Though there aren't as many as there used to be, MIlwaukee has a couple of different book stores. However in their obsession with DRM, one author argues that they are simply repeating the same mistakes as the music industry: handing the keys to a single competitor to dominate the digital space.
Techdirt has a story that shows this is happening again with eBooks. Amazon has largely gained their dominance with Kindle because of their DRM policies, and has two authors speaking out against the policy. Author Joe Wikert actually sums up the entire argument against DRM in one sentence: "Some publishers don't want to hear this, but the truth is that DRM can be hacked. It does not eliminate piracy."
Charlie Stross makes a similar argument, but takes it another step. Amazon has been poaching authors from publishers. This is akin to the guy you're asking to throw you a life preserver taking the boat back to shore and stealing your car. You're still gonna die, but he's made himself rich in the process.
Say what you will about iTunes, but for a few years there they were the only game in town. If you were into more obscure music, you were fine. Pop music fans, however, had to go with iTunes. This was because iTunes had the DRM that the music industry insisted would save them from Napster. Steve Jobs was more than happy to take a stand against this, but not until this stance had given his company a sizable chunk of the market.
iBooks and Google Books are trying to build credible competitors to the Amazon ecosystem. Barnes and Noble, responsible themselves for an earlier change in the power balance of publishing, has the most credible Kindle competitor, but they use their own DRM scheme. iBooks has DRM, so even if Apple does challenge Amazon there isn't going to be a big change.
What publishers should do is provide DRM-free ebooks, and include codes to them in print books. Then support every small bookstore in the country with a steady stream of author events and every form of promotion you can find. Especially if Amazon wants to be the platform and the publisher, big publishers will have to get smart before they lose the market altogether.
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