Kindle book prices: another genius move

Take a book that I was interested in, "The Lords of Finance", by Liaquat Ahamed. This is a brand new book, very timely that I heard mentioned on TV.

Prices:

• Sample Chapter on "Kindle" (including Kindle on iPhone): $0. I read it and thought it was really good and was tempted to buy it. But I almost never buy hardcovers so normally I would wait for it to come out in paperback.


• Hardcover, List Price: $32.95


• Hardcover, Amazon price: $20.76


• EBook, for Sony Reader: $32.95. What??? If I have a Sony eBook Reader I pay FULL PRICE for the electronic edition of the book?


• Paperback edition: Not Yet Available. May never be.


• EBook for Kindle: $9.99!

I think this might again turn the publishing world upside down. Questions:

1. Will it cause publishers and printers to loose a bunch of money because people who normally buy hardcovers will by Kindle books instead?


2. Will it cause them to MAKE a bunch of money because people who never buy hardcovers now will buy Kindle books (as I am tempted to, with this particular book)


3. What is Sony thinking? I think they are running a huge free marketing program for Kindle. They convince someone to read books on a device, and once they do they see the huge amount of money they can save by doing it on a kindle and go buy one.

Genius?!