The definition of "a rip-off".

I have an e-reader, and I love it. It's a Nook Color from Barnes and Noble, and it is a wonderful piece of technology. Reading on my Nook is my preferred way to read now. It's so handy to be able to find the definition of a word instantly or explore a topic or place further by searching it on Google. You can get a book that you want immediately instead of having to drive to the store or wait for it to arrive via mail. You can connect with other Nook owners and browse their virtual library and borrow books from them. And you can use the Nook like a cheap iPad: it has apps, games, and the Internet, of course. Like I said, I love it. :)

Some days though, I get mad at my Nook. -_-

Let me explain:
Last year I read a new novel written by a new author. I saw the book at B&N and it interested me so I bought it in hardcover form. I liked the story; the book ended with a cliffhanger so I was really hoping there would be at least a second book.

Two weeks ago I saw an article in the paper saying that the second book had just been released. Yes!!! I thought. Where can I get it? I checked Barnes and Noble's website for pricing, and they had both a hardcover copy and an e-book version. The printed copy was only $10.74, but the e-book was $9.99. ??? The e-version was almost as expensive as the bound and printed copy!!!

This happens so much that it has started to really irritate me. Why does an e-book have to be so outrageously priced? I'm pretty sure that all you're doing is taking the computer file of the book from the publisher and do some quick formatting to change it to a different type of file. Then you save that on the server. That's it. If you're eliminating all these people and equipment and materials that normally would be involved in the process of printing a book shouldn't the book logically be pretty cheap to produce? Why should I pay $10 for a digital copy when I can get a physical book to put on my physical shelf for only a dollar more?

In another instance, I tried to borrow a book from a Nook friend of mine. I put in my request, and a day later I got an email from Barnes and Noble saying, "You friend has already lent that book once, and books can only be lent one time." One time?! If I buy a book, even at $.50 book at a garage sale, I can lend that book to others an infinite number of times!
This has frustrated me so much that it has made me want to stop buying e-books. But guess what? I tried to find that book I wanted--the one that was $10.74--and no store in town had it. So I ended up buying the $9.99 e-version. o_O Once I started reading though I forgot about my grudge. I finally had my new book, and I could read it in a font size that was easy on the eyes, and I didn't have to worry about losing my place in the book, and I could look up new words, etc. I was happy again. ;-)