RE: "The Elusive E-book"

I agree with your last question wholeheartedly Joseph.
 
I consider myself an e-publisher. My books will never see paper or a printing press. I didn't get into e-publishing as a "back door" route to traditional publishing. I got into e-publishing because I think we should. The only reason I will buy a paper book is because it is not available as an e-book and the information is so important that I have to have it. Fiction, things read for pleasure, if it's not in e, then it's not for me.
 
The effects to the environment of cutting down trees, printing, ink, shipping, big box stores, etc. should be enough to see that we, as a species, can and do have a viable alternative in e-publishing.
The problem I see as a newcomer is overcoming the e-book format being treated as a throw-away commodity. It almost feels like the independent bookstores going up against the big box retailers.
 
Every e-publisher is a "small press" going up against the big guys. They've convinced us our product has no value except to serve as sales boosters to their paper presses. How did we get to this point? 
 
Why did it become okay for the idea of giving away e-books to become part of the status quo? 
 
Do our authors put in any less work? Do we as e-publishers not work just as hard to get our books in front of the buying public?
 
Granted, we have lower economies of scale since we don't have to physical create something and get it in the hands of readers but that doesn't mean we don't spend just as much time on attracting talent, book design, book editing and marketing. We've still got authors to pay and they still have families to feed.
 
Why/how did e-books become distant second cousins to paper books? And why aren't we, as e-publishers, trying to do something to change that?
 
I do not believe we should ever charge as much for an e-book as a paper book since we don't have the same financial obligations to get that book in the hands of reading customers. But e-books do have value. 
 
The people who write them deserve to be paid for their work, insights and creativity. As e-publishers, we deserve to make a living by providing quality reading material to any one who is interested.
 
We should stop acting and accepting the role big publishers are pushing us to accept. Or soon, we will end up like the small, independent book sellers of days gone by.
Aaron J. WalkerPublisher
http://www.walkbroadpublishing.com
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