As an eBook author with numerous published titles, I face the same issues with piracy as a print author, except that my book is already in an easily downloaded form. This makes the pirate's job simpler. >.<
Although my royalties average 35-45% per book, depending on publisher and sales volume, eBooks are not printed and therefore advances are rare, and the royalties are paid as the books are downloaded. Some publishers pay quarterly, others monthly. To me, reading on a cell phone, PDA, an eBook reader or PDA is part of my everyday life. I can't imagine a trip across town on the bus or a wait in a doctor's office without having a dozen or more books at hand. I wouldn't carry that many books in my purse, but I can have dozens if not hundreds of eBooks (an entire library in some cases) in a small hand-held reader.
Those who haven't tried eBooks have no idea what they're missing. I never have to wait for the store to open, drive across town, or call around to see if it's in stock. I visit a publisher's online site when I want to read, pay anywhere from $2-$9 for a book, download it immediately, and within minutes, I'm snuggled on the couch reading my new book. I can also browse titles similar to what I just bought, see all the titles the author wrote, or even check out books by genre, "heat rating", and other categories. I've fallen in love with many new authors I wouldn't have known about otherwise.
Maybe I'm prejudiced since my books are all online (or in print on demand), but I think eBooks are the future. Sure, it's nice to have a paperback. I buy them all the time. I doubt they'll ever totally go away. As Sandra says, though, they may become harder to find. But never fear. Google is your friend. Type in your author's name and you'll find website, publisher, ISBN, blurbs, reviews... it's all there.
Also, try your favorite author's name as a URL, for example, www.sandrahill.net (I have yours bookmarked, Sandra!). Also go to the publis
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