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It is easier to price that into the cost of the first sale since there is a known, finite number of printed copies. A digital copy can be infinite. It can be many places at once. It won't wear out as long as the format is kept current.
This is one of the reasons I think the publishing industry needs to change radically. They cannot possibly raise the price of the ebooks from where they are now to compensate for an increase in illegal downloading that will likely occur when ebooks become more popular. They will only lose customers. Right now, they're huge concerns that have power through their ability to be gatekeepers to the expensive print and distribution process. They've grown beyond what the new market will sustain. If the power shifts to the authors and they become professional services providing editing and marketing, then they can still make good money as smaller firms. (Yes, a lot of people will be out of work, especially those involved in the printing and print distribution chain. It's sad but that is a constricting industry and there's no helping it.) The author can retain the rights and control distribution. The reader will know they are directly taking away from the author if the download without paying. The price can remain attractively low. Some authors may opt to even accept payments after the fact from people who did download an unofficial copy and liked the book.
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