As E-books Spread around the World

I think this article makes a lot of points I've tried to make here and elsewhere. E-books will be the best thing for writers like myself in places outside of UK and USA. I was surprised though when the author of this article, Mike Shatzkin says,

"....One exception: I’d expect the poorest parts of the world to get to near-zero print faster than the developed world because, ultimately, distributing books electronically will be so much cheaper that printed books will become a relative luxury."

Near zero print? Are African writers and publishers paying attention? This should affect how we all proceed. I recently helped a friend with a publishing contract she received. My take right now is do not give e-rights away unless the publisher can prove to you they are on top of this curve, that they know how to market and sell ebooks. Most traditional publishers do not.

I think the biggest problem in developing countries regarding ebooks is devices. If someone can sort out a cheap e-reader I think the ebook market will explode. Internet availability is growing in leaps and bounds. Also if books could be bought through cellphones, this could solve the problem of the non-banked (credit card) population in developing countries.