scott kelby's is great. there are a couple in the national library, one released by adobe i believe. trust me, anything written by scott kelby is worth a read. check out his photoshop cs3 for photographers too.
aperture priority most of the time unless i wanna apply some creative effect by varying the shutter speed. i usually adjust iso to ensure shutter speed does not fall too low when hand holding. :)
its a free market. prices are determined by demand and supply. photographers who are really good should not have to worry about newbies nipping at their heels because the quality of their works should speak for themselves.
instead of complaining about people undercharging, save your effort...