Amazon’s recent decision to ban and then reinstate the dystopian novel “Camp of the Saints” has reignited a long-simmering debate about the company's stranglehold on America’s book market. The move, which the company dismissed as an “error,” exposed a deeper structural problem: Amazon wields near-total control over what gets published and sold in the United States.
A Monopoly in Plain Sight
Amazon controls more than 50% of physical book sales and an estimated 80% of the eBook market. That dominance gives it an effective veto over the publishing industry. As Canadian politician Jason Kenney noted, “A ban by Amazon is a virtual ban of book sales and distribution.” Publishers, knowing that a book blacklisted by Amazon loses access to half the market and nearly all digital sales, are unlikely to take risks on controversial titles.
The incident involved “Camp of the Saints,” a 1970s novel by French philosopher Jean Raspail that depicts mass migration overwhelming Western institutions. While Amazon sells many books that are objectively more offensive—including Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” and the Unabomber’s manifesto—the company flagged this title as an “offensive product.” After public outcry, Amazon restored it, calling the removal a mistake.
But the pattern is telling: such “accidental” removals rarely target left-wing titles. The real issue, however, is not bias. It is power.
The Case for Antitrust Action
The Sherman Antitrust Act, the bedrock of U.S. competition law, prohibits monopolization or attempts to monopolize any part of interstate commerce. The Federal Trade Commission defines monopoly as having “significant and durable market power,” noting that courts typically find it when a firm controls more than 50% of a product’s sales. Amazon easily clears that bar.
The act has been used to dismantle giants like Standard Oil in 1911 and the Bell System in 1982, the latter under President Ronald Reagan. Both the Trump and Biden administrations have pursued antitrust cases against Google. A similar effort targeting Amazon’s book business would have bipartisan precedent.
“The federal government has the power to do something about this,” argues Anthony J. Constantini, policy director at the Bull Moose Project. He suggests that, rather than breaking up all of Amazon, the government could follow the Bell System model and split its book sales into regional companies. Such a legal battle would be lengthy, likely extending into the next administration, but both parties have reasons to support it.
What’s at Stake
Amazon’s market power has already chilled publishing. In 2020, a coalition of major publishers warned that Amazon’s actual print market share may exceed 50% and urged federal intervention. Authors who have been banned face difficulty getting published, as publishers fear losing access to Amazon’s massive distribution network.
This isn't just about one book. It’s about whether a single corporation should have the power to decide which ideas can reach the American public. As the “Camp of the Saints” episode shows, that power is already being exercised—sometimes mistakenly, but always without accountability.
The word for that is “monopoly.” And the remedy is long overdue.
