So what took so long? Getting it right, Turvey said, a complex task given the program's many moving parts. "But at least we can offer e-books to customers who want them, rather than having them go somewhere else."Īfter scores of presentations, meetings, press reports and roadshows at book fairs and conferences around the world, the eventual launch date of Google eBooks had been a hot topic of discussion in the book world, a topic that heated up even more after a PW-sponsored panel discussion in May, when a Google representative suggested the program would launch over the Summer. "We're not going to make a living from e-books," Tucker said.
While some booksellers have voiced concern over the search giant's push into books, Michael Tucker, co-founder of San Francisco-based independent bookseller Books Inc., and president of the ABA, told the San Francisco Chronicle that the program puts indies "on a level playing field" with Amazon and Apple. The last thing we wanted was to reduce thousands of points of presence on the book retail side to three or four. “We specifically designed the program so indies could leapfrog into the e-book game without having to invest a lot of upfront costs beyond the time to integrate our platform and make sure its working properly," Turvey said. Tom Turvey, director of strategic partnerships for Google, told PW the alliance with the ABA and independent booksellers was a critical part of Google's e-book vision. At or shortly after launch, indie stores will begin to roll out their own customizable Google eBook storefronts, including stores participating through a partnership with the American Booksellers Association. The price for titles from agency publishers will be set by the publishers, and the the price for non-agency publishers will be set by the seller, meaning that Google will set the price for books in the Google eBookstore, and "resellers" will set the price in theirsĪs for resellers, the program envisions a key role for independent booksellers, who can host and sell Google's eBooks on their Web sites, a move that makes sense both for Google, which despite its dominant online search presence lacks the retail experience of its competitors, and for indie bookstores, who can now get into the e-book game without having to build and maintain their own expensive platforms. Google officials say its pricing "will be competitive," with other e-book ventures, and will accommodate the agency model if desired.
#GOOGLE EBOOK PDF#
Readers can store and access their e-book libraries on cloud-based personal bookshelves accessible through their Google accounts, and can also download DRM-protected ePub or PDF files directly to their computer or other device for use offline. Although it is currently limited to the U.S., Google will roll out international editions of Google eBooks beginning in early 2011. Announced over two years ago, the program launches just in time for the 2010 holiday season, with roughly 4,000 participating publishers. Because it is an open platform, Google eBooks will also be accessible on any e-reader that is based on an open platform, like ePub, including, the Sony Reader and the B&N Nook. Google's cloud-based e-books can be accessed and read anywhere, on any device with a modern, HTML5-enabled browser, whether desktop computers, laptops, netbooks, tablets, or via apps for iPhones, iPads, and Android-powered smartphones.
#GOOGLE EBOOK ANDROID#
It also includes a Google web reader, and apps for both Apple and Android devices, which are available for free. The launch includes a redesigned Google Books page, featuring both a store where consumers can find and buy e-books, and a research option for those who wish to search and use the repository. Rebranded from its original moniker, Google Editions, Google eBooks overnight becomes the largest e-book provider in the world, at least in terms of its offerings, launching with nearly three million books available for purchase or download, including “hundreds of thousands of e-books” available for purchase and over two million public domain titles available for free. After months of anticipation, Google today launched its long-awaited cloud-based e-book program, Google eBooks.
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