I think the industry is ignoring ideas like micropayments, donations, short-term rentals, and similar. The average reader wants a centralized repository of kno

I think the industry is ignoring ideas like micropayments, donations, short-term rentals, and similar. The average reader wants a centralized repository of knowledge with a smart search engine. They may not always want to buy the whole book. But hundreds may want to read something relevant and even pay for it. The publishers should notice all this and collaborate with one another to provide what people want. Instead, they lock up their books in silos, expect separate registrations and logins, demand annual subscriptions upfront, or require university accounts to access. It seems short-sighted to me. Spreading knowledge doesn't appear to be part of their balancing act at all half the time.