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| books, by ian britton |
this article by onnesha royschoudhuri sets out a familiar tale about amazon’s aggressive marketing of books as if they were cans of soup.
twisted algorithms recommending “books you might like” lead you to books whose publishers have paid for the privilege, it isn’t based on previous purchase or personal interest alone.
publishers who don’t play along and give amazon the discounts it demands are delisted or have their books’ “buy buttons” removed.
it is a depressing, predicable tale of market dominance and the arrogance it spawns.
although happily for consumers, writers and publishers, of course, such arrogance tends to lead to its own destruction.