One thing I often talk about in my business is that an eBook is not like a print book: it's very, very different. It's organic. It's changing.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
It's easier to release an ebook than a print book.
I've been saying for years that readers want inexpensive ebooks.
Remember that just because major publishing is having trouble, that doesn't mean people have stopped reading books. Printed books won't go away, but ebooks won't go away, either.
Authors can easily produce ebook versions of novels and shorter work which publishers don't own.
Electronic distribution is more of a fall-back strategy for putting out a book that isn't deemed profitable enough to print. You hardly make any money publishing an electronic book.
Together, Amazon and I are giving readers what they want - inexpensive, professional ebooks.
In my view, the ebook world for both established and new authors is a terrific new and exciting format. It is a format that will bring forth many new writers to publishing.
Paper publishers are doing everything they can to slow the transition to eBooks because, in a digital world, paper publishers' high hardback margins essentially disappear.
Authors will make far more on those ebooks through direct sales than publishers are offering. There is no incentive for authors to sell those rights to traditional publishers which means, in the fairly short term, publishers run out of material to sell.
I've never read an ebook. Print every time.