It’s hard to know where to start when talking about Amazon. I guess its most notable feature is that it’s big. Really big.

This bigness is intimidating to many — including publishers, booksellers and retailers in general. Even authors get a bit intimidated by Amazon.

You hear a lot about Amazon’s predatory practices and the way it throws its weight around. The whole MacMillan – Amazon dispute a while back underscored the online retailer’s power and influence. The antitrust suit brought by POD publishers against Amazon over the threat to remove “buy buttons” if they didn’t use Amazon’s BookSurge — a suit that ended up settling — also brought attention to its strength based on size.

Now, once again, Amazon finds itself at the heart of controversy. The Wylie Agency plans to start an ebook line that includes the backlists of some of Random House’s biggest authors — and sell them exclusively through Amazon.

Amid all this, I hear (or read, to be more accurate) authors say things along these lines:

“Every time Jeff Bezos sneezes, the very foundation of the publishing industry trembles. It’s amazing to me how much power that one company has amassed … I wish more publishers would grow backbones and protect their products — and their writers — from Amazon’s predatory practices. I feel that right now writers have no one to speak for them and protect them if publishers cave in to Amazon on issues like pricing and co-op payments.”

Well. I think we need to think about this a bit more carefully.

First, since when have publishers “protected” their writers? If anything, publishers have usually tried to wring every last dollar and every last right they could from their authors.

Second, is this a case of the kettle calling the pot black? Take a look at what’s happened to publishing over the last 30 or so years. There used to be a lot more New York publishers than there are now. Guess what they did? They consolidated. They became big. And being bigger gives them more power (very much like a, er, certain online retailer).

Now, we’re left with six major freestanding (sort of) publishers.

I say “sort of” because, even though Random House (for instance) is the country’s biggest trade publisher, it is itself owned by a way huge German conglomerate, Bertelsmann. Again, bigger is better, right?

In any case, Random House is currently claiming to own the e-rights to its authors’ backlists even though no one could have anticipated they’d be an issue when those contracts were made — and good luck with that one, guys. (Ha!)

So, ya think Random House will apply the resources it enjoys due to its bigness toward getting what it wants?

On the other hand, Amazon has provided authors like me opportunity. It’s opportunity I thoroughly appreciate. I’ve directly benefited from Amazon’s digital text publishing platform. I’ve been able to upload and sell ebooks like IDENTITY CRISIS (in astonishing numbers, no less) and FIVE UNEASY PIECES (which reached #4 in TWO categories, including mystery anthologies, during its recent launch — wowza!).

These are not inconsiderable benefits. They’ve, in fact, evened the playing field for authors looking to publish. They’ve given a leg up to indie authors, in particular. And, now, with the 70% royalty arrangement, the possibilities for indie authors seem almost limitless.

So, how am I supposed to feel about Amazon? Is it the schoolyard bully or my best friend? Is it both or neither?

I suggest we all lower our voices about the matter, and take a look at reality.

Businesses aim for big. Amazon was a small outfit, like anyone else. They became big and it makes sense for them to do things to protect their interests.

What would you have them do? Deliberately lose money? I don’t think that would go over too well with their stockholders. (Speaking of lawsuits.)

Anyhow, give that some thought when you discuss this while having coffee at Starbucks or during your next shopping trip to Target or Walmart. Or blogging or emailing about this on your Microsoft Windows-based PC. Or even your Apple iPad.

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