Last night, I sent an email to our subscribers (if you aren’t one, you can become one over there to the right and get on the waiting list for our project management course too) advocating that they buy Tim Ferris’ new book, the 4-Hour Chef.

I was supporting his book sales process not just because I like the book (I’ve got my copy and I do think it’s great, but then again I like a LOT of books), but because I saw it as a way to counteract the bullying from the 1,000 bookstores that boycotted his book because Tim chose to publish with Amazon’s new publishing division instead of a mainstream publisher.

One of our readers wrote in and said:

HI Alexis

“On this one I don’t agree with you.  Amazon are the bullies in the way
they operate. They aim to become the biggest retailer of everything and so
destroy high streets , independent shops and the web of community they
form an indispensable part of.  In the UK they pay almost no corporation
tax. Their power is immense and like Google they are beginning to use it.
Big is not always better and not in this case.

I’m really disappointed to see you supporting this .

In service of a sustainable and just world.”

That got me thinking.  Is Amazon’s foray into publishing a net positive for our sovereignty as creators or is what Jane has put forth here the truth and we need to stay clear in support of a sustainable and just world?

I’ve got my own thoughts about it, but before I put them down on paper (virtually speaking), I would love to hear what you think.

Let’s discuss in the comments below please.