The response also depends a lot on the location
I used to live in France, where purchasing book from the like of Amazon is fast and easy.
Amazon.fr also had a large selection of english language book, and if a book was not available I just ordered it on Amazon.Co.uk
Free shipping encouraged impulsive buy of new books from unknown author. There was also big bookstore in every mall where I used to look for new author to discover.
Now I relocated to Mexico, and here buying paper books is much more difficult. Even though I live in a big city, there are only a few small bookstore. Ordering on Internet is not possible , and ordering internationally a hassle. Books are more expensive too. It's sad as most people don't read books at all. I suspect this is the situation in many countries in the world.
So if a book I pick from some author I don't know is not available as an ebook, I will pass on it. I don't know what I am missing after all
The only exception is for the many authors that I like a lot. I follow their works and keep tab on what they are publishing (today it's really easy as many author have a blog).
If theirs new books are not available as an Ebook I will eventually read it as a paper book, either by borrowing it or buying it the next time I go to the US or to Europe
