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I think we look at the problem from an egocentric view. Ebooks are just gravy (at the start) for the publishers. If they sell great, if they don't they are not out anything.
IMO the true cost of the ebook for the publisher is reflected in the price. This is a clue to me that they are overcharging. The price is set partially by the motivation of the publisher to sell. They KNOW that if they priced the ebook lower it would sell more. Yet, they are not MOTIVATED to sell.
why?
I know from a personal perspective within the gun business (I sell OEM parts when I'm not teaching) that my motivation to sell a product I make is related to the cost of making my product. If I have a product that doesn't cost me much I am not as motivated to sell it as I would something that cost me a lot. From this perspective we know what the true cost of "publishing" an ebook is IMHO.
Therefore they can charge whatever they want. I think we are in a good old fashion Mexican standoff. We vote with our pocketbooks, but can we hold off until the prices are in line with the "value" of the book?
I also believe there is a balance between price and their cost for bandwidth, IT, etc. I don't know what it is, but I do know that it isn't what it is now.
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