Amazon has deleted two books by two different Christian authors. Glorified, by Jon Del Arroz and Deus Vult, by Declan Finn were set to be released the first week in November. Both are strong traditional Christian science-fiction novels. According to the authors and publisher, Amazon has not been responsive to inquiries.
Not only are the new releases gone from the site, but all of their pre-orders have been deleted and they cannot be restored. The only communication Silver Empire publishing received from Amazon claimed they had not uploaded the manuscripts on time, Russell Newquist, publisher, told Bounding into Comics. “Amazon’s claiming I didn’t get the final files uploaded in time, but that’s total B.S.,” he said. “I had the files for both uploaded weeks ago.” Unfortunately, he can’t log into his account to screen-grab the evidence that the files are there.
My publisher is getting a runaround right now. He’s lighting up the customer service phones and emails trying to get anything done. One employee told him if this gets resolved the pre-orderers will get a “link” to purchase new ones emailed to them — which we’ll see if that happens and if it gets the same amount we had before. We’ll see. There’s no clear answer right now nor commitment to any remedy.
Glorified has been up for pre-sale for two months. “I’ll never get those back,” Del Arroz told PJ Media. “Readers pre-order the book usually when they finish the last one. Many of these readers will not be back and will forget that they ordered it. There is also no way to tell them that their order was deleted and that it wasn’t my fault.” Amazon does not provide the authors with lists of customers. Del Arroz was expecting the first revenue from the pre-orders to be recorded on November 1, on All Saints Day.
Milo Yiannopoulos wrote an ironic endorsement for the first book in the series, Justified, that said, “Could be the most dangerous sci-fi novel of my lifetime. Read it before they ban it.” Strangely, Justified is still available for purchase on Amazon. The description for Del Arroz’s banned book is hardly what anyone could call objectionable.
A devastating superweapon…
…in the hands of galactic tyrants.The Sekaran fleet is gathering, and they’ve got a weapon that can destroy worlds. Drin and his Templar brothers on the Justicar must face their deadliest battles yet, as the entire Elorian fleet is called into action to meet this threat. But more than one planet killer awaits them. Deadly secrets from ancient races are hidden amongst the stars, and Drin must uncover the power of the mysteries of faith before it’s too late.
Del Arroz believes that he is being censored by big-tech leftists. “My resolve is not shaken. I will not silence or quiet myself. I will continue to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ through my fiction in order to change the world for His divine kingdom,” said Del Arroz.
Declan Finn smells a rat too. “I’m usually not paranoid, but in this case, the timing is too suspicious,” he told PJ Media. Del Arroz and Finn share the same publisher, Silver Empire. Finn’s book, Deus Vult is described as a thriller.
God wills it. A Saint must find a way.
All Tommy Nolan wants is some peace to enjoy his family. He’s been to hell and back, and now he needs a break. But evil doesn’t need to take a breather, and now the Vatican is back on his doorstep asking for help. A nearby monastery has been desecrated and the exorcist monks murdered in the most brutal ways imaginable. A legion of demons is gathering for something big, and Tommy’s the saint they need to help. An old enemy is the ally he needs, but can Tommy trust him? Can they track down all of the demons in time? And what does the Necronomicon have to do with it all? Read Deus Vult today and find out!
Newquist, founder of Silver Empire publishing, told PJ Media, “It’s bad enough that Amazon throws its monopolistic weight around against the little guys all the time. But when the 800-pound gorilla brings the hammer down on religious speech, we should all be up in arms.”
Amazon requires that authors settle disputes through arbitration. Del Arroz has filed to start the process. “I’m demanding they restore my book and pay me the pre-order sales they owe me,” he said.
Both books are for sale through the publisher’s website. PJ Media reached out to Amazon and was told to expect a response by 2:30 p.m., which never came. If they do respond, we will update. We have specifically asked for evidence that Newquist did not upload the files, which is the only excuse made by Amazon so far. A pre-order customer called customer service to ask what happened to his book and was told that it was removed by the publisher. Newquist denies that unequivocally.
This was 100% NOT done by me, the content provider. https://t.co/fgY1ocnPFQ
— Russell Newquist (@rnewquist) October 29, 2019
Update 5:26 p.m.: Amazon has now allowed the ebooks to be re-uploaded, but the pre-sales are lost permanently. The deletion did not affect the paperback or hardcover books, however, most Amazon authors including Del Arroz and Finn rely on e-book sales for more than 90% of their revenue. The deletion of the e-book has hampered the launch of these books significantly. To date, Amazon has not responded to PJ Media’s inquiry
Megan Fox is the author of “Believe Evidence; The Death of Due Process from Salome to #MeToo.” Follow on Twitter @MeganFoxWriter
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