That is not a problem with kindle, but with author's contracts. As far as I know, most of the time they are paid in advance, and the 0.5 cents are just extra.
What would be really cool is if Amazon would let authors publish through them directly on kindle. This will probably happen at some point, when the market in e-readers becomes substantial, though it may not be Amazon who does it. But for the time being that would upset the publishers too much to be worth it (for Amazon at least). And when it does happen, be prepared to witness RIAA vs Napster all over again. They will do anything to keep this from happening, including banning for life any authors who publish directly on an e-medium. Just remember the recent "read-out-loud" incident with Kindle...
What would be really cool is if Amazon would let authors publish through them directly on kindle. This will probably happen at some point, when the market in e-readers becomes substantial, though it may not be Amazon who does it. But for the time being that would upset the publishers too much to be worth it (for Amazon at least). And when it does happen, be prepared to witness RIAA vs Napster all over again. They will do anything to keep this from happening, including banning for life any authors who publish directly on an e-medium. Just remember the recent "read-out-loud" incident with Kindle...