Seems kind of short sighted. The books keep a solid core of fans engaged and act as the creative engine from which the other IP (movies, tv, etc) stems. It would be better to view the publishing arm as either a loss leader or a marketing expense.
Yes. It’s a shortsighted company at the reins, with no real understanding of how to take advantage of what they have.
Disney seems to be the only American company that understands the value of storytelling.
Yes, even their theme parks: Contrast to something like Great Adventure, and (one) major difference is that each of their "rides" isn't just, say, the application of inertia to the human body-- instead, each ride tells a story. To cliche, they are not rides, they are "experiences". Disney gets this.