The slow eBook adoption of many publishers, and especially of bookstores, is not surprising. For the publishers, monetizing an eBook, with the lack of overhead and reduced production costs, makes justifying print book sticker prices tough. For bookstores, well, it's pretty obvious why they wouldn't jump on the eBook wagon. But there has to be a way to keep bookstores alive, right? Bookstores aren't like traditional commerce storefronts, in that they represent a mindset, a way of life, and the best ones promote a sense of community. People don't just buy books there. People feel at home there. Which makes me believe that book shoppers haven't stopped shopping in brick and mortar stores because eBooks are so much more convienent and so much cheaper. I think book shoppers have stopped simply because bookstores aren't offering a "bookstore experience" for shoppers. If bookstores sold eBooks, I think readers who enjoy the bookstore experience…
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[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/calebjross/status/152575481391230976"] It could work. An online used book selling site, that also manufactures an eReader device, such as Barnes and Noble or the Amazon Marketplace, partners with publishers to provide kickbacks on used book sales in exchange for distribution rights of eBooks. Let’s call it UpgradeToEbook.Amazon.com. It would work like this: Here’s an example: Let’s say Bookseller_675 has a print copy of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. But he’d like to read it on his Kindle. It’s not in this reader’s best interest to purchase the book again. The publisher gets no new money. The book sales site gets no new money. The reader gets no eBook. What do to do? Bookseller_675 decides to sell the book on the Amazon Marketplace using the UpgradeToEbook.Amazon.com platform for $6. Amazon takes its cut (15%; $0.90), but for this transaction the seller agreed to kick an extra 35% to Amazon…