I really don’t understand hardcover publishing. There are just so few titles that I would ever consider buying in hardcover, but maybe that’s just me. Yet, I would be willing to try a $9.99 e-book of a new book that is currently only in hardcover, such as My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey.

E-books do offer the potential for tempting readers to try a book if the price of the e-book is significantly cheaper, which is the case when comparing to hardcover but not to paperback. Maybe for that reason alone, publishers might continue producing hardcover titles with low print runs but anticipating high rates of sales for e-books due to the perceived bargain factor, though I’m sure that plays havoc with trying to figure out an author’s advance.