Are We Relying Too Much on Book Publishers to Shape What Stories Reach Us?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how much influence book publishers have over the stories we end up reading. After talking to a friend who worked with Houston Book Publisher, I heard surprising things about how decisions are made behind the scenes. With so many book publishing companies in houston, it made me wonder are authors really in control, or are we only seeing what fits a certain mold? Have you ever felt like a great story got overlooked because it didn’t “fit the market”? What do you think?