Amazon ran at a loss for over a decade to crush brick and mortar retailers. They can also sell books so cheap because they can make it up elsewhere.

Also, and importantly, ever since they destroyed the natural recommendations in their algorithm, indie authors have become a huge segment of customers for Amazon. If you want your book to show up in people's searches, you gotta buy Amazon ads.

It's monopolistic. It’scriminal. But the people who can do something about it have refused to do so since George W Bush.