Dear members of the Village,

As part of our ongoing commitment to keeping you informed about what is truly happening on Amazon and in the publishing world, we created this guide to help everyone, especially our new users who, either because they are beginners or because no one has ever properly addressed these topics, often do not have a clear understanding of how to behave safely.

This guide will be updated over time based on the new patterns we detect. When updates occur, you will be notified.

Let’s begin. Please pay close attention from here onward.

What Is Happening on Amazon Since September 2025

Since approximately September 2025, Amazon has been conducting increased checks on reviewer profiles due to the implementation of new AI-based monitoring systems.

Because we analyze a significant amount of data beyond BookVillage, we can clearly explain what is happening:

• In some cases, even when reviews are correctly posted and approved by Amazon, they are added to the book’s total rating count but do not appear in the visible reviews section. They are essentially hidden.
• There is also a growing number of reviews that Amazon is not approving at all, often resulting in the complete deletion of all reviews previously posted by that same account and a permanent restriction on posting new ones.

In short, more Amazon reviewer accounts are being banned.

Anyone who publishes on Amazon KDP has noticed that automatic checks on books have also become much more aggressive, at times even blocking legitimate titles by mistake. This same margin of error must be considered for the checks Amazon performs on reviewer accounts.

Many people say that “Amazon always increases checks during the last quarter of the year.” We do not agree. These are automated systems, they do not require human intervention, and it is likely that we must get used to a more aggressive Amazon moving forward.

Their systems may improve in the future, but at this stage we must focus on avoiding behavior patterns that can easily trigger their bots.

What Happened in 2025 According to Our Analysis

Our data indicates that two main elements are causing Amazon to intensify its controls:

• After almost three years of inactivity, virtual assistants resurfaced with their fake reviewer profiles
BookVillage counters this problem with our Fake Reviewers Detection.

• Several review platforms allowed their users to post an unrealistic number of weekly reviews using a single reviewer account

From what we observe, Amazon is now targeting any accounts that resemble these behaviors.

Which Accounts Are Being Affected the Most

We can say with absolute certainty that this issue primarily affects accounts that:

• Post mostly unverified reviews, whether Standard Unverified or Kindle Unlimited. This is the main contributing factor.
• Post more than 5 or 6 reviews per week.

These patterns are now high-risk.

Are Kindle Unlimited Reviews Unsafe?

The real issue is that in 80 percent of cases, Kindle Unlimited reviews look identical to standard unverified reviews.

They receive the “Verified Purchase” badge only if they are read and reviewed using an official Amazon Kindle device or Kindle app, which almost never happens.

This means a reader can book your KU promotion and then post a standard unverified review, and you will never notice the difference.

So no, KU reviews are not optimal, even if they are allowed and fully usable inside BookVillage.

Posting 40 Reviews a Month Is Not Safe

We understand that some of you would like to pay for an 11.99 dollar Kindle Unlimited subscription and publish 40 reviews a month.

This is simply not possible safely.

Posting 10 or more reviews per week will eventually get your Amazon reviewer account banned.
If everyone behaved like this, no one would benefit.

For months we have advised all users to stop using both Unverified Assignments and Unverified Promotions.

Based on our data, accounts that follow these guidelines have a 70 percent lower chance of encountering issues.

Here are the key recommendations:

At least 80 percent of the promotions you activate or assignments you book should be Verified Paid Purchase at 0.99 or 2.99 dollars.

Never exceed 6 reviews per week from your account.

Spread out your reviews smartly during the week and avoid having too many pending reviews awaiting Amazon approval at the same time.

Why BookVillage Recommends Using Only Verified Paid Purchase

Using a real payment method provides Amazon with a strong signal that the activity is authentic.

Unverified reviews — Standard, Kindle Unlimited or Free Promo — have long been used by virtual assistants, who cannot link valid payment methods to their accounts. The last thing we want is for Amazon to mistake you for them.

Being objective is essential. Investing slightly more to increase your book’s social proof safely and sustainably is the smartest decision right now, especially considering that the cost-to-benefit ratio is at least four or five times better than any other method of acquiring social proof.

We do not want to create alarm, but it may become a problem for your KDP account if the percentage of removed reviews is considered “abnormal”. And outside BookVillage, many reviews are now being deleted within just a few days.

This is why features like our Fake Reviewer Detection System are now essential.

BookVillage’s Current Recommendations for a Long-Lasting Reviewer Account

Here is what we strongly recommend:

• Post only Verified Paid Purchase reviews at 0.99 or 2.99 dollars.
• Do not post more than 4 or 5 reviews per week from a single Amazon account.
• Read the book on Kindle Cloud Reader or, preferably, on your official Kindle device or app.
• Maintain an acceptable and realistic reading speed.
• Avoid having more than two pending reviews awaiting Amazon’s approval at the same time.
• Do not attempt to publish hundreds of reviews with the same account. Take breaks and allow natural activity cycles.
• Type your review manually when submitting it.
• Avoid reviews that are overly generic or AI-generated.
• Do not review only ebooks.
• The more days that pass between purchasing an ebook and posting your review, the better it is for your account. This is precisely why BookVillage does not allow you to complete an assignment before five full days have passed since the purchase, and why we suggest waiting until the sixth or seventh (and final) day. Focus on weekly consistency, not on rushing a single review one or two days earlier.

If You Want to Post Only Unverified Reviews

If you insist on posting unverified reviews:

• Do not post more than two standard unverified reviews per week. Three is already too many.
• If you have a real Kindle Unlimited subscription and use an official app or device, you may try posting up to four per week.
• All other recommendations from above still apply.

A Note for Low and No Content Publishers

If you publish Low and No Content books whose ebook version cannot be published, we ask you to be patient.
We are actively working on a dedicated solution for your specific case.

What Should I Do If My Reviewer Account Has Been Banned?

If your reviewer account has already been banned and all its reviews were deleted:

• We will soon publish a detailed article explaining potential reinstatement options.
• At the moment it is very unlikely that Amazon will reverse such decisions.
• This is why avoiding risky patterns is essential.

If you must create a new Amazon account, pay close attention to:

• Not using the same browser or device.
• Ideally avoiding the same internet connection.
• Not using the same payment method.

Extra Tips (But Powerful)

If you have the possibility of using two different Amazon accounts, while respecting all the precautions already described earlier, this would be ideal.
You would have two accounts each posting an average of two or three Verified Paid Purchase reviews per week.
This is fully allowed on BookVillage, and our Fake Reviewer Detection System will not interfere in this scenario.

Users who adopt this approach are progressing in the most effective and sustainable way.
These tips come directly from everything we have analyzed so far.
We are not pushing or forcing you toward any specific strategy, but understanding how to work correctly is primarily in your own best interest, and we feel a responsibility to open your perspective and guide you with full transparency.

Final Note

BookVillage will always stand beside authors and independent publishers, providing guidance whenever needed. 

This issue affects everyone, not only those using BookVillage or similar platforms, but also anyone collecting reviews through other methods.
Even users relying on Facebook Ads are facing the same problem, since most reviews generated that way are unverified.

If we notice anything unusual on BookVillage, we may apply automatic limitations to specific assignment types to protect the entire Village.

Implementing these measures is essential to keeping the ecosystem sustainable and to protecting your reviewer accounts.

We do not believe this will be necessary, because we trust the common sense of our users, and we prove it by sending honest communications like this instead of pretending the problem does not exist.

BookVillage is on your side.

The Minister of BookVillage,

BookVillage.pub