Recently, there have been a wide variety of posts on the web indicating the need to delay the release of eBooks so that the hardcover can have its moment with the consumer. I’ve heard both sides of the argument and tend to side with Seth Godin’s perspective that this is wrong-headed thinking.

If publishers delay eBook releases, this penalizes a dedicated channel of readers, and that cannot be a good thing in the long run. I understand the concern that the lower price points are placing on publishers, but it seems with all the PR and advertising surrounding the initial release of product, to not release the eBook at the same time represents a lot of lost sales.

We need to provide customers with the ability to choose their preferred format. O’Reilly suggests that we be mindful of product ubiquity. I would agree. The $9.99 price point isn’t sustainable forever, so it will be interesting to see how the eBook pricing war turns out.