There was a big article in the Wall Street Journal this morning (on page B1) about downward price pressure on the big New York houses by the indies, and said basically what I said on Contra in the April 5 entry you cite here. Key to the whole business appears to be social networking, which is how word of mouth happens these days.

As to how many writers can make money this way, well, it's hard to know. I'm still thinking about that. Writers who write only a little may be at a disadvantage, no matter how good their material may be.

Still, let's all remember that the field is in its infancy, and we're still inventing the basic mechanisms. Fasten your seat belts. It's gonna be an interesting ride.