle would be valuable to people purchasing it.

    I bought a guide from a well known marketer, a lot of warriors respect, on Kindle. It was 2 pages of garbage, followed by 5 pages of advertising. On the other hand, I've read a lot of PLR that would have been better value then that.

    All I'm saying is don't generalize that all "PLR Is crap". I understand that you work hard, and I work hard too - but at the end of the day, I don't think there is anything wrong with publishing PLR material.

    HOWEVER I do think that you should edit PLR, and make it more 'YOU', if you want people to really react to your products. I think it should be used as a base.

    Please, nobody take this the wrong way.. I feel like I just ranted, but I really wanted to spread my opinion... I hope this isn't taken as "Oh caleb's an idiot". This is what I think.

    Caleb
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Caleb's not an idiot. He just needs a few more trips around the block.

      "PLR" as a concept isn't "bad". Some people even produce good quality content, but it was never intended to be published as is. Even allowing for the folks that do take some pride in what they do, the vast majority of the PLR packages I've acquired have been crap. Some, calling them 'crap' would not be fair to crap.

      But when you get a couple of hundred people grabbing any content they can license and following advice like "just change the title, author and cover graphic and slap it up there", you're going to draw attention.

      And it's going to follow the "duck rule."

      If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it may not be a duck. But that's how the smart people will bet...

      Besides, even if all PLR was worthy of a Pulitzer or Nobel prize, who needs 200 copies of the same content with different titles and covers?
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      • Profile picture of the author WealthWinners
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        "PLR" as a concept isn't "bad". Some people even produce good quality content, but it was never intended to be published as is. Even allowing for the folks that do take some pride in what they do, the vast majority of the PLR packages I've acquired have been crap. Some, calling them 'crap' would not be fair to crap.

        But when you get a couple of hundred people grabbing any content they can license and following advice like "just change the title, author and cover graphic and slap it up there", you're going to draw attention.

        And it's going to follow the "duck rule."

        If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it may not be a duck. But that's how the smart people will bet...

        Besides, even if all PLR was worthy of a Pulitzer or Nobel prize, who needs 200 copies of the same content with different titles and covers?
        ^^^
        THIS! made me laugh out loud

        I published my first self-written book on kindle on June 11th. Since then, I have had 12 titles published. My first few weeks, I made about $30. The month of July, I will make over $600.

        I have been in the internet marketing area for many years, but only seriously for the last 4. The kindle opened up a whole new area for me.

        I spoke with one of my marketing friends that I trust dearly. He said one primary thing. "Stay away from PLR and Public domain. Everyone is rehashing it. Write your own stuff and you will be successful."

        I took his advice. It was the best thing I ever did.

        Don't pm me and ask me what my books and niches are. I won't share that info. I am not using this platform to advertise myself. Amazon does that all for me.

        I just read a post on another forum. A guy got his kindle account suspended because he was submitting low quality stuff. If you plan on using PLR or PD, make sure you make it quality, and format it correctly or you will have wasted all your efforts.

        Personally, I don't think a lot of IM'ers will stay with kindle. Because it takes WORK and there are too many who don't want to do the WORK involved.

        As stated above, if you put out quality, original works, even if they were originally derived from PLR or PD, you will not have to worry about this becoming a positive income stream.

        Shay, I think we like to hope that people who just throw up stuff without bothering to be creative will take your words to heart. I have that hope as well.

        But I am afraid that there are too many looking for that "easy button" and will do whatever they think will work, even if they haven't a clue.
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        • Profile picture of the author paul wolfe
          Originally Posted by WealthWinners View Post

          ^^^
          THIS! made me laugh out loud

          I published my first self-written book on kindle on June 11th. Since then, I have had 12 titles published. My first few weeks, I made about $30. The month of July, I will make over $600.

          I have been in the internet marketing area for many years, but only seriously for the last 4. The kindle opened up a whole new area for me.

          I spoke with one of my marketing friends that I trust dearly. He said one primary thing. "Stay away from PLR and Public domain. Everyone is rehashing it. Write your own stuff and you will be successful."

