It makes sense that ebooks can cost as much or more than the same print book. Publishers' current revenue model for ebooks is an extension of that for their pri

It makes sense that ebooks can cost as much or more than the same print book. Publishers' current revenue model for ebooks is an extension of that for their print books. These are colossal organizations. At the Startup School today Reid Hoffman (founder LinkedIn) talked about the ability for organizations to pivot. Small startups can easily pivot, these large corporations take time and money to change direction. Publishers have not changed their production processes to respond to ebooks. They have just added another step in the process. Would I pay more for an ebook than a print book? probably not. Most ebooks available have less features than a print book. Ebooks are portable, cant get wet, font can be resized, etc... Print books dont expire or change formats, I can share it with my buddy, and I can scribble in it. Unless the ebook costs less I probably wont get it. Does an ebook have to cost less than a print book? of course not. There are a lot of cool features an online text could have. Searching the book is just the beginning. Integrated audio, video, games could bring new life to stories. The author can continually update the text and interact with readers. The problem is ebooks dont have any of this stuff right now. Whether any of the large publishers innovates, or new companies rise, the future of publishing is through adding value to the digital texts. By adding value to the texts, the publishers can embrace open content allowing sharing and remixing of text. As the book marketplace moved online, barriers to publishing will also be removed. This will enable authors to receive a greater share for their work.