This idea that ebooks are dramatically cheaper for publishers to produce is the single biggest problem they have.  Because the actual production and distribution of the paper books is not a huge cost component of the price of a book.  With the deals they were previously getting with amazon the distribution channel of ebooks could frequently be <i>more</i> expensive than their traditional book distribution channels, which have had many years to become more efficient.<p>The vast majority of the cost of the book is not in the production of the paper product, but in the production of the content of the book and the marketing of it.  This remains static regardless of the delivery vehicle, but is non-obvious to the consumer.<p>My big concern is that the consumers attitude about the price of books is going to lead to a world where it is impossible to maintain the current standards around content creation, and that the drive to the bottom in prices will mean much fewer opportunities for professional writers, editors and booksellers.  I believe that will be worse for me as a book consumer.