This report from NPR talks about how publishers are finding it difficult to increase profit margins during times when e-readers and cheap books are the main business model. A solution to this comes in the form of a hybrid book. These books would have a DVD packaged with the book that includes extras that the book doesn’t have:
The idea is interesting in that it provides a bridge between the e-book and print copies (both come with “Illuminations”), and gives booksellers on the frontlines more ammunition to use when trying to push physical books.
This doesn’t seem to narrow the e-reader/physical divide. People who want to buy an e-book are casual readers who typically don’t care for the extras in the first place. People who already prefer books may find this appealing, but e-reader customers probably will look past these books like the $4.99 bin of DVDs at Wal-Mart.