So what happens when authors start having to account for these new revenue strategies? My best guess: multiple versions of the story — B&N gets copies of my book where Andrea uses a Nook; on Amazon, she has a Kindle; on iBooks, she has an iPad. Copies being sold through Amazon have her using an Oster blender; copies sold through Apple have a Hamilton Beach unit; if the book should show up in Nordstrom’s, maybe it’s a Cuisinart. To hell with artistic integrity — if I want to sell my book to the most people possible, I have to change the character so she uses the right products to fit the market where I’m hoping the book will be sold.
My latest article on Escape Pod is Product Placement: the Next Generation, which asks: what happens when the company selling your e-book has a revenue sharing deal with the competitor of a product your characters use?