Bestsellers as a Pay-to-Play Weapon

Pt 2 2025 has revealed a deeper rot in the publishing world because the "Bestseller" label isn't just

a marketing gimmick anymore it’s a weaponized financial tool used to suppress original voices.

While my last video broke down how the numbers are faked, we have to look at the "Pay-to-Play"

ecosystem that keeps this alive: the "co-op" fees where publishers literally rent shelf space

at the front of stores to create an illusion of popularity before a single customer even walks

in. This creates a "feedback loop of mediocrity" where the industry only bets on "safe"

sequels or celebrity memoirs because they can guarantee the ROI through these manipulated

lists, effectively starving out the next generation of revolutionary thinkers who don't