Half the book? Maybe cut the book in half?

Chris Anderson on why he’s charging for the abridged AudioBook of “Free”, while the whole thing is, well, “free”:

“Why is the whole book free in audio form, but half the book is $7.49? Because, as the Audible.com listing explains,“Get the point in half the time! In this abridged edition, the author handpicked the most important and engaging chapters and points, cutting three hours from the length without losing key concepts. Time is money!”

To which I would add: “If I can get the point in half the time, why didn’t you just write less in the first place?”