Google is finally launching Google Editions, a long-awaited e-book service that will either change the game or fail miserably. Just as most Google services, Google Editions focuses on being able to access your e-books anywhere. You can buy the books from Google or from third-party retailers and access them across all your screens (browser, smartphone, tablet, etc.)
The long-delayed venture—Google executives had said they hoped to launch this summer—recently has cleared several technical and legal hurdles, people close to the company say. It is set to debut in the U.S. by the end of the year and internationally in the first quarter of next year, said Scott Dougall, a Google product management director.
This is a pretty big departure from the way e-books are sold by the likes of Amazon and BN and could also change the lives of e-book publishers. Details of how money will change hands are unknown, but having your content being marketed by a huge search engine has its perks.
“Google is going to turn every Internet space that talks about a book into a place where you can buy that book,” says Dominique Raccah, publisher and owner of Sourcebooks Inc., an independent publisher based in Naperville, Ill. “The Google model is going to drive a lot of sales. We think they could get 20% of the e-book market very fast.”
via WSJ