Amazon has been both the best and worst things to happen to the publishing industry.
The best, because smaller more niche focused books can reach any audience when it would have been much more difficult in a place like Barnes and Noble.
The worst, because of their power in negotiating prices with publishers who seem to be stuck on the value of books at $20+
If anything, this is a lesson that the publishing industry must become more lean and efficient to lower costs. There are markets in everything and someone will find a way to do it better, even if these giant old school publishers aren’t the ones.
Amazon’s use of what is essentially a media model is also fascinating. They’re definitely not the only industry to do pay for placement in search results. It’s a great way to make extra money outside of your generic business model.
