Google Set to Launch Online E-book Store

Image representing Amazon Kindle as depicted i...
Image via CrunchBase

Google is set to release its online e-book store, Google Editions, later this year. Unlike the Amazon Kindle and Apple iBookstore, digital books in Google Editions will not be tied to a specific device so that readers will be able to access books in the device with a different approach from what most are currently used to.

Perhaps, the edge that Google will have over its rivals is in its vast selection of materials. The organisation currently has a collection of over 12 million e-books, both in-print and out-of-print. Furthermore, there is the prospect of a fierce battle between the current players in the electronic books market, such as Amazon and Apple. This is as a result of the plan to make digital books from Google Editions readable on any Web enabled device such as mobile phones, notebooks, tablets, laptops and desktop computers instead of being tied to a single device.

Although Google is yet to reveal how much it will charge users to access the e-books in Google Editions, this announcement will definitely cause a huge stir in the market particularly Amazon, which currently holds about 90% share of e-books business today. However, whatever the result of the looming competition, it is the readers who might benefit most from it. In addition, there could be an increase in sales as more people could become interested in e-books and start buying.

8 thoughts on “Google Set to Launch Online E-book Store

  1. Google always does some different in every product which makes it smarter then its competitors. I think its a good idea to make books platform independent, it will be an advantage.

  2. I hope this will make the competition tighter which I think will benefit us since they will be reducing the charges (I hope)…

  3. This is an entirely new ecosystem, that allows retailers and affiliates, and publishers become part of the e-book selling process for the very first time. Google will likely have thousands of booksellers and web marketers on behalf of its service. Is this a smart move on Google’s end? Yes indeed.

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