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Maybe in 5-10 years the hands taking their cut from the consumer to the author (and there are a lot) can be trimmed down or removed. I would much rather pay a more fair price if I knew it was going to the person who actually wrote the book. I get the feeling, like mp3's, most authors see little if any of ebook profits. Unfortunately, there is little reason for them to reinvest a fresh revenue stream and instead look at it as bonus money.
Just imagine if we bought books directly from authors websites (or book portals), who sub contracted copy editors and other facets of their craft as they saw fit instead of the other way around.
I've recently bought some older used books (particular editions) online that I've been meaning to get. While I finally got my books, I do feel a little bad the author won't see a dime. If I could send a paypal donation off to them, I would.
But to get back on track with the OP, I agree, current ebook design is in a real mess. I find myself editing and proofing books now as I read them. I write down all the errors and fix them during my lunch break. So the next time I read the book, it will be fixed. We may have to wait for electronic sales rise enough that people can put pressure to have more proofing done.
From what I've seen of Google books, I shudder at the mess they are in. Now, that's a place where some money needs to be put into fixing all that content up.
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