This is a great article but it’s not about the future of books - it’s about the failure of the industry to realise they need to change. Throughout this piece what leaps out is how defensive and clueless the book execs are. There’s a telling quote from an O’Reilly exec (who to be fair do get it and are doing something sensible).

“Nothing is stopping publishers from putting apps for books on iPhones”

These guys could have been publishing on the platform at prices they control for years now - yet they’ve chosen to complain and try to prop up the bookstores that - currently - provide a big chunk of their revenue.