          I took his advice. It was the best thing I ever did.

          Don't pm me and ask me what my books and niches are. I won't share that info. I am not using this platform to advertise myself. Amazon does that all for me.

          I just read a post on another forum. A guy got his kindle account suspended because he was submitting low quality stuff. If you plan on using PLR or PD, make sure you make it quality, and format it correctly or you will have wasted all your efforts.

          Personally, I don't think a lot of IM'ers will stay with kindle. Because it takes WORK and there are too many who don't want to do the WORK involved.

          As stated above, if you put out quality, original works, even if they were originally derived from PLR or PD, you will not have to worry about this becoming a positive income stream.

          Shay, I think we like to hope that people who just throw up stuff without bothering to be creative will take your words to heart. I have that hope as well.

          But I am afraid that there are too many looking for that "easy button" and will do whatever they think will work, even if they haven't a clue.
          Thanks for sharing that.

          There are three great learnings from this short comment for any newbies who are looking to make money for their online business:

          1) Focus on original work. Make that work quality.
          2) You need multiple books. Again make them all original and all quality.
          3) The income starts to rise over time

          If you're interested in pursuing the 'quality/original' Kindle model you should definitely check out John Locke's eBook on how he sold a million Kindle eBooks. Yes his results are different because he writes fiction - but if you know even a little about IM you'll very easily be able to adapt his strategies to YOUR model.
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    • Profile picture of the author ShayB
      @ Caleb - I don't think that all PLR is garbage. I buy it for certain purposes, and I know that Tina and others are excellent writers. In fact, I just bought a PLR package last night from someone. I've bought PLR from Tina, in fact, in the past - and her work is excellent.

      But I believe, personally, that having a ton of PLR Kindle books is clogging up the system with crap.

      That has nothing to do with the quality of the PLR. It has to do with the fact that it's not unique content.

      You say: "So If you bought the same one, you could just refund."

      Why should the customer have to do that? What if it's not just once or twice, but 30 different times? Some PLR Kindle packages have been sold hundreds of times.

      What about Amazon and Kindle? Do you think they like having people ask for refunds and give complaints? Of course not. It makes them look bad. They have a reputation to uphold, and they want to keep their customers happy.
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    • Profile picture of the author LegitIncomes
      Originally Posted by Caleb Spilchen View Post

      I want to respond to this.

      The reason that Amazon originally banned it was due to a story featured in Reuters, which incorrectly featured a special offer from this very forum.

      I don't believe that "PLR" is garbage, it's not. Someone put a lot of hard work in preparing a PLR product. It's the same thing as ghost writing, except for the fact that it has wider distribution and more people have a right to move it.

      Look, I own a Kindle, and heck, I'd be pretty freaking pissed if I bought a book twice, but I believe you have 15 minutes to refund on a book. So If you bought the same one, you could just refund.

      I have a lot of respect for hard working individuals, but to claim that PLR is garbage, really bothers me - because I know of hard working PLR writers like Tiffany Dow, whose stuff on Kindle would be valuable to people purchasing it.

      I bought a guide from a well known marketer, a lot of warriors respect, on Kindle. It was 2 pages of garbage, followed by 5 pages of advertising. On the other hand, I've read a lot of PLR that would have been better value then that.

      All I'm saying is don't generalize that all "PLR Is crap". I understand that you work hard, and I work hard too - but at the end of the day, I don't think there is anything wrong with publishing PLR material.

      HOWEVER I do think that you should edit PLR, and make it more 'YOU', if you want people to really react to your products. I think it should be used as a base.

      Please, nobody take this the wrong way.. I feel like I just ranted, but I really wanted to spread my opinion... I hope this isn't taken as "Oh caleb's an idiot". This is what I think.

      Caleb
      I also agree in that PLR is not "garbage". The creator of that PLR also put in hard work. And PLR does have it's place if it's edited properly, and more "you" is put into it. That's correct.

      However, 95% of the people who purchase PLR don't take the necessary steps, and that ruins it for a lot of others.

