Part of what I liked about the e-book idea was just getting that format in place and getting people used to looking for longer form content on SN.

As you note, SN operates mostly for people looking for 5-10 minutes of thoughtful content. However, if we knew there was a trove of longer form entries, we (or entirely different people) might peruse those when we have the time available to do them justice.

I know k00b hates it, but I'm increasingly on board with letting OP's set fees to read and comment on their posts. It's not an accident that multiple business models exist on the market.