Amazon Offers Bizarre Explanation for Suddenly Banning Conservative YouTuber's Book
The book was about censorship. Then Amazon banned it. You can probably see the problem.
This article originally appeared on the Daily Caller News Foundation and was republished with permission.
Guest post by Derek VanBuskirk
Amazon removed the listing of a 2023 best-selling book on conservatism, suggesting it “might result in a disappointing customer experience,” only to restore the book after a probe from the Daily Caller.
The book, “The War on Conservatives,” by media analyst and the first conservative YouTuber to reach 1 million subscribers, Mark Dice, was taken down on June 16. It had garnered several thousand five-star ratings and hundreds of positive reviews on the site, having reached the No. 4 spot on Amazon’s overall bestseller list.
“I think it’s obvious Amazon was determined to censor the book until they received the media inquiry from the Daily Caller and realized it wasn’t going to happen quietly and was about to turn into a major news story,” Dice said.
Dice said that it was “ironic” that a book written in part to call out cancel culture and the censorship of conservative viewpoints by major technology and media platforms has “itself been censored by the world’s largest bookseller after years of successful sales, positive customer feedback, and documented reader satisfaction.”
The book also gives social commentary on contemporary issues, including immigration, attacks on Christianity and the traditional family, gender ideology, and broader political and cultural divisions in America.
Dice added that banning and censoring books has long been regarded as one of the worst forms of censorship because it restricts access to opposing ideas and viewpoints and diminishes debate and sincere conversations.
Dice told the Caller that after learning about the removal he sought to appeal the decision through the official process. Amazon denied the appeal.
He tried again, this time contacting Amazon’s executive office, which forwarded his email to Amazon’s Executive Customer Relations team. After conducting an additional review, the team upheld the removal. Then Dice turned to the Caller.
“The company denied my initial appeal, denied my executive appeal, and only restored the listing after a reporter contacted them for comment, which clearly signaled the issue was about to make headlines,” Dice said. “If Amazon had truly reconsidered the case on its own, they had every opportunity to do so during the appeal process. Instead, the reversal came only after media scrutiny, which speaks volumes.”
A screenshot shared with the Caller shows the response from the Executive Customer Relations department, with Mark noting that it was “absurd” that the team didn’t even cite hate speech in its denial but instead said that his five-star book “might result in a disappointing customer experience.”
Dice said that despite his playful and often “class clownish” online persona his books have been serious efforts of fact-finding and storytelling, with “The War on Conservatives” taking several years to research and write, containing 921 footnotes and references supporting its argument.
“And so my books, I put great care into thoroughly documenting and sourcing them properly, and I just, I’m just absolutely stunned,” Dice said. “If I want to make money, I could do other things. But it’s just like a passion.”
Dice has written and self-published several books and told the Caller that he has another book set for release in November.
Self-publishers can be the hardest hit by Amazon censorship because the retail giant is responsible for transforming the book market, with Amazon accounting for approximately 60% to 70% of all online book sales in the U.S., according to Selfpublishing.com.
“I think because the book is from a small independent publisher, they figured they could just sweep the issue under the rug without it making any waves,” Dice said.
Dice’s book is being sold at Barnes & Noble and other online booksellers.
Amazon’s move appears to be part of a pattern of companies targeting right-wing self-publishers, which can be devastating to the movement, attacking both the financial and ideological incentives for book writing.
Amazon similarly removed “When Harry Became Sally” before eventually restoring it, and more recently removed “The Camp of the Saints,” which also was restored following public scrutiny and media attention.
Dice said that it wasn’t only the removal of his book that concerned him but also the deletion of the thousands of customer ratings and hundreds of written reviews that accompanied it.
“They dumped the book down the memory hole and made it appear as if it never even existed,” Dice said.
An Amazon spokesperson told the Caller on Monday that “this title was removed in error and is now available for sale.”
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