Flutterby™! : Google ebooks dropping bookstores

Ouch for the indie booksellers: Google cancels Powell's ebook contract, the rumor is that all of Google's electronic books partnering with independent bookstores will be similarly canceled.

I actually just bought my first Google e-book through their partnership with Copperfield's, but I understand completely: I like that we've got a local bookstore, but I'm eschewing physical books these days, and Copperfield's didn't really bring anything to the transaction: I found out about the book online, I had to jump through hoops to find the book in a way that credited them with the appropriate affiliate codes, and in the end both my actions and Google's were charity for a business model that's extraneous.