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A "bestseller book" is NOT automatically a good book... just well-known and popular enough to garner a lot of sales. And bestseller lists are self-perpetuating. Generally, the effort put into advertising them, directly or as one of the bestseller list books, tends to block our view of the rest of the good stuff on the shelf with it.
One thing I'll say about Amazon: Although they are obviously pushing Big Pub's books, at least they make it possible for independents (like me) to publish on their platform. It's still decidedly skewed in Big Pub's favor, but with some creative tagging, a little buzz, and a wee bit of luck, I think even indies could make a big splash in the Kindle store.
I don't rely on bestseller lists to find books... on the other hand, right now I don't have the reliable source of book recommendations, based on what I like to read, that I've had in the past. (It used to be bookstore owners and clerks who knew me, knew what they sold, and could steer me to the good stuff.) I'm still looking for something comparable.
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