The publishers and record labels are doing the same thing they were before - curation and editing. The book printers & CD burners are out of the mix, but they were never that expensive anyway. There are still fixed costs associated with a book (editor) or an album (studio time), not to mention the marketing costs.
Are they worth 35% of the profit? I don't think so. But probably more than 0%. I personally think it should be 70% author, 20% publisher, 10% Amazon.
Are they worth 35% of the profit? I don't think so. But probably more than 0%. I personally think it should be 70% author, 20% publisher, 10% Amazon.