Google to launch eBook store this year

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the company unveiled its plans at an event in New York, and was sponsored by the Book Industry Study Group. The company is also reportedly attempting to take on these companies with a tablet/eReader device of its own.

Google has said it will allow users to buy digital copies of books they discover through its search service, and will also allow other retailers to sell "Google Editions" of books on the company's sites. A pricing model is still being negotiated.

"This levels the retail playing field," Evan Schnittman, vice president of global business development for Oxford University Press told the WSJ. "And as a publisher, what I like is that I won't have to think about audiences based on devices. This is an electronic product that consumers can get anywhere as long as they have a Google account."

Google is currently arguing in court that it should have the right to distribute millions of books currently out-of-print.

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written by gijsMul, May 22, 2010

interesting and good news, but will the books become available for Australia? for the moment some of these "international" shops like the kindle and Ipad bookstores have very limited books for Australia.