Oh, I'm glad you summed that up so succinctly. I always feel like I can't put it all out there without sounding like there's some bias on my part -- but you're right, those are just the facts.

Do I think the big publishing houses could handle things better in some situations, too? I do. But the word "dodgy" really does sum up a lot of Amazon's business practices to me. And I agree they're a necessary part of the market for authors who are self-publishing, even with all the hijinks, exactly because of their marketshare.