Hello everyone.

So as I've mentioned before, I've been suffering from piracy, specifically on book 1, which is out there on translation websites.

Unfortunately, even after sending out DMCA takedowns, all I've achieved is removing some search results from google, getting the story removed from a certain URL only for it to come up again on the same website on a different URL. Book 1 and what I've written in book 2 so far is unfortunately everywhere at the moment. And it seems it might be the same person scrapping the chapters off RR and putting them up on these websites, because they're using one specific cover art for it everywhere they upload it.

The issue for me here isn't that people get to read it for free, the issue is that it stands to hurt me, and here's how: Amazon could either accuse me of not owning the story, because it's out there. Or it could accuse me of breaking the terms of KDP Select(Kindle Unlimited), per which I have to keep the book exclusive to their library. In both cases, I face, at best getting my book taken down, and at worst, getting banned and losing all my previous earnings. I can't take this same risk with book 2. And while I have an audiobook publisher, I don't have a big ebook publisher to back me up if Amazon decides to take action(I'm publishing on my own).

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

I have decided to pause releasing chapters on RR until I have found a definitive solution for this issue. I know that any book can be pirated, and it's nearly impossible for you to guarantee that yours won't be, but what I'm looking for is assurances that I won't get in trouble with my Amazon releases. Once I have that, I will return to publishing here again.

Sorry to bring you this bad news, and thank you for your support throughout this journey, which I hope to resume with you again in the future.

PS: This is an edit. I'm aware that basically all books get pirated. The issue here is that mine gets pirated before I publish it on Amazon. There's an instance of an author being prevented from publishing their book because Amazon found it online under a different name, which suggested he didn't own it. Book one of The Elder Lands has been pirated and uploaded to Kindle Unlimited once(if you remember that incident), pirating/translation websites are not the extent of the story's bad luck on this front.

PPS: Since some people think I'll stop writing the story altogether, it's important to clarify that I'm still working on The Elder Lands everyday, and my patrons still get chapters regularly.