      What are the necessary steps? Let me give an example: Let's say you purchase a PLR product that is 25 pages in length. That should be used as your "notes" to refer to, write in your own words, gather knowledge from, etc... Now take that information, combine it with ADDITIONAL information (could be more PLR), and create your own unique report that is say, 50 pages in length.
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      • Profile picture of the author Caleb Spilchen
        Originally Posted by LegitIncomes View Post

        I also agree in that PLR is not "garbage". The creator of that PLR also put in hard work. And PLR does have it's place if it's edited properly, and more "you" is put into it. That's correct.

        However, 95% of the people who purchase PLR don't take the necessary steps, and that ruins it for a lot of others.

        What are the necessary steps? Let me give an example: Let's say you purchase a PLR product that is 25 pages in length. That should be used as your "notes" to refer to, write in your own words, gather knowledge from, etc... Now take that information, combine it with ADDITIONAL information (could be more PLR), and create your own unique report that is say, 50 pages in length.
        Hey,

        I agree that having 100 copies of the same book is RIDICULUS.

        I also believe that PLR is a way to start your product (and I certainly do not teach anything else). If you look at the bold, that is what I was trying to point out.

        It pisses me off that people don't change PLR, before uploading it because that's just crap. Make a product your own, add value, and make it YOUR Product, just not the same as everything else.

        That's just my opinion.

        Caleb
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    • Profile picture of the author David Hooper
      Originally Posted by Caleb Spilchen View Post

      The reason that Amazon originally banned it was due to a story featured in Reuters, which incorrectly featured a special offer from this very forum.
      Doubtful. Amazon doesn't need Reuters to let them know what's going on within their own company.
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      • Profile picture of the author ShayB
        Originally Posted by drmani View Post

        When one in 10 buyers refunds, it's not a major hassle.
        When one in 10 of a MILLION buyers refunds, it's a nightmare.

        --snip--

        And having built their audience on the back of consistently
        trying to add even more value from their experience, AMZN
        isn't likely to just sit back and watch as efforts like
        this detract from the experience to the point it poses a
        risk to their business.

        My 2 cents

        All success
        Dr.Mani
        Originally Posted by David Hooper View Post

        Doubtful. Amazon doesn't need Reuters to let them know what's going on within their own company.
        My thoughts exactly. Amazon isn't going to let things get to the point were people are afraid to purchase a Kindle book because there is so much duplicate content, and they don't need an article pointing to a WSO to tell them that they're getting a high number of returns.
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  • Profile picture of the author LegitIncomes
    Originally Posted by ShayRockhold View Post

    I have seen multiple threads about how Kindle and Amazon are starting to pull books that are PLR content.

    I've also seen threads that are basically "How can I get the cheapest content possible so that I can slap some kind of crap up on Kindle (and not get caught) so that I can try to make a few bucks?"

    We are all marketers. I completely understand that.

    But it bothers me when I see people using a wonderful resource in a way that was never intended to be used, and in the process lowers the quality of the experience for everyone.

    Let me give you another point of view.

    I have a manuscript that I have worked on for a month. It's my baby. I've worked on it, promoted it, and will soon be releasing it on Createspace and on Kindle.

    I have other works that are going to be released on Kindle - original manuscripts that I wrote myself. I even use my own thoughts and everything. I didn't even start from PLR.

    So the news that Kindle and Amazon are removing all of the garbage that has been slapped up there doesn't bother me in the least.

    I've seen where some people are putting up hundreds of titles on Kindle in a short period of time by using PLR material.

    I can only imagine the frustration of a buyer when they buy three different books that they think are by three different authors, trying to get a rounded view of a particular subject - only to find out that they have purchased the same exact book 3 different times with three different titles by three different people. I don't know about you, but I would be ticked.

    Here's a revolutionary thought - why not produce books that are high quality and will develop a following? Maybe I'm just being too radical here, but it seems to me that might be more profitable in the long run.

    For the writers on this forum, this news about Kindle and about Amazon is met with a round of applause. We welcome it, not fear it.

