The publisher handles the final editing and layout, the printing and the advertising and distribution. The final editing and layout is now relatively cheap as it can be done by an editor with an off the shelf PC for a few thousand dollars of pay. The advertising and distribution can be handled by the stores themselves, especially for electronic versions which don’t need trucks to haul them around. That leaves printing which isn’t needed for ebooks. So, just what value does the publisher add as a middleman?
I’d hoped the eReader boom would open up more books and formats, not cause exclusivity contracts with authors. No sane author would restrict the sale of his/her dead tree novels to one bookstore chain!
If you could buy a book direct from an independent author via ePub or PDR, at a cheaper price, I’d jump at it. Support the author directly, encourage them, and give them a better idea of what market they’re reaching for.
There is going to be a rapid-fire revolution in that industry and it will be fun to watch the self-anointed keepers of the gate take a fall.
It will also be interesting to see how this revolution affects the ease with which new authors gain market access.