Bookstores return about thirty-five per cent of the hardcovers they buy, and publishers write off the cost of producing those books.

NEWYORKER: Publish or Perish

Traditionally, publishers have sold books to stores, with the wholesale price for hardcovers set at fifty per cent of the cover price.

NEWYORKER: Publish or Perish

Enhanced e-books likely would be available for sale simultaneously with the hardcovers.

WSJ: Publisher in Talks With Apple Over Tablet

Remember the Christmastime price war on best-selling hardcovers?

FORBES: Publishers Care More About "Other" Than About E-books

Twenty percent off on new hardcovers!

FORBES: A Farewell to Borders

The company said that since the debut of its U.K. Kindle store, Amazon now sells more Kindle books than hardcover books in the U.K. Since April 1, Amazon customers are buying Kindle books over hardcovers at a rate of better than 2-to-1.

FORBES: Amazon Says Now Selling More E-Books Than Print Books

In recent years, however, the act of reading has undergone a rapid transformation, as devices such as the Kindle and iPad account for a growing share of book sales. (Amazon, for instance, now sells more e-books than hardcovers.) Before long, we will do most of our reading on screens lovely, luminous screens.

WSJ: How E-Readers Change the Way We Read | Head Case by Jonah Lehrer