The publishing world's on-again, off-again relationship with e-books continues, with Harper deciding to split the release of Sarah Palin's memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life." Palin fans can get the print version Nov. 17 at a list price of $28.99; the e-book won't be released untril Dec. 26. Brian Murray, CEO of HarperCollins, told the Wall Street Journal that it's too early to tell whether e-books are cannibalizing hardcover sales. "This is the first time we're trying this, and we'll see what we learn. The publishing plan is focused on maximizing velocity of the hardcover before Christmas, at a time when hardcover sales in the industry are down 15%."

Earlier this month, publishing's schizophrenic nature became clear as Ted Kennedy's memoir, "True Compass" was released in print, but not in an e-book. Meanwhile, Dan Brown's blockbuster "The Lost Symbol" came out in both versions simultaneously; the publisher later said that about 5 percent of sales in the first week were from e-books.

It's a time of great concern for publishers, as they try to judge the impact of $9.99 ebooks and preserve profits from print editions that generally sell for $20 and up. But considering the minimal production and distribution costs of e-books, there must be a way to "maximize velocity" (are they publishing books or building weapons?) and make them pay off -- even with piracy concerns.