diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2fb34e4e..01c6716d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -198,8 +198,9 @@ config :jsonapi,
   scheme: "https",
   namespace: "/api",
   field_transformation: :underscore,
-  remove_links: false,
   serialize_nil_relationships: false,
+  remove_links: false,
+  add_auto_links: false,
   json_library: Jason,
   paginator: nil
 ```
@@ -218,12 +219,20 @@ config :jsonapi,
   `:dasherize`. If your API uses underscores (e.g. `"favorite_color": "red"`)
   set to `:underscore`. To transform only the top-level field keys,  use
   `:camelize_shallow` or `:dasherize_shallow`.
-- **remove_links**. `links` data can optionally be removed from the payload via
-  setting the configuration above to `true`. Defaults to `false`.
 - **serialize_nil_relationships**. By default, relationships on a resource that
   are `nil` will be omitted during serialization. Setting this to `true` will
   serialize these relationships, provided they are loaded on the resource.
   Defaults to `false`.
+- **remove_links**. `links` data can optionally be removed from the payload via
+  setting the configuration above to `true`. Defaults to `false`. This setting
+  removes all links, not just auto-added links.
+- **add_auto_links**. `links` data can optionally be auto-added by
+  setting the configuration above to `true`. Defaults to `true`. This setting is
+  overruled by `remove_links` for backwards compatibility -- setting both to
+  `true` results in adding links and then removing them. Only setting
+  `add_auto_links` to `true` (and leaving `remove_links` `false` as is its
+  default) will serialize your explicitly created links but not add any
+  automatically generated links on top.
 - **json_library**. Defaults to [Jason](https://hex.pm/packages/jason).
 - **paginator**. Module implementing pagination links generation. Defaults to `nil`.
 
diff --git a/lib/jsonapi/serializer.ex b/lib/jsonapi/serializer.ex
index d76be9ae..69a7dbff 100644
--- a/lib/jsonapi/serializer.ex
+++ b/lib/jsonapi/serializer.ex
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ defmodule JSONAPI.Serializer do
         encoded_data
       end
 
-    merge_links(encoded_data, data, view, conn, query_page, remove_links?(), options)
+    merge_links(encoded_data, data, view, conn, query_page, add_auto_links?(), options, true)
   end
 
   def encode_data(_view, nil, _conn, _query_includes, _options), do: {[], nil}
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ defmodule JSONAPI.Serializer do
       relationships: %{}
     }
 
-    doc = merge_links(encoded_data, data, view, conn, nil, remove_links?(), options)
+    doc = merge_links(encoded_data, data, view, conn, nil, add_auto_links?(), options, false)
 
     doc =
       case view.meta(data, conn) do
@@ -210,42 +210,76 @@ defmodule JSONAPI.Serializer do
       data: encode_rel_data(rel_view, rel_data)
     }
 
-    merge_related_links(data, info, remove_links?())
+    merge_related_links(data, info, add_auto_links?())
   end
 
-  defp merge_base_links(%{links: links} = doc, data, view, conn) do
-    view_links = data |> view.links(conn) |> Map.merge(links)
-    Map.merge(doc, %{links: view_links})
+  defp merge_links(doc, data, view, conn, _page, false, _options, is_root_of_doc) do
+    merge_view_links(doc, data, view, conn, is_root_of_doc)
   end
 
-  defp merge_links(doc, data, view, conn, page, false, options) when is_list(data) do
-    links =
+  defp merge_links(doc, data, view, conn, page, true, options, is_root_of_doc) do
+    doc
+    |> merge_auto_links(data, view, conn, page, options)
+    |> merge_view_links(data, view, conn, is_root_of_doc)
+  end
+
+  defp merge_view_links(doc, data, view, conn, is_root_of_doc)
