why do ebooks cost as much as books?!?

They usually cost less EXCEPT for a few greedy publishers (generally the same ones that colluded with Apple to set ebook prices higher). I won't buy the ebooks of the greedy publishers. If I really want to read that book, I will buy a used hardcover and the publisher will get nothing.

Fortunately I don't care much about major publisher bestsellers or the latest popular book so I rarely run into an ebook I want that is too expensive. I get tons of low cost ebooks. But you can also find deals on bestsellers from the not-greedy publishers. Like this - FIVE BOOK boxed ebook set of Game of Thrones - $20 - great deal.

http://www.amazon.com/George-Martins-Thrones-5-Boo...

Most don't, but the ones that do, the publisher set the price (the retailers aren't allowed to discount) so that people like you will think, "Sod that, I'll buy the paper version instead." The publishers control the print market, but don't control ebooks (as much) and they're terrified that if they lose control of print, it'll be game over for them, because all the authors will just self-publish on Amazon.

EDIT: That wasn't quite what I should've said. Publishers aren't worried about losing control of print. They're worried that if they allow Amazon to discount ebooks as much as they'd like to, print will become irrelevant, because almost everyone will buy ebooks instead of paper. This worries them because (1) they think they'll make less money that way and (2) print distribution is now the only thing they can offer an author that he can't get cheaper or free somewhere else. (Cheaper in the sense that he doesn't have to give up as much future revenue to get it. Amazon pays authors royalties of 70% of retail on ebooks, whereas publishers pay 25% of net, which works out to about 15% of retail.)

1) Nearly every book I have ever looked up on Amazon the download costs less than the print copy, so your base assumption needs to be questioned.

2) Marketing and staffing costs are higher than printing and distribution.

3) I know several authors. They are paid less for ebook purchases than for paper book purchases. Whether they should less or the same is a not a matter I've managed to figure out what my stance should be. It figures into both points above.

A lot of the costs of a book have nothing to do with the paper and ink and transportation. The author has to be paid, as do the editors, publicity people, etc. Servers have to be powered and maintained to deliver the book to us. Anyway, ebooks DON'T usually cost as much as a printed book.

They usually cost less

Just because you download it doesn't mean it should be cheap. It's still a product that they have to sell. It's not greed, it's a business that has to make a profit to survive

One - they don't.

Two - the author gets a proportion of the price of each book. Why should s/he be paid a lot less for the e version, as it's the same book and took the same amount of effort to write?

They still have to pay for security, promotion, authors, digital delivery services, etc. Really, it isn't all about the paper.

I usually pay less for e-books than physical books, even with bestsellers.

They have to charge so much for the digital copy because you'll just share it with others.

They usually don't.