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Everything about this market is new. Amazon already reports selling more ebooks than paperbooks. Authors are self publishing their old bestsellers that were out of print - for a third of the price of the new bestseller. You think that doesn't matter?
All the sudden, a book never goes out of print and is always instantly available via download? You don't think increased and constant availability of every book that is being published doesn't have a downward pressure on price?
Bestseller lists? US Today already includes eBooks. The New York Times will next year. The NY Times Hardback fiction list is currently the gold standard, will it be in five years? I don't know. Ask Karen McQuestion if she thinks that is important.
Even in airports, where travelers were always pretty much locked into what the shops had available to sell, usually at full list price .... all of the sudden now a book buyer has options. She is no longer a captive buyer. Don't want to buy a $15 book and don't like any of the paperbacks on that rack --- pull out the Kindle and find thousands of other choices.
The old model of publishing is on its last legs. Businesses who refuse to change as their market changes die.
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