Since kindle books are cheaper to create, store and deliver, and the fact that these books cost almost the same as the dead tree version, do the authors get a larger cut of the profits when a kindle book is sold compared to when a paper book is sold?
It probably depends on who the publisher is. I would imagine smaller publishers would probably give better deals as a way to entice talent, whereas larger publishers like Random House would probably have a much bigger paper-publishing business to support and couldn't afford more generous terms.
Any time you're using your new business to "support" the old business, you're doing it wrong. It should be the other way around - your old cash cow business should be used to support the new business that will take you forward.