Did you read the New Republic piece by aggressive superagent and highbrow douchenozzle Andrew "The Jackal" Wylie? He had some interesting things to say about Amazon's publishing effort:

LB: When did your feelings change? I assume it didn’t help when Amazon launched its own publishing house.

AW: I am not one of those who thinks that Amazon’s publishing business is an effort marked by sincerity. If you are as clever as Jeff Bezos, you don’t do it the way he’s doing it.

LB: What do you mean?

AW: I believe that Amazon has its print publishing business so that their behavior as a distributor of digital content can be misperceived by the Department of Justice and the publishing industry in a way that is convenient for Amazon’s bottom line.1 That is exactly what I think.

LB is Laura Bennett, the author of the article. The footnote 1 reads:

1
Wylie’s argument: Amazon wanted to enter into the publishing business to avoid being accused by the DOJ of trying to create a monopoly over e-book sales and distribution.

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/11500…