In the publishing world, there are many middlemen involved. To name a few, you start with the author, then there may be a literary agent who “helps” the writer present or sell the work to publishers. The publishing house is another party involved, and finally, there are the bookstores.

This is what always astonished me... and made my Bitcoiner-self/get-rid-of-the-middleman contrarian go, haaang on a minute, that doesn't seem right or useful...