This editorial (which I came across on Twitter) incensed me to no end.

The author, who has had at least one novel published by Amazon, says:

…I’ve long been curious about why so many people are frightened of a potential future Amazon monopoly while simultaneously so sanguine about the real existing monopoly run by New York’s so-called Big Six.

Well, perhaps I could answer that for you…

Because a market dominated by six companies is not actually a monopoly. ‘Mono’ comes from the ancient Greek and means ‘one’ or ‘alone.’ And if you’re curious the ‘poly’ comes from the Greek word for ‘to sell.’

‘Mono.’ One. Not six.

And the concern about Amazon is not them challenging some entrenched group on a single ground, but their strategy of total consolidation.

They are attempting to dominate the publishing market and if they push out those fuddy duddy big six publishers, then they will dominate every aspect of the literary industry.

The problem with monopolies is that they are relatively immune from free market, consumer pressures. If you use their product, you have to use them.

Amazon’s efforts to consolidate every part of the literary industry – the actual production of both physical and e-books and the means of distribution of both physical and e-books – are building towards a situation where someone wishing to read to read must go through them and, if they choose to read, abide by whatever prices or stipulations they make. And that’s a freaking problem.