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Frankly, I'm not so fussed that best sellers are $8, $10 or $12 since these volume books are used as "loss leaders" or, at any rate, low margin come-ons. The publishers (and authors) don't take a hit when Wal-mart charges $9 for a $24 best seller -- Wal-mart takes the hit. I want Amazon to continue to thrive so it can expand choice.
Where I would like to see savings are on the back catalogue items that should be considerably cheaper than trade paperbacks and lower than mass paperbacks. These are the "disposable" reads -- like Erle Stanley Gardner, Agathe Christie or Ross Macdonald. These books ought to be repackaged at $2.99 and $3.99 not $6.99 or $8.99. Just as they have done before, they can be brought out every few years in "new cover editions" and then discontinued for a time before returning again. Book stores can continue to carry selected paper editions and trade editions for the fans and collectors.
The magic of iTunes was getting people to pay for things they could quite easily steal. We all hear about the 99¢ price point but the album price is still $10 -- just like in the stores. You can't sell chapters of a book -- I grant that -- but a robust back catalogue at a realistic price with no-brainer purchase process will discourage the development of a no-brainer piracy movement.
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