[spindlegirl]

I think the people who find the line about e-books being "as much" in cost hard to swallow are the ones who actually own both and have had to distribute both to other people at any given time.

I've e-mailed copies of "Oliver Twist" to everyone who has ever wanted it. I've physically mailed copies of the same to a couple people. Those physical copies are gone. I still have Oliver Twist sitting in my Calibre. Funny that. I can still send the book to an infinite amount of people. I don't have to go on a bus, write "book" on the customs form, tick "gift", boom, email and it's done.

Yes, the costs of producing the original story didn't just make themselves. But they copy themselves quite handily. I didn't even write or produce Oliver Twist, yet I possess the power to spam everyone in the world with it. Who wants to give me a Thousand hardcover copies of Oliver Twist for free?

All the sob stories in the world about how the creation of the book is the same don't change the fact that with electronic media, all the work is front loaded.

However there is still plenty of time to brainwash the young.