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I'm going to play Devil's, I mean, publishers' advocate here. There is a thread on MR about pbook vs ebook and it seems many people here hardly read any pbook novel anymore. Rare is the person who reads even half of novels on paper. I haven't read any pbook novel in years. I'm a special case since I'm handicapped and ebooks are just so much easier for me to deal with. However I suspect most people like the convenience regardless of needs. If ebooks are priced the same as hardcovers when new and paperbacks when released, I think most e-reader owners will keep right on buying them. The cost does not matter (ebooks have upfront costs too, it's the marginal cost that is zero). It's not how much it costs the publishers, it's not even the market value or resale value or sentimental value or whatever, it's how much it's worth to YOU.
I think the publishers should be free to price books however they please, set the same price for all sellers if they want, and see what happens with their sales. It's not like they have virtual monopoly like the cable companies.
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