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I contacted a well known author about the shit latex rendering of his ebooks on Amazon. He said sorry and send me the a pdf copy he build with my name on all the pages. I really like the fact that I have a book dedicated to me by the author, but why the fuck do we need Amazon in this interaction?

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Lot of people have asked that question ever since Amazon (Platform Economy[0]) emerged. But the answer is not simple.

This is why experiments like ONDC[1] (being pushed by the Indian Govt) are interesting. They want an alternative path between producer and consumer with out a middleman (Platform). Similar to how email works based on open protocols. Or UPI which has reduced dependence on Mastercard/Visa.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_economy [1] https://ondc.org/learn-about-ondc/

In fairness you are the reason for needing Amazon. If you purchased it elsewhere Amazon would cease to exist.

It was the only place where you could purchase the ebook.

and that would be bad?

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