    Here's a novel idea (I can hear you groaning at the pun, sorry!) - why not just try to use resources the way that they are supposed to be used? I could go on a long rant about how people misuse platforms all the time (Twitter, for example), and then complain about how it doesn't work or complain whenever they change the rules so that it makes what you're doing against the terms of service, or they complain when they get banned for violating the terms of service that they willingly went against.

    But I won't. This is about Kindle. And writers.

    I'd love to hear from some of the other writers on this - and from those who aren't.
    I agree with you 100%.

    The same type of thing is going on right here in the WSO forum. You have beginners slapping together PLR (or barely editing it) and selling it as their own. It's a big slap in the face to those who put a lot of time and effort into their products.

    But that's the way it goes. In all fields there will always be those trying to take the shortcuts. Just remember, the cream rises to the top.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ansar Pasha
    Banned
    Caleb, you are an idiot!

    ... an idiot for letting the REAL secrets to success out *cough*work*cough*

    Ansar
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  • Profile picture of the author Rose Anderson
    You are correct, Caleb, if someone uses PLR as a starting point it can be a great tool. If they'll rewrite with their own voice and add more information they can create a good product.

    Sadly, that rarely happens. There was even a WSO telling people not to bother. Just to slap it on Kindle exactly as it was. The result, of course, was a ton of crap. My guess is, and I have no proof of this except what I read on this forum, is that a lot of them didn't even bother to buy quality PLR. They probably found free stuff that's been on the internet for years and then made no changes.

    I'm thrilled that Amazon is removing all the duplicate junk.
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    • Profile picture of the author Caleb Spilchen
      Rose,

      Originally Posted by Rose Anderson View Post

      You are correct, Caleb, if someone uses PLR as a starting point it can be a great tool. If they'll rewrite with their own voice and add more information they can create a good product.

      Sadly, that rarely happens. There was even a WSO telling people not to bother. Just to slap it on Kindle exactly as it was. The result, of course, was a ton of crap. My guess is, and I have no proof of this except what I read on this forum, is that a lot of them didn't even bother to buy quality PLR. They probably found free stuff that's been on the internet for years and then made no changes.

      I'm thrilled that Amazon is removing all the duplicate junk.
      I think I may know some of the authors of those WSO's. I'm hoping that they'll issue a correction, and a new version - understanding the comments of this thread (among others).

      Caleb
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      • Profile picture of the author ShayB
        There were some WSOs that advocated buying their PLR book and basically changing the title and cover, then publishing.

        As far as "changing" the PLR, I have a mixed reaction to that. It's one thing to use PLR as a starting point to create your own work. It's quite a different thing to simply reword the PLR and publish the same ideas using different words.

        Maybe it's just me. I read books to learn things, to be exposed to new ideas - not to read the same thoughts reworded by 10 different people.
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        • Profile picture of the author drmani
          Nice thread, Shay

          It's about VALUE.

          http://www.ezinemarketingcenter.com/ValueFirst.pdf

          I bought a guide... on Kindle. It was 2 pages of garbage, followed by 5 pages of advertising.
          If I can pack more value into 2 pages than someone else can into
          25 or even 100 pages (and I can!), so much the better.

          PLR is an awesome concept - for the right use. There are literally
          HUNDREDS of creative ways to use PLR. Unfortunatley, many people
          aren't creative. So they end up using PLR the same way - and, even
          more sadly, in the same place... the Kindle store.

          To no one's surprise, the crack down hits them hard.

          Worse, it puts EVERYONE under the scanner.

          So the news that Kindle and Amazon are removing all of the garbage that has been slapped up there doesn't bother me in the least.
          Just like email spammers destroy the medium for even legitimate
          email marketers, just like junk-loaded email pitch fests are the
          biggest enemy for ezine publishers who create amazing content-rich
          newsletters, the PLR-spammers are muddying the waters of that
          huge marketplace that has grown around the Kindle.

          Once that happens, it's no longer a question of just 'writing new
          and fresh content' and waiting for the happy days again.

          Virginity, once lost, can't be redeemed.

          Is it any wonder, then, that so many people outside the narrow
          arena of "Internet marketing as we know it here" so intensely
          dislike "Internet marketers"?!