+
+  defp merge_view_links(%{links: links} = doc, data, view, conn, false) do
+    # intentionally take the view.links and merge them into the existing links,
+    # allowing the custom defined links for the view to override any auto-links
+    # generated by this library UNLESS configured to remove links (backwards
+    # compatibility):
+    view_links =
+      if remove_links?() do
+        %{}
+      else
+        Map.merge(links, view.links(data, conn))
+      end
+
+    new_doc = Map.merge(doc, %{links: view_links})
+
+    case new_doc do
+      %{links: links} when links == %{} ->
+        Map.delete(doc, :links)
+
+      doc ->
+        doc
+    end
+  end
+
+  defp merge_view_links(doc, data, view, conn, false),
+    do: merge_view_links(Map.merge(doc, %{links: %{}}), data, view, conn, false)
+
+  defp merge_view_links(doc, _data, _view, _conn, true), do: doc
+
+  defp merge_auto_links(doc, data, view, conn, page, options)
+       when is_list(data) do
+    auto_links =
       data
       |> view.pagination_links(conn, page, options)
-      |> Map.merge(%{self: view.url_for_pagination(data, conn, page)})
+      |> Map.merge(%{
+        self: view.url_for_pagination(data, conn, page)
+      })
 
-    doc
-    |> Map.merge(%{links: links})
-    |> merge_base_links(data, view, conn)
+    Map.merge(doc, %{links: auto_links})
   end
 
-  defp merge_links(doc, data, view, conn, _page, false, _options) do
-    doc
-    |> Map.merge(%{links: %{self: view.url_for(data, conn)}})
-    |> merge_base_links(data, view, conn)
-  end
+  defp merge_auto_links(doc, data, view, conn, _page, _options) do
+    auto_links = %{self: view.url_for(data, conn)}
 
-  defp merge_links(doc, _data, _view, _conn, _page, _remove_links, _options), do: doc
+    Map.merge(doc, %{links: auto_links})
+  end
 
   defp merge_related_links(
          encoded_data,
          {rel_view, rel_data, rel_url, conn},
-         false = _remove_links
+         true = _add_auto_links
        ) do
     Map.merge(encoded_data, %{links: %{self: rel_url, related: rel_view.url_for(rel_data, conn)}})
   end
 
-  defp merge_related_links(encoded_rel_data, _info, _remove_links), do: encoded_rel_data
+  defp merge_related_links(encoded_rel_data, _info, _add_auto_links), do: encoded_rel_data
 
   @spec encode_rel_data(module(), map() | list()) :: map() | nil
   def encode_rel_data(_view, nil), do: nil
@@ -302,7 +336,13 @@ defmodule JSONAPI.Serializer do
     |> List.flatten()
   end
 
-  defp remove_links?, do: Application.get_env(:jsonapi, :remove_links, false)
+  defp remove_links? do
+    Application.get_env(:jsonapi, :remove_links, false)
+  end
+
+  defp add_auto_links? do
+    Application.get_env(:jsonapi, :add_auto_links, !remove_links?())
+  end
 
   @spec serialize_nil_relationships? :: boolean()
   defp serialize_nil_relationships?, do: Application.get_env(:jsonapi, :serialize_nil_relationships, false)
diff --git a/test/jsonapi/serializer_test.exs b/test/jsonapi/serializer_test.exs
index 262bc0d2..a7fbc35c 100644
--- a/test/jsonapi/serializer_test.exs
+++ b/test/jsonapi/serializer_test.exs
@@ -19,6 +19,27 @@ defmodule JSONAPI.SerializerTest do
     end
   end
 
+  defmodule PostViewWithLinks do
+    use JSONAPI.View
+
+    def fields, do: [:text, :body, :full_description, :inserted_at]
+    def meta(data, _conn), do: %{meta_text: "meta_#{data[:text]}"}
+    def type, do: "mytype"
+
+    def relationships do
+      [
+        author: {JSONAPI.SerializerTest.UserView, :include},
+        best_comments: {JSONAPI.SerializerTest.CommentView, :include}
+      ]
+    end
+
+    def links(_data, _conn) do
+      %{
+        self: "https://website.com/api/posts/1"
+      }
+    end
+  end
+
   defmodule PageBasedPaginator do
