The whole issue about who has the rights to the electronic editions is apparently still up in the air. According to the Times article, “Many authors and agents say that because the contracts for older books do not explicitly spell out electronic rights, they reside with the author. Big publishing houses argue that clauses like ‘in book form’ or phrases that prohibit ‘competitive editions’ preclude authors from publishing e-books through other parties.”
Another element in this story is the effort by major publishers to curb the growing power of Amazon in the marketing of books. Stay tuned for later developments.