I’ve been saying for a while now that if publishers want to keep selling print books they should bundle ebook versions with them, be it a DVD with epub files in the book or, more practically, a code that can be used to download the book. This could be difficult to carry out in a bookstore — the code or DVD would have to be securely sealed in the book somehow to prevent theft of the information, or stored separately from the book. Say, behind the counter. But it’s pretty easy for publishers to do from their own website. Now ChiZine has announced they’re going to do just that. Here’s their release (and note the 30% discount more than covers the cost of shipping for print books):

CZP Offers Free eBook with Trade Paperback Purchases

Starting now, you will also receive the ebook for free when you order trade paperbacks via the CZP site. As always, we’re offering a 30% discount off the cover price of all trade paperbacks. Once you complete your order, you’ll have instant access to the ebook in EPUB, MOBI and PDF formats.

This might be the first publisher I start buying direct from.