imho, the publishing industry does not fit this pattern so neatly...
I mean, mp3's and d/ling music clearly represented improvements over previous media in terms of accessibility, applications, available content, usage (not to mention price
) etc...but the improvements of e-books over paper are not so obvious to me.
i've never curled up with an e-book ( i suppose i will someday)...but my library is right across the street, so accessiblity, choice in content, and price are not issues... i harbor no festering resentment over the current book publishing system...so i am hard pressed to see how i will be driven into the arms of e-publishing as i was with e-music.
i believe Stephen King tried an experiment last year by releasing a short story solely online...if i remember correctly (and i may not), it was not a great success.
from the author's point of view, the new economics might make sense..but from my own viewpoint as an avid end user, i see no incentive to encourage a different business model in the book biz.