          All success
          Dr.Mani
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  • Profile picture of the author glenbuckingham
    it is amazing how everyone wants to shortcut and slam dunk a business online.
    they only want a quick dollar they think doing anything online should take over three clicks.my friends say when you get to making money online let me know so you can show me how.Really? show you how to stare at a computer screen for so long your eyes burn.or watch and read reviews and try to make sense out of the latest online strategy which in 10 minutes it seems is slapped by the next greatest thing.
    iI dare say no when i start to make money online it will have been from a ton of research and hard work so how can i show my friends how to take a 5,000 mile hike when they are unwilling to take a few steps.
    You and your work will go far because of your hard work and determination.. BRAVO!
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  • Profile picture of the author JGrahamHCH12
    Originally Posted by ShayRockhold View Post

    Here's a novel idea (I can hear you groaning at the pun, sorry!) - why not just try to use resources the way that they are supposed to be used? I could go on a long rant about how people misuse platforms all the time (Twitter, for example), and then complain about how it doesn't work or complain whenever they change the rules so that it makes what you're doing against the terms of service, or they complain when they get banned for violating the terms of service that they willingly went against.

    But I won't. This is about Kindle. And writers.

    I'd love to hear from some of the other writers on this - and from those who aren't.
    Definitely, I agree! It is better to produce books that are really quality and gives true resources that readers would like to follow.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Maddy
    Nice thread shay. I agree with you, its 100% tru!
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  • Profile picture of the author dillipbytes
    Sorry folks, I am kinda confused with all your discussions. Regarding uniqueness of any content, no content gives unique information rather additional one in this net world. PLR belongs to this additional platform. But identity of origin must not be got hidden in PLR business. If we maintain the above with some respect, then certainly PLR is not garbage.

    Caleb, PLR & ghost writing are not same, just give a second thought.
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    • Profile picture of the author ShayB
      I am really enjoying the conversation here.

      For me, the bottom line is that unique content takes time. It's not a quick way to make money. It takes work.

      I know there will always be people that will try to take the easy way out. In a lot of cases, there's nothing wrong with trying to find a shortcut. I don't take my clothes and wash them by beating them on a rock. I don't write everything by hand.

      But there's a difference between using a tool to help increase your productivity and using copy and paste in order to throw something out in the marketplace like 100 other people have.

      This isn't a case of modifying PLR, for the most part. If something is modified enough, then it won't be removed by Kindle or Amazon. I don't think it's the best way to write a book, but that's not my call. (Actually, that wouldn't be writing a book - that would be editing material to make a book.)

      But, again, this is JMHO and YMMV.
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      • Profile picture of the author drmani
        Originally Posted by ShayRockhold View Post

        This isn't a case of modifying PLR, for the most part. If something is modified enough, then it won't be removed by Kindle or Amazon. I don't think it's the best way to write a book, but that's not my call. (Actually, that wouldn't be writing a book - that would be editing material to make a book.)
        I absolutely agree, Shay.

        There are different kinds of writers.

        Some author books that are based on deep research and/or
        thought-leadership. Others are narrative, opinion pieces
        or just a mish-mash of things. Some are compilations of
        work other people have created. And there's fiction in
        all genres.

        Some writers only do only one (or few) of these: articles,
        special reports, white papers, comic strips, sales copy,
        or ads.

        And ALL these kinds of writers can find a market on the
        Kindle store. There are 'Kindle shorts' which can be just
        an article or 5-page report, but can be put up for sale
        on the store.

        Length of content, or even 'uniqueness' isn't the critical
        element of most of the writing.

        The entire Marvel line of comics had a similar theme -
        super-guy/gal destroys evil to keep the world safe. It
        doesn't HAVE to be that 'unique' - so long as it delivers
        VALUE to the intended audience.

        Amazon is cracking down on PLR on the Kindle store for
        that specific reason - lack of perceived value.

        The measure they probably track is 'return/refund rate'
        of their buyers, just like Google used 'time on site' as
        an indication of the utility and value of content on it.

        When one in 10 buyers refunds, it's not a major hassle.
        When one in 10 of a MILLION buyers refunds, it's a nightmare.

        Amazon.com operates on the second kind of scale. They're
        cracking down on value-less content for a specific reason.

        If you spend time and effort on editing PLR but still
        leave a buyer with content they can't see the value in,
        the situation won't have changed much.

        Think for a moment.

        What is Amazon's 'product'?

        Not 'books' or 'ebooks' - those are sold by it, not created
        by the company.

        Their real value proposition is the experience they offer
        their customers - who first bought books, and now buy just
        about anything from their online store... conveniently,
        unhesitatingly, and frequently - based on painstakingly
        built up trust.

        And having built their audience on the back of consistently
        trying to add even more value from their experience, AMZN
        isn't likely to just sit back and watch as efforts like
        this detract from the experience to the point it poses a
        risk to their business.

        My 2 cents

        All success
        Dr.Mani
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Worner
    @Caleb

    You really want to get sued don't you.

    @Shay

    Couldn't agree more, and I hope Amazon gets every single one of them.

    Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    There was a book written a couple decades ago that I had read. I am sure the author of that book wrote the ideas down out of his own head, because PLR did not exist back then. But I digress...

    The author of that book said something that has stuck with me to this day.

    He said:

    Those who find monetary success in life are those folks who "excel in giving great value to their customers".
    Is the person who is copying someone else's work and slapping it up on Kindle giving "great value" to people?

    Some will argue that "some PLR is good quality information", and that would not be wrong.

    But once I have read that information, I don't want to read the same information again in the same format.

    There was a guy who did self-help books in the 80's and 90's. I loved his first book. A few months later, I saw his new book on the shelf at the bookstore. I bought his second book and took it home.

    That night I was reading his book, and I had this agonizing feeling that I had read the very same words before. So, I went to dig out his first book, and I sat down to compare the two titles.

    LOL

    They were the exact same book!! Except the chapters had been rearranged!!

    I was pissed...

    And I have never bought another book from that schmuck since.

    At the time, I was spending thousands of dollars a year buying products from Nightingale Conant: World Leader in Success, Personal Development and Motivation.

    That author who pissed me off could have been making more money from me, but he blew it by putting out a book that should never have been put out, just so he could make a few quick dollars.

    Haha... He sold me "one more book" and lost the ability to sell me "his next ten books".

    Anyone putting PLR products on Kindle is no different than that schmuck who sold me the same book twice under different titles and different publishing dates.

    They are not giving me "real value for my money".

    While the information may be valuable to me the first time I read it; it could never be AS valuable to me the second time I read it, because I took all the value from it the first time around.

    Someone has said, "So what if I have to spend 15 minutes of my life to get the refund?"

    The problem is more than the "15 minutes wasted getting a refund." My time is valuable, and there was also the 30-45 minutes reading before I realized that I got screwed by this "author".

    Then the next time I have to buy the same PLR product from the second author who screwed me for my time, I am out another hour.

    Then the third time and fourth time.

    When it happens once, I blame the author! When it happens more than once, I blame the platform!!

    People who are willing to spoil a whole platform, just so that they can make a few extra dollars are people who do not understand the concept of "giving real value to your customers."

    So, if that guy whose book I read a couple decades ago was right...

    Those who find monetary success in life are those folks who "excel in giving great value to their customers".
    Then perhaps, "those who excel in taking advantage of their customers and ruining a platform for the others who will follow them" will not only NOT find monetary success in their lives, but they will also cheat others, "who want to give real value to their customers", out of a good selling platform.

    If those people putting PLR on Amazon/Kindle never make the big score, that would be good karma in my book.

    The steps I have seen Amazon take to reduce the influx of PLR into their marketplace seems to be very effective, and I wish them luck in taking out those people who wish to ruin the Amazon/Kindle sales platform for a few "selfish" dollars.

    I just hope that Amazon has not waited too long... I'd hate to see consumers steering wide of Amazon/Kindle because a few hucksters "thought it was a good idea to take advantage" of Amazon's customer base.
    Signature
    Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
    Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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