     @moduledoc """
     Page based pagination strategy
@@ -867,6 +888,97 @@ defmodule JSONAPI.SerializerTest do
     Application.delete_env(:jsonapi, :remove_links)
   end
 
+  describe "when configured to not add auto links" do
+    setup do
+      Application.put_env(:jsonapi, :add_auto_links, false)
+
+      on_exit(fn ->
+        Application.delete_env(:jsonapi, :add_auto_links)
+      end)
+
+      {:ok, []}
+    end
+
+    test "serialize does not include auto links" do
+      data = %{
+        id: 1,
+        text: "Hello",
+        body: "Hello world",
+        full_description: "This_is_my_description",
+        author: %{id: 2, username: "jbonds", first_name: "jerry", last_name: "bonds"},
+        best_comments: [
+          %{
+            id: 5,
+            text: "greatest comment ever",
+            user: %{id: 4, username: "jack", last_name: "bronds"}
+          }
+        ]
+      }
+
+      encoded = Serializer.serialize(PostView, data, nil)
+
+      relationships = encoded[:data][:relationships]
+
+      refute relationships[:links]
+      refute encoded[:data][:links]
+      refute encoded[:links]
+    end
+
+    test "serialize still adds custom links" do
+      data = %{
+        id: 1,
+        text: "Hello",
+        body: "Hello world",
+        full_description: "This_is_my_description",
+        author: %{id: 2, username: "jbonds", first_name: "jerry", last_name: "bonds"},
+        best_comments: [
+          %{
+            id: 5,
+            text: "greatest comment ever",
+            user: %{id: 4, username: "jack", last_name: "bronds"}
+          }
+        ]
+      }
+
+      encoded = Serializer.serialize(PostViewWithLinks, data, nil)
+
+      relationships = encoded[:data][:relationships]
+
+      refute relationships[:links]
+      assert encoded[:data][:links][:self] == "https://website.com/api/posts/1"
+      refute encoded[:links]
+    end
+
+    test "serialize honors older remove_links config and removes all links" do
+      data = %{
+        id: 1,
+        text: "Hello",
+        body: "Hello world",
+        full_description: "This_is_my_description",
+        author: %{id: 2, username: "jbonds", first_name: "jerry", last_name: "bonds"},
+        best_comments: [
+          %{
+            id: 5,
+            text: "greatest comment ever",
+            user: %{id: 4, username: "jack", last_name: "bronds"}
+          }
+        ]
+      }
+
+      Application.put_env(:jsonapi, :remove_links, true)
+
+      encoded = Serializer.serialize(PostViewWithLinks, data, nil)
+
+      relationships = encoded[:data][:relationships]
+
+      refute relationships[:links]
+      refute encoded[:data][:links]
+      refute encoded[:links]
+
+      Application.delete_env(:jsonapi, :remove_links)
+    end
+  end
+
   test "serialize includes pagination links if page-based pagination is requested" do
     data = [%{id: 1}]
     view = PaginatedPostView
@@ -905,9 +1017,13 @@ defmodule JSONAPI.SerializerTest do
   test "serialize can include arbitrary, user-defined, links" do
     data = %{id: 1}
 
-    assert %{
-             links: links
-           } = Serializer.serialize(ExpensiveResourceView, data, nil)
+    assert %{data: resp, links: links} = Serializer.serialize(ExpensiveResourceView, data, nil)
+
+    assert %{links: resource_links} = resp
+
+    assert links == %{
+             self: "/expensive-resource/#{data.id}"
+           }
 
     expected_links = %{
       self: "/expensive-resource/#{data.id}",
@@ -920,7 +1036,7 @@ defmodule JSONAPI.SerializerTest do
       }
     }
 
-    assert expected_links == links
+    assert expected_links == resource_links
   end
 
   test "serialize returns a null data if it receives a null data" do