KDP review of Amazon contract finds AI silence, five-day exit
The read confirms Amazon's KDP terms never mention AI or model training, leaving the question unresolved rather than ruled out
A review of Amazon's KDP Terms and Conditions, read in full and re-read from a public read-only copy, found the agreement contains no reference to AI, machine learning or model training on any of its eight pages, according to the outlet. The review states this was confirmed by reading, not inferred, and calls it the most consequential unanswered question in the contract.
The same review found authors retain copyright under Section 6, while Section 5.5 grants Amazon a non-exclusive, irrevocable licence to print and distribute, extending to Amazon's affiliates and independent contractors. Outside KDP Select the licence is non-exclusive, allowing simultaneous publication elsewhere.
On termination, the outlet reported that withdrawal takes five business days, the fastest among the platforms it assessed, but Amazon may continue to maintain digital copies afterward, withholds royalties for three months following any termination, and forfeits them if Amazon itself ends the agreement over a breach of its Content Guidelines. The review also found no documented catalogue export and no option to delete files or the account on request. Separately, the outlet reported that Kindle Unlimited has been renamed Kindle+, with audiobooks now available to US subscribers, and that the 70% royalty price band on Amazon.com widened from $9.99 to $12.99.
Here's the thing about silence in a contract: it isn't neutral, it's a blank cheque for whoever holds the pen. Amazon hasn't promised to train AI on your books, but it hasn't promised not to either, and that gap gets filled by policy changes you won't get a vote on. The five-business-day exit sounds great until you read the fine print: Amazon can keep selling your print stock, keep digital copies after you're gone, and sit on your royalties for three months if you leave — or forfeit them entirely if Amazon ends things over a Content Guidelines breach. Quick exits and no deletion are not the same thing as control.
From the Coral Wire edition of Sun, Oct 25 2026 · Coral Index 38/100 (Headwinds)