Reedsy Learning pointed out in a blog post that there is an easy way of publishing at Google Play. It may also allow you to publish there even if they are not taking on new accounts. The answer is to publish through a distributor or aggregator – PublishDrive. PublishDrive DO have an existing account and can publish at Google Play AND they’ve solved the Amazon discounting problem by dynamically adjusting the book price.
If you haven’t seen Reedsy Learning’s post, which is full of other useful hints and tips on distributing your books, check it out here. They are well worth subscribing to.