What does a "book" really mean in the current era of online marketplaces that accept (and promote) self-publishing? A book is now just a differently formatted P

What does a "book" really mean in the current era of online marketplaces that accept (and promote) self-publishing? A book is now just a differently formatted PDF file. It's not that different from any web site. Calling something a book conveys no authority. In the past, getting a physical book into your local bookstore meant that someone had to spend money to physically print the book and have agreements with bookstores to physically put the book on their shelves. This threshold prevented garbage books from being made and distributed, because you had to convince someone to invest in the book and distribution. Of course, there were always self-published books available, but they wouldn't be in the same locations as other mass-market books. You could physically inspect the book and realize that it was lower quality. These AI generated books are the equivalent of a bunch of papers stapled together. The Amazon "bookstore" has become the same as any other "App store" - full of garbage, to prey on less discerning users and vulnerable to the same kinds of manipulation.