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Not sure I agree with the lack of substance idea. To me the substance of a book is the content, not the object. This has become much clearer to me since I started reading them on a screen.
Price, up to a point, is less relevant to me than the effort relative to the reward involved in reading a book. I've no problem paying $10 for something I enjoy versus 99 cents for something that is hard work. I know that I could probably get that $10 book for free illegally, but I'd feel uncomfortable. And that would take the edge off my enjoyment of the book.
Maybe that's just me. Maybe not. But, I suspect most people are happier to pay if they feel they're getting good value rather than live with a nagging conscience.
The problem is that getting good value is so difficult because media companies produce such a huge amount of dross in relation to the nuggets. Sure, some of this has to do with the audiences' personal tastes, but until this can be addressed by publishers of all types of media, piracy won't go away. I'd like a system whereby if I consume more than 50% of any medium I choose (be it film, book or music), I get charged, but if I give up before the halfway mark, I don't get charged.
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