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(haven't read this entire thread, so apologies if I repeat anyone)
To echo a bit what Andrew H. is saying, I believe the publishing industry would do well to try to emulate the success of iTunes (given we have Apple to blame for the high eBook prices, this is slightly ironic). How? Make the experience as pleasant:
--"impulse buy" level prices. Something like 9.99 for new releases, 4.99 otherwise.
--DRM-free, watermarking only.
--iTunes makes no distinction between what I have bought on CD, on Amazon, or from them. It's just one library, anywhere I go. I like that. Consumers like that. It's harder to achieve a similar "all digital" library without rebuying or resorting to piracy (although personally, I have no qualms pirating a book that I've bought on paper.) To fix this, publishers should:
--include codes for the digital version with all physical books, similar to what the movie industry does.
--In cooperation with Amazon, introduce "Amazon Match," ala iTunes Match, for books. (Maybe call it Whispersync Pro). Users pay Amazon $24.99 a year, a large portion of which goes to the publishers. Your entire eBook library (pirated or not) gets scanned. Now, you have Kindle versions of all your books that sync automatically to all your devices.
Irrespective of what the publishers do, Amazon (and other eReader companies) should:
--Polish the hell out of their e-ink readers so they are as pleasant to use as iPods. Hardware is getting there, but the software could use work. Hire some UI talent.
--Make Mac & PC software similar to iTunes. I should be able to buy Kindle books from the app, create Collections effortlessly, and sync my local library over wifi. The app should make no distinction between non-Kindle and Kindle books.
However, simply emulating iTunes is not enough. Books are closer to movies in that we usually consume them only once. Owning is not as compelling. A Netflix-esque subscription service would fix this problem. (Apple doesn't have this for their movies, which is why it's not nearly as a success as music. That, and the prices are too high.)
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