diff --git amazon.admin.inc amazon.admin.inc
index 500d6cd..c690c9f 100644
--- amazon.admin.inc
+++ amazon.admin.inc
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ function amazon_settings_form($form_state) {
     '#default_value' => variable_get('amazon_associate_setting', 'association'),
     '#options' => array(
       'association' => t('Use the Drupal Association\'s associate ID'),
-      'author' => t('Use the module developer\'s associate ID'),
       'custom' => t('Use your own associate ID'),
       'none' => t('Do not use any associate ID')
     ),
@@ -35,7 +34,7 @@ function amazon_settings_form($form_state) {
     '#prefix' => '<div id="amazon-associate-id-wrapper">',
     '#suffix' => '</div>',
   );
-  if (variable_get('amazon_associate_setting', 'author') != 'custom') {
+  if (variable_get('amazon_associate_setting', 'association') != 'custom') {
     $form['amazon_custom_associate_id']['#prefix'] = '<div id="amazon-associate-id-wrapper" class="js-hide">';
   }
 
diff --git amazon.install amazon.install
index b54e998..8b43bc1 100644
--- amazon.install
+++ amazon.install
@@ -201,3 +201,12 @@ function amazon_update_6006() {
   db_add_field($ret, 'amazon_item', 'invalid_asin', array('type' => 'int', 'default' => 0));
   return $ret;
 }
+
+function amazon_update_6007() {
+  $ret = array();
+  if (variable_get('amazon_associate_setting', 'associate') == 'author') {
+    variable_del('amazon_associate_setting');  // go with the default.
+    $ret[] = array('success' => TRUE, 'query' => t('Replaced "author" Amazon associate setting with the default.'));
+  }
+  return $ret;
+}
diff --git amazon.module amazon.module
index 5583937..ea322cb 100644
--- amazon.module
+++ amazon.module
@@ -247,16 +247,16 @@ function amazon_http_request($operation, $parameters = array(), $locale = NULL)
   $url = $locale_data['url'] .'?'. $query_string;
   // Make the request and return a SimpleXML object.
   $results = drupal_http_request($url, array(), 'GET');
-  if ($results->code == '200') {
+  if ($results->code == 200) {
     $xml = new SimpleXMLElement($results->data);
     return $xml;
   }
-  if ($results->code == '403') {
+  if ($results->code >= 400 && $results->code <= 500) {
     $xml = new SimpleXMLElement($results->data);
-    watchdog('amazon', "Access denied accessing Amazon's AWS service: %code, %message", array('%code' => (string)$xml->Error->Code, '%message' => (string)$xml->Error->Message));
+    watchdog('amazon', "HTTP code %http_code accessing Amazon's AWS service: %code, %message", array('%http_code' => $results->code, '%code' => (string)$xml->Error->Code, '%message' => (string)$xml->Error->Message));
     return FALSE;
   }
-  watchdog('amazon', "Error accessing Amazon AWS web service. result code=%code, error=%error", array('%code' => $results->code, '%error' => $results->error));
+  watchdog('amazon', "Error accessing Amazon AWS web service. HTTP result code=%code, error=%error", array('%code' => $results->code, '%error' => $results->error));
   return FALSE;
 }
 
@@ -646,13 +646,10 @@ function _amazon_default_locales() {
 }
 
 function amazon_get_associate_id() {
-  switch (variable_get('amazon_associate_setting', 'author')) {
+  switch (variable_get('amazon_associate_setting', 'association')) {
     case 'association':
       return 'drupal0a-20';
       break;
-    case 'author':
-      return 'viaposit-20';
-      break;
     case 'custom':
       return variable_get('amazon_custom_associate_id', '');
       break;