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I don't really agree with the article's claim that Amazon's "stranglehold on the ebook market" is "in a very large part to self-publishing writers". Is this based on figures and facts, or is it just opinion?
Most of the self-published stuff I've read is "OK", but often shows that it never had to go through the slush pile, and that it wasn't properly edited. In my uneducated view, Amazon is so overwhelmingly successful because of their aggressive competitiveness, consumer-friendliness, responsive customer service, huge selection of (non-self-published) books, devices that are sold at or below manufacturing costs, and overall low prices. Amazon was dominating force even before the self-publishing fad set in.
Meanwhile, other companies are busy sabotaging themselves, unable to improve their web shopping experience (compare Kobo's web interface to Amazon's), ignoring their customers, and generally doing their hardest to drive people into Amazon's wide-open arms by being passive, incompetent, and difficult.
There is also the issue of Amazon's reputation: it's mostly very good, and people tend to buy stuff where "everyone" buys it -- after all, if everyone shops there, it must be a good place. Most people are loyal to their regular stores, unless someone else offers substantially (and consistently) better service or prices. No one does. Their dominating market position is self-fueling to a degree.
I am not an Amazon customer, but I can appreciate their keen understanding of how to run a successful business.
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