Yes, the company is doing it to survive, but it's also a double edged sword. With the success of ebooks, and books being downladed, comes the future of "book sharing sites", similar to music sharing sites. Find a title online, and download it FOR FREE!! The company loses out, the author loses out, and the reader gets the book no charge. I firmly believe the reason this hasn't caught on yet, is because Paperbacks are still affordable. If the Trade sized paperbacks go too high, and reading books online takes off, expect this to happen.
Also, more changes WILL take place. Yes, readership and sales are down, however there remains a few faithfuls. Some like myself and my wife, who have decided to join Leisure's Horror book club becuase of the fine works of art that the authors under their banner have been printing. Not to mention, that most of the time if someone recommends me an author, they're usually on the Leisure banner, and I buy both recently released, as well as past releases.
While I was typing this, my wife brought up a good point: How is a person going to buy a book online, basically under impulse from seeing an eye-catching cover? You pick it up, read the back of the book, and decide if it's something you'd want to read? It just won't have the same appeal as holding it in your hands, and reading it from cover to cover. My wife reads her books in the tub while she takes a bath and in a long soak, and yet usually doen't get the book wet. An amazing feat I know, but how is she going to do that with an E-reader? And, to the person who said about "buying smelly, and old books to capture the old releases", or something along those lines: Yes, the books may be smelly, and they may be old, but they were once read by someone, who loved it and decided to pass it on, so that you yourself, or someone else can read it, and enjoy it (unless you're like me and pretty much hoards his books, cause they're too damn good to let go of)
This is like my worst nightmare come true. I learned how to read before I knew how to walk. The future doesn't bold well for us faithful readers, but there's always yard sales, and used bookstores.
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