Books and the Recession

I've been building these up, so the links may not be exactly...timely.

1. Ayn Rand's readership is now expanding beyond hipster teenage boys.
2. A couple weeks ago, all the major news outlets were touting this story. Romance sales are actually UP right now, so the time's ripe for my Civil War-era romance between a Yankee spy and a Southern belle. Now I just need a really great nom de plume.
3. Penguin's The Great Crash sold almost 20,000 copies in 2008 despite the fact it was published in 1969. Remember that whole "those who forget history are doomed to repeat it" saying? Well, those who wait until history cycles back to bite them in the ass are doomed to pay 2008 inflation prices for a book they wouldn't have even needed if they had just loaned it from the library back in 1969 and used the knowledge to avoid the current economic meltdown. Hindsight: It's 20/20.
   
4. More authors are being published in original trade paperback. I see no issue, except that my taste in expensive things now runs toward the literary as well: I bought three hardcover books this past month.
5. It looks like I'm not the only one overwhelmed by e-book pricing, but I'm interested in Harper Studio's initiative. I particularly like that you get a free e-book with the purchase of the hardcover; I think all publishers should be doing this. It seems like educational publishers are pricing e-books at 50% across the board, but they have more to gain in selling e-books (like cutting down on used textbook sales) than the trade publishers do.