(Hoping that this thread is not going too far off topic...) I think its about time that publishers bit the bullet & forgot about the usual hardback release followed a year later by a paperback. Go for paperback/ebook/high quality hardback simultaneous release (sorry to bang on about the Folio society but if you look here you can see how a publishing company can produce high quality books at a decent price - between £25-£50 in most cases, & so much less than the HC 'collector's' editions. Leave the mass market hardback out altogether.
http://www.foliosociety.com/pages/crafting-fine-books - ). That way the collectors can go for decent books & the general reader can get hold of the text straight away at an affordable price. If Folio can do it at that price so can HC.