DRM and writers

Taken from coverage of Steve Jobs' wish to rid the music world of DRM.

The thing with DRM and the internet is essentially split on two sides. One is that hardware makers want the world to use their devices as much as possible. The other is that the media owners want to earn some money by actually getting paid. The argument with music in particular is increasingly becoming one of focussing on tangibles instead of media. Just as the freely viewable music video essentially became the driver for the sales of albums, so the cheap (or free if you're inclined to pirate) music files become the driver for sales of concert tickets. Subscription to rental services and such also cover the gap for video, which will likely continue to do well.

My problem is where exactly does this logic go for writers. Once the world has finally cottoned onto e-book readers (and it's only a matter of time) or other similarly handy devices, writers are in real trouble. While book sales afford good money for some, and some are making their way with self-help blogs, news sites, ads and the like (except for successful screenwriters, who can make a fortune), fiction writers in particular look likely to be boned in the new world order. Why?

Well, simply put, there is nothing easier in this world to copy than a text file. Whether it be the Lord of the Rings, Ulysses or Aesop's fables, text is easy peasy to pass around. Tiny file sizes, standard character sets, the works. It's a serious worry for many I would imagine because writers don't tend to spin a lot of income out of performances, nor subscriptions, and information kinda wants to be free. When sitting on a simple-to-use reader, it really will be free. What happens after that?

Any ideas?