It's the first round in a battle I'm sure will rage over the coming years. The publishing industry doesn't want to open the doors, because they fear losing their entire business. They're desperate to hold on to what they have now, and will try every dirty trick in the book to keep that hold.
Imagine, if you will, the first truly independent author who strikes it big? The same author, offered a big fat contract, realises he can make more, have more control and do it his own way without their help. With that single author's success the whole publishing industry becomes irrelevant. This author has proven there is no need for an agent, an editor, a publicist or any of the other dozen or so go-betweens that now have jobs in that industry.
Musicians are already doing it, independent film-makers are doing it, even educated fleas, do it...but to be serious for a moment. The publishers, like many of the old brick-and-mortar businesses, have no real grasp of the change the internet has brought about. They still believe they're in control, and that may be true for a little while, but it's not going to last forever. No matter what tricks they pull.
As to what you can do about this? I wouldn't have the first idea, or even a second. They're the big fish in the pond, we're all just minnows (for now
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