Quote:
Originally Posted by tompe
If you consider books like food, that is something you read and throw away why should you buy a new book of something you already have read?
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Sure, but a lot of people consider books to be something to keep, and re-read later... if they're good. Many of those would conceivably want to buy a legitimate e-book, especially if it was better formatted and edited than a pirated copy, or if it included some added value, like pictures or glossaries, etc. (Whether a Rowling book is worth keeping, by that reckoning, is up to you.)
Jon, not that I'm questioning you, but is there any substantiated evidence of your suggestion? Having a source of evidence wouldn't hurt. For the publishers, though, I believe it's simply a lack of desire to spend the extra time (and money) to convert e-books, without a reliable expectation of return on investment, that is keeping them out of the market. So, even though there is piracy that they could nip in the bud with their own legit e-books, they don't consider it worth the investment to them to do so. Maybe success in the Kindle market will change that opinion.