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  • Writer's Digest

    OPERATION AMAZON

    Mar 20, 2019 7 minutes
    BY ROB EAGAR

    Amazon is more than a website. It’s the most powerful book-selling machine ever invented. The good news is that Amazon’s power isn’t reserved just for elite bestsellers. Their system was designed to help any author capture more sales.

    Jeff Bezos founded the company in 1994 under the original name, Cadabra, until a lawyer confused it with “cadaver.” Another name, Relentless, was also floated by Bezos, but people thought it sounded too sinister. (Fun fact: Type “Relentless.com” into your internet browser and see where it goes.) The name “Amazon” was eventually chosen because it starts with the letter “A” and is the name of the world’s largest river. Who would have thought the name would come to mean so much more?

    Today, Amazon completely dominates the publishing industry. Take a moment to consider these mind-blowing statistics:

    • Amazon sells close to 50 percent of all print books in America.

    • Amazon sells more than 70 percent of all e-books in America.

    • Amazon is the largest sales account for almost every publisher in America.

    • Amazon paid 1,000 indie authors more than $100,000 each in book royalties in 2017.

    • Amazon’